Sonic Corporation, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic or "The Drive-In," is an American drive-in fast food restaurant chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of...
Sonic Corporation, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic or "The Drive-In," is an American drive-in fast food restaurant chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's, Dunkin Donuts and Buffalo Wild Wings. Sonic's menu consists of hamburgers and french fries, as well as onion rings, corn dogs, chili dogs, and breakfast toaster sandwiches. As of 2023, over 3,550 Sonic restaurants are located in 46 US states. Sonic has operated since the early 1950’s, and prior to its acquisition by Inspire Brands, its stock was publicly traded. Inspire acquired Sonic Drive-In for $2.3B in Fall 2018. Most restaurants are owned and operated by franchisees, and Sonic Drive-In’s total 2021 revenue was $5.83B. Corporate headquarters are in Oklahoma City, OK.
Inspire Brands, Inc., is the 2nd largest restaurant company in the world. It was founded in 2018, following Arby’s Restaurant Group’s acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings (and their subsidiary Rusty Taco) for $2.9B. In that first year, Inspire Brands included more than 4,600 company-owned and franchised restaurants with more than 150,000 team members across 15 countries. Today, the privately-held company now has a portfolio of distinct, highly-valued brands such as Sonic, Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John's, and Dunkin’ Donuts. They manage over 32,000 restaurants, 650,000 company and franchise members, and have over $30B in global system sales. Inspire Brands is headquartered in Sandy Springs, GA.