Last night my partner and I made the snap decision to visit the newly opened Sonic Drive In here in Madison. Anyone who watches sports, The Hills, or TV in general should at least be aware of Sonic thanks to their creative, funny ads. I myself have been a Sonic fan since 1997 when I spent a summer in Oklahoma shooting a movie. Nothing like a slushie, shake or smoothie on a 90-degree day in the plains. My desire for Sonic has never dissipated despite the fact that Sonic failed to open anywhere close to my haunts of Minneapolis and Madison…that is until now. After conquering the Twin Cities, Sonic has now followed down to Madison. The first of three planned outlets, the Sonic located on University Avenue opened on Monday to great fanfare and typical Madison snobiness. Yes, Sonic is a chain fast food place but speaking as someone who can enjoy a meal at L’Etoile one day and The Plaza the next, Sonic certainly has a place in this world.
Arriving at 8:30 on Tuesday, my partner and I figured we’d avoid the initial rush of folks, but the place was busting at the seams. Traffic signs and extra police were on hand to guide folks into the parking lot and by the time we left the line was down the block. (On a side note, Mayor Dave, please use the Madison cut of the stimulus to fix the blacktop on University.) While we planned to take our meal home, we took the first available stall rather than the drive thru. Surveying the menu took a few minutes but then we called in our order with complete ease and found paying through the card swipe even easier. Our food was out in less than 4 minutes and was hot and fresh. I opted for the Bacon Cheeseburger Toaster, which also featured an onion ring, BBQ sauce and fresh veggies in between two slices of Texas toast. I also tried an order of cheese fries. The cheese was just ok but the fries were awesome. As my partner said, “Those taste like real potatoes.” My partner sampled the tater tots and commented on the perfect seasoning on the old standards. Finally, I could not leave Sonic without revisiting that summer of 97. I got a cream grape slush which combines soft serve with slushie for a taste combination that’s damn near orgasmic. I was starving when we arrived that evening so I ordered everything in its largest size, and here’s another area where Sonic sets itself apart from other chains. Their large is actually reasonable and not an obnoxious obesity inducing size. The whole experience was smooth and easy which is also notable for a place with just 2 days of full operations under their belt. We’ll be back for sure especially when the weather turns and we can enjoy the full drive in experience.
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