Sonic vroom
AURORA | First one in area gets big welcome from diners longing for the old-style eatery
Julie and Kara Salanicky are true connoisseurs of the Sonic brand, and their dedication proves it.
The Oswego sisters have made several long trips to Peoria -- up until Tuesday the nearest place to score messy Coney dogs and more than 168,000 drink combinations via car hop service -- before the grand opening of Aurora's own Sonic drive-in diner at Kirk and Butterfield roads. It's the first Sonic in the Chicago area.
(Sun-Times News Group)
Now, the Salanicky sisters need make only a quick, 20-minute drive to scarf down Sonic's jumbo popcorn chicken and crispy onion rings.
"It takes you back to the olden days," said Julie, 23, sitting in the back seat of her sister's car after ordering a few more limeades to go. "It's like what you see in movies."
On opening day Tuesday, "Electric Avenue" blared over outside speakers as dozens of cars waited for their chance to pull into a stall and order treats from the speaker-equipped menu boards -- ones that revolutionized the ordering process in 1953 by letting customers place orders without leaving their car.
As many as 10 cars were lined up before the restaurant's 6 a.m. opening Tuesday, and the weeks leading up to the unveiling were just as filled with anticipation, said Aurora Sonic owner Seth Wolken.
"A lot of people have been coming in for weeks asking us, 'Can we come in?' " Wolken said. "The morning went very well, we're just trying to handle the traffic."
Sonic plans to open two more Chicago-area restaurants soon: in Algonquin in late fall or early winter and in Country Club Hills this winter.
The restaurant's 23 stalls were filled at lunch time, and families crowded around the two patio menu boards, eyeing Toaster sandwiches and cream pie shakes to ease the summer heat. A trail of cars stretched well into the surrounding parking lots, following the direction of yellow-vest-wearing staffers barking into walkie talkies.
The Sonic treats got a four-star rating from first-day customer Kayleigh Trent of Batavia. "It's really, really, really good," the 13-year-old said while stealing bites of virtually everything off her friends' plates.
As the building began to take shape months ago, thoughts of corn dogs and tater tots taunted the thousands of motorists passing through the busy intersection each day. "At the end on July the building looked finished," Wolken said.
However, training waitresses to skate around hundreds of people while navigating busy traffic and balancing trays of piping hot goodies -- that takes time.
"Excuse me, EXCUSE ME!" a dark-haired hop shouted, skating toward a crowd of loitering lunchgoers. "Rob. Rob. Order for Rob."
Rob, however, was nowhere to be found, and she skirted off into the sea of brightly colored menu boards and managers directing traffic in order to find him. "Excuse me, Rob!," her voice trailed off.
"It's all about the experience," Wolken said, eyes on the bustling scene before him. "This isn't your typical fast-food joint."
Sun-Times News Group with Sun-Times Reporter Cheryl V. Jackson contributing
1 million: Number of customers who eat at Sonic nationwide every day.
3,300: Sonic drive-ins coast to coast.
1953: Year Sonic started as a hamburger and root beer stand in Shawnee, Okla. Originally called Top Hat Drive-In.
1959: Year restaurant changed its name to Sonic. The name is a play on Top Hat Drive-In's first slogan, "Service at the Speed of Sound."
7: The number of Illinois Sonic locations, but 6 are more than 100 miles outside the Chicago area: East Peoria, Pekin, Champaign, Silvis, Moline and Savoy.
6: Sonic's overall ranking on Entrepreneur's 2007 Franchise(r) 500 list.