Sonic Drive-In

[suzilightning]

SOOOO......pickle slushies are now available.  Anyone near a Sonic and want to take one for the team?  I would but the nearest one for me is in Totowa...

[MetsFan5]

15 hours ago, suzilightning said:

SOOOO......pickle slushies are now available.  Anyone near a Sonic and want to take one for the team?  I would but the nearest one for me is in Totowa...

 

 

I would too— I don’t get why one hasn’t come to Morris County yet. I almost want to franchise one. 

[kayb]

Ahhh, Sonic, that paragon of Southern drive-in cuisine. You will occasionally find one down here that sells Koolickles. Get a big gallon jug of kosher dills at the supermarket. Pour off the brine. Make up a half-gallon of cherry KoolAid. Pour over pickles. Let sit at least overnight in the fridge; better if you wait two or three days.

 

If I had a dollar for every one of these I'd eaten or bought the kids at the ballpark concession stand...

[BeeZee]

There are 3 Sonics within 12 miles of my office, but kind of out of the way from my normal commute. Pickle slushie may only be palatable if tequila is added.

[Mysstwalker]

I am heading to Eureka in the morning and a pickle juice slushie is on my to-do list, I have been waiting not too patiently for this!

[Mysstwalker]

Ok, Sonic pickle juice slushes, got one today and after about three sips of it, gave it to Chris. The sweet slush base was fighting with what was supposed to be pickle juice flavor, and it was horrible. It smelled like pickles but when I tried it, it tasted more like lime with an extra heavy dose of citric acid thrown in. I was so looking forward to this, but I think I will stick with my pickle juice ice pops I buy. Bleh.

[Shelby]

49 minutes ago, Mysstwalker said:

Ok, Sonic pickle juice slushes, got one today and after about three sips of it, gave it to Chris. The sweet slush base was fighting with what was supposed to be pickle juice flavor, and it was horrible. It smelled like pickles but when I tried it, it tasted more like lime with an extra heavy dose of citric acid thrown in. I was so looking forward to this, but I think I will stick with my pickle juice ice pops I buy. Bleh.

Well, dang, that's disappointing.  Thanks for taking one for the team.

[HungryChris]

I am ashamed to admit it, but the only time I went to a Sonic was in Las Vegas. I walked down there while Deb was asleep. I saw no menu, no instructions and could not figure out how to do it. I saw that there were people inside working, people outside in cars eating burgers, but just could not make it happen. I like to think of myself as a pretty resourceful person, but just walked away knowing that In & out burger was our next stop.

HC

 

[Shelby]

18 minutes ago, HungryChris said:

I am ashamed to admit it, but the only time I went to a Sonic was in Las Vegas. I walked down there while Deb was asleep. I saw no menu, no instructions and could not figure out how to do it. I saw that there were people inside working, people outside in cars eating burgers, but just could not make it happen. I like to think of myself as a pretty resourceful person, but just walked away knowing that In & out burger was our next stop.

HC

 

There are menus next to where you saw the people in the parked cars eating.  You roll your window down and push a red button on the menu boards to order.    Some Sonics also have a drive-through.

[Toliver]

39 minutes ago, Shelby said:

There are menus next to where you saw the people in the parked cars eating.  You roll your window down and push a red button on the menu boards to order.    Some Sonics also have a drive-through.

And in the "food court" area where they have outdoor tables, there should be a single menu board with the same red button @Shelby mentioned for walk-up orders.

[Lisa Shock]

Sonic has an ordering app now, it's in a test phase. It only has a basic menu, based on national offerings. (Turns out that some of my personal faves, blackberry cream slush, peach cream slush, are regional.) Right now, the app offers half price drinks all the time, not just during happy hour. It does require that you load an online gift card with money, but, every time you do so, you get a free medium tots. (so, it's advantageous to add $10 at a time right now, instead of say, $50) The system also gives you little incentives every month or so, like a half price shake.

 

Sonic offers a wide variety of drinks and mix-ins like fruit, candy, syrups, etc. Two of my current faves are: the banana shake (made with a fresh banana) with an add-in of caramel, and frozen lemonade with an add-in of real strawberries.

 

I know it's winter, but here in Phoenix, it's when we emerge from our air-conditioned lairs and do outdoor activities. It's been about 70°F outside lately, perfect for some exercise.

[kayb]

Speaking of regional favorites, right now Sonic is selling its chili frito pies. Which it now makes in a coney tray, not in the single-serve Frito bag slit down the side, like it used to. Is nothing sacred? Still, no one makes a chili pie like Sonic. If they sold "Sonic brand" canned chili at the grocery, I'd buy it to go on tamales, as I've been known to do with the regular containers of chili.

 

And I love their onion rings. Garden variety frozen onion rings, but the onions are wonderfully sweet, and they hit the sweet spot for crunchy but not soggy and not overdone rings.

 

And of course, cherry limeade.

 

[Kim Shook]

On 6/15/2018 at 12:40 PM, HungryChris said:

I am ashamed to admit it, but the only time I went to a Sonic was in Las Vegas. I walked down there while Deb was asleep. I saw no menu, no instructions and could not figure out how to do it. I saw that there were people inside working, people outside in cars eating burgers, but just could not make it happen. I like to think of myself as a pretty resourceful person, but just walked away knowing that In & out burger was our next stop.

HC

 

Honestly, I feel the same way every time we go.  My daughter loves Sonic and I actually like the food, but feel like a fool when I try to "make it work".  I am old enough to have been to plenty of drive ins, but somehow Sonic defeats me.

[Kim Shook]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

Speaking of regional favorites, right now Sonic is selling its chili frito pies. Which it now makes in a coney tray, not in the single-serve Frito bag slit down the side, like it used to. Is nothing sacred? Still, no one makes a chili pie like Sonic. If they sold "Sonic brand" canned chili at the grocery, I'd buy it to go on tamales, as I've been known to do with the regular containers of chili.

 

And I love their onion rings. Garden variety frozen onion rings, but the onions are wonderfully sweet, and they hit the sweet spot for crunchy but not soggy and not overdone rings.

 

And of course, cherry limeade.

 

Jessica brought home a burrito-like thing the other day - is that the chili frito pie?  It was great.  Huge and only $1.  I'd never tasted the chili before.  It was excellent.  I wish they would sell it by the pint.  

[Lisa Shock]

52 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Honestly, I feel the same way every time we go.  My daughter loves Sonic and I actually like the food, but feel like a fool when I try to "make it work".  I am old enough to have been to plenty of drive ins, but somehow Sonic defeats me.

 

The trick is to pull into a parking space, and really take time to read the menu. Or, check it out online. There are a lot of options. Even a simple burger meal has a lot of options for sides. Remember that when you press the red button to order, you can ask questions. They can and will make floats, like a root beer float, but it's not on the menu board. I guess I have an advantage because I've been a customer since the mid-80s. -Even so, I often debate trying new items. That said, with the app, and all drinks half price, I have become more adventurous in my selections.

 

Cherry-limeade used to be my go-to drink, and I still get one on occasion. (I learned how to make it at home, so rarely have it when I'm out now.) The onion rings are my favorite food item. -They are still made from actual onion slices, unlike a lot of places selling a product made from compressed, minced onions.

 

Here's a link (probably temporary) to the new Fritos and chili items.

[MelissaH]

The cherry limeade is absolutely my favorite thing. The food always seems to be overly salty to my tongue. (But I'm also an hour's drive away from any of the locations, so visiting is a real treat for me.)

[kayb]

On 12/9/2018 at 9:52 PM, Kim Shook said:

Jessica brought home a burrito-like thing the other day - is that the chili frito pie?  It was great.  Huge and only $1.  I'd never tasted the chili before.  It was excellent.  I wish they would sell it by the pint.  

 

No, it's loose Fritos in a paper Coney tray, covered with chili and grated cheese. So simple. So good.

[demiglace]

On 12/9/2018 at 6:39 PM, kayb said:

Speaking of regional favorites, right now Sonic is selling its chili frito pies. Which it now makes in a coney tray, not in the single-serve Frito bag slit down the side, like it used to. Is nothing sacred? Still, no one makes a chili pie like Sonic. If they sold "Sonic brand" canned chili at the grocery, I'd buy it to go on tamales, as I've been known to do with the regular containers of chili.

 

And I love their onion rings. Garden variety frozen onion rings, but the onions are wonderfully sweet, and they hit the sweet spot for crunchy but not soggy and not overdone rings.

 

And of course, cherry limeade.

 

 

Ok, so a coney island tray is a baking pan. What is a coney tray, a disposable CIT?

Edited December 11, 2018 by demiglace (log)

[kayb]

45 minutes ago, demiglace said:

 

Ok, so a coney island tray is a baking pan. What is a coney tray, a disposable CIT?

 

 

Sorry. It's a little paper tray that they serve their chili cheese dog/coney in. Large enough to accommodate a six-inch bun, weiner and accoutrements. Same thing, different size, as the paper trays lots of places use for sandwiches, fries, etc.

 

[Lisa Shock]

3 hours ago, demiglace said:

 

Ok, so a coney island tray is a baking pan. What is a coney tray, a disposable CIT?

 

 

No, we're describing THESE.

[Allura]

3 hours ago, demiglace said:

 

Ok, so a coney island tray is a baking pan. What is a coney tray, a disposable CIT?

 

 

 

A coney is a hot dog in the Michigan area, not sure if it's other parts of the MidWest.

[demiglace]

5 hours ago, kayb said:

 

Sorry. It's a little paper tray that they serve their chili cheese dog/coney in. Large enough to accommodate a six-inch bun, weiner and accoutrements. Same thing, different size, as the paper trays lots of places use for sandwiches, fries, etc.

 

 

Thanks, I Googled Coney Tray and they showed pictures of baking pans. Thanks for clearing it up.

[Lisa Shock]

On 12/9/2018 at 7:39 PM, kayb said:

And I love their onion rings. Garden variety frozen onion rings, but the onions are wonderfully sweet, and they hit the sweet spot for crunchy but not soggy and not overdone rings.

 

I know that offerings vary regionally, and are voted upon by the franchisees. Here in the Phoenix area, the onion rings are made from scratch and the menu boards say "Handmade Onion Rings." I had a discussion about them today with a location manager. The cooks spend time making them every day -they are often the most time-intensive menu items to produce.

[MSRadell]

On 12/11/2018 at 8:31 PM, Allura said:

 

 

A coney is a hot dog in the Michigan area, not sure if it's other parts of the MidWest.

I believe everybody knows that the term Coney Dog or Coney came from Coney Island in New York City! Or at least they should know that and they were made famous by Nathan's in Coney Island.

[Allura]

17 hours ago, MSRadell said:

I believe everybody knows that the term Coney Dog or Coney came from Coney Island in New York City! Or at least they should know that and they were made famous by Nathan's in Coney Island.

Yes, but they don't actually call them that in the NYC area.