News

Sonic opens Culinary Innovation Center

November 5, 2014

Sonic's extensive menu pipeline is about to get an even bigger boost, with today's opening of the Culinary Innovation Center, a venue where the brand's culinary team will test ideas, equipment, recipes and products.

According to a company press release, the new facility is an important component in fueling Sonic's overall growth strategy including its goal of 1,000 new drive-ins in 10 years.

"Sonic is generating strong sales growth, and we are looking to build on that momentum," CEO Clifford Hudson said in the release. "The quality and uniqueness of our food are big reasons for our success, and we've invested more than $1 million into the new Culinary Innovation Center to ensure our chefs have access to some of the best equipment in one of the nicest facilities in the industry to continue the great work they're doing, driving our business forward with delicious, innovative food."

The Culinary Innovation Center features: 

• A culinary kitchen with the newest tools and equipment;
• A replicated Sonic kitchen to test new products and equipment in a real-world scenario;
• A 40-seat dining room for presentations, meetings, consumer research and more;
• A six-seat bar area for collaboration and drink innovation; and
• Installed cameras allowing chefs to broadcast training, food demos, interviews and more

"Though the Culinary Innovation Center will obviously benefit our team of chefs, we built it to support many elements of the Sonic business, including marketing, operations, supply chain and training," said Chef Claes Petersson, vice president of product innovation. "It will not only make our culinary team more efficient and effective in what we do, but will also serve as a uniquely Sonic space where all aspects of our company can collaborate and work together toward our collective goals."