News

Sonic continues California expansion

Sonic Drive-In has announced the expansion of two existing franchise agreements and the addition of two new franchise agreements for a total of 33 new drive-ins to California over the next seven years.

January 5, 2016

Sonic Drive-In has announced the expansion of two existing franchise agreements and the addition of two new franchise agreements for a total of 33 new drive-ins to California over the next seven years. The new California drive-ins will be located in the regions of Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Central Valley and Northern California, including Sacramento and the Bay Area. Beyond this planned expansion, Sonic is seeking additional franchisees in California, according to a company press release.

The 33 drive-ins are planned for multiple markets across the state: 11 in Sacramento; 12 in the San Francisco Bay Area; three in west Los Angeles; five between Bakersfield and Stockton; and two in the Palm Springs area. All planned drive-ins should be open by 2022. There are currently 68 open drive-ins operating in California, and this announcement brings the total of upcoming drive-ins to 101.

"As a franchise-centric brand with more than 60 years of heritage, SONIC is a smart choice for motivated entrepreneurs interested in building a business with an established, respected brand," said John Budd, chief development and strategy officer for SONIC. "These new and existing partners in California represent some of the best in the business, with a great deal of restaurant and multi-unit experience. As we continue to seek qualified partners for the SONIC brand and in the state, these franchisees will exemplify the kind of success that comes from bringing SONIC Drive-In to previously underserved markets.”

Pacific Drive-Ins, led by Max Gelwix and Kasey Suryan, an existing franchise group with multiple drive-ins in California already, signed on for 14 additional locations, expanding their footprint in Los Angeles and Sacramento over the next few years.

Scott McMillan, a current Sonic franchisee with 20 years of experience with the brand, signed an agreement to bring five new drive-ins to the Central Valley region, including Bakersfield and Stockton, in the next five years. McMillan currently operates 26 locations in Bakersfield, Fresno and Sacramento.

New franchisee Arthur D'Souza is planning two drive-ins over the next three years in the Palm Springs area, with the first location planned for Indio.

Charanjiv Dhaliwal, a new Sonic franchisee with franchise group Norcal Cajun Foods Inc, signed 12 new commitments in the North and East San Francisco Bay areas. Norcal Cajun Foods Inc are current developers and restaurateurs for Popeye's, ARCO, Twin Peaks and Black Bear Diner, which are looking to increase Sonic's brand presence in the Northern California market.

"The expanding presence of the SONIC brand in California has been quite a success story in the past few years,” said Drew Ritger, senior vice president of development for Sonic. "The consumer demand — fueled by our national marketing campaign and the Two Guys commercials — is extremely strong in the state, and many franchise opportunities still exist for new and existing partners in Sacramento, the East Bay Area, west Los Angeles and the Santa Barbara and Ventura counties."