Sonic is known for its buddy comedy advertisements, an endlessly customizable assortment of beverages, and eating in one’s car—hence the “America’s drive-in” tagline.
However, not everyone’s up to speed on the fact that Sonic is primarily known for its car side services. TikToker @n0nyee learned this the hard way her very first time eating at the fast-food chain. The customer filmed herself inadvertently stumbling right into the restaurant’s kitchen, which appears to be a common occurrence among some commenters who replied to her clip.
“So nobody was going to tell me Sonic does not have a drive through- i done walked in these folks kitchen,” @n0nyee wrote in the text overlay.
The video transitions from the interior of a Sonic kitchen to the customer’s mortified face.
@n0nyee HELPP this was my first time eating at Sonics ✋🏽💀 #maybeimjustslow #fyp ♬ som original – .
If you’ve ever visited a Sonic before, chances are you’ve been to one that doesn’t have an indoor dining area. Many of them are strictly drive-ins/drive-thrus. There are others that also have outdoor seating areas with awnings, and, in what appears to be a rarity, there are some Sonics that actually have indoor dining areas.
But this has been far from the company’s standard practice. Nation’s Restaurant News reported back in 2014 that Sonic would begin testing a new indoor dining prototype. “Sonic has introduced the enclosed prototype in various styles to about 10 units over the past 18 months at the urging of franchisees in areas like Pennsylvania and New Jersey,” Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
In 2019, Erie Times-News reported that a local Sonic restaurant would be rocking its own indoor dining area. In 2018, it was reported that a location in Amarillo, Texas allowed hungry patrons to slurp down cherry limeades and ginormous Sonic chili dogs in the comfort of a vinyl upholstered booth and air conditioning. So although the chain is primarily known as “America’s drive-in,” it would seem that more and more indoor dining options are slowly popping up across the country.
Judging from the comments section of the TikTok, however, it would seem that there aren’t too many folks familiar with Sonic’s indoor dining areas.
“They have drive thrus just not indoor seating,” one person penned.
Someone else told @n0nyee that they found themselves in a similar situation when they visited a Sonic. “I’ve done that before actually,” they wrote.
“I did this a few years ago. Scared the employees,” someone else echoed, while another wrote, “My dad made that mistake when I was younger lmao.”
There were some folks who’ve been to Sonics that had indoor seating, saving them from the ignominy of having to accidentally walk inside of a kitchen. “No but some sonics do have insides it’s so confusing,” one customer shared.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Sonic via email and @n0nyee via Instagram direct message for further information.
