Sonic Drive-In

Only one in the south side of town. Really need on at Gulf Coast Towncenter mall!!!
Great burrito and Chicago hots. Frys well can't ruin tater tots I guess

The two rating is based solely on the review I'm about to write.

Sonic offers half priced shakes after 8pm. I had gone with other other person, on our way home from a cousin's house last week. We decided since it was 8:30, why not try it? Yeah, we were wrong.

We pulled into the drive thru, and the writing on the order board is so tiny, we asked what kind of shakes they have. The teenager told us, so quick, we're like "huh?" He also said they have malts. We asked what the difference was, and he said he didn't know, as he'd not had either one (?! How do you work there and not know the difference? Is one thicker over the other? Different textural experience???). So I ordered a vanilla shake, the other person ordered chocolate shake. $2.49 later, we decided it wasn't really worth going. The vanilla had an after taste. Although it was thick and looked creamy, with a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry, something tasted off with it. The chocolate looked as bland as the vanilla. Came the same way - whipped cream, cherry, thick. It had very little chocolate taste to it. As if they just took a tiny morsel of a chocolate shaving and stuck it in the shake.

I went back last night to try again, as I had stopped in the supermarket next door. I got the chocolate shake this time. I waited in a long line, as someone decided to go thru and make a huge order - big enough for 5 people, it seemed, because they were sent to one of the pull up eat there corrals. My shake finally got to me, and it had been liquifyed. It looked like the cherry and whip cream were floating on soup. I got it home and it tasted like they dumped a whole bottle of chocolate syrup in the cup, mixed some shake chemicals rather loosely and called it a chocolate shake. The whipped cream looked like it came out of a Reddi Made air can, but tasted like Cool Whip.

The shakes are definitely NOT worth the price; regardless of whether you pay full or half.

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Side notes of suggestions (aka, something that might make it 2.5 or 3 stars):

I suggest not going at night if you can't see lit signs well. Either the writing is too small, there was too much background light, or it was my eyesight, but the drive thru sign was promoting food items - hot dogs, tater tots, in big writing, but everything else - beverage choice, other food offerings, was written so tiny, I had to pretend like I didn't know what I wanted to order because I couldn't read the sign.

The redeeming quality is the slush thingies. Half priced between 2-4 = I only return for that, if I happen to pass by. Depending on the flavour, you get a cherry in the cup. They once in a while give you a wrapped starlight mint as well. :)

We had to see if Sonic was taking on Costco when we saw Sonic's recent big promo for a hot dog, priced under two bucks.  

Yes, they were.  But sorry, Sonic.  A panel of biased judges including me who somehow got into my car together one afternoon, decided that Costco's got a better dog deal.  Here's how we broke it down:

At Sonics, you drive into a covered parking spot, stay in your car, and holler into a scratchy order box at employees who hide out in a funny house where the public is prohibited.  Sonic makes tater tots in there, so it is indeed a hidden and scarey place.

Don't take one of the first parking spots on the right at Sonics.  Those spaces belong to unknown loyal customers (ULC) who hold Sonic cards.  The order boxes next to these parking spots are either coded, or have their digitized screens set to severely unreadable.  I assume that only card carrying, ULC carry on their burger & fry business there, and with all the seriousness of anonymous Swiss bankers and numbered accounts.

At Costco, you get to leave your car in the parking lot where it won't be at risk of having mustard and indelible grease added to either your upholstery or to your silly friends who are  riding along for this made-up contest.  At Costco, you also give your order to an employee in person who simply turns around in a sensible shoe 360 to pickup your dog and pass it to you in return for a buck plus change .  Then you go with your food to sit at a table where the mess can spread away from you and on to Costco's customer-proofed, red plastic tables.

Sonic on the other hand has four kinds of hot dogs, all photoshopped nicely for the monitor's display next to the squak box.  No drink in the deal.

Costco shows you both of only two dog choices you can buy, but takes less money from you than Sonics, PLUS hands you a Costco-sized soda suitable for hydrating a family  of four.  

Sonic holds out on its drink during its two buck offer, knowing that the salt content in most of its food will send you to the nearest retention pond for a long cow drink if you don't also buy Sonic's money-added soda in combo with those famous tater tots that are wrapped and ready inside the Sonic safe house.

Sonic's hot dog boom's a bust.

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