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Sonic Drive-In Franchise FDD, Costs & Fees (2025)

Drive-in fast-food restaurant franchise known for its burgers, hot dogs, and iconic carhop service, offering a wide range of menu options.

KEY FRANCHISE STATS

Franchisees

?

3144
+
-2%
-2%
Franchise fee

?

$15,000
Investment

?

$669,000 - $3,141,000
Revenue (AUV)

?

Undisclosed

$1,501,000

+
-1.4%
-1.4%

Founded in 1953 and officially incorporated in 1990, Sonic Drive-In is a well-known American drive-in fast food chain. Today, this iconic brand is part of the Inspire Brands family, with its headquarters based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sonic Drive-In's menu features a delightful selection of French fries and hamburgers, along with a variety of other tasty options such as chili dogs, corn dogs, onion rings, soft drinks, milkshakes, sundaes, and more. The restaurant is also famous for its unique drive-in service, where carhops on roller skates deliver food directly to customers' vehicles.

The company is committed to providing high-quality food and exceptional service, making it a beloved destination for fast food enthusiasts across the United States. Sonic continues to innovate with new menu items and seasonal promotions, ensuring a fresh and exciting experience for its customers.

Initial investment

Here's what you would need to invest if you were to start this franchise. These costs are provided by the franchisor in the Franchise Disclosure Document.

Type of Expenditure Freestanding Leased (Low) Freestanding Leased (High) C-Store Leased (Low) C-Store Leased (High) Drive-Thru Only Leased (Low) Drive-Thru Only Leased (High)
Initial Franchise Fee$15,000$15,000$15,000$15,000$15,000$15,000
Travel and Living Expenses During Training$8,200$93,600$8,200$93,600$8,200$93,600
Franchisee Certified Training Team Expenses$15,200$42,500$15,200$42,500$15,200$42,500
Prepaid Expenses$2,000$125,000$2,000$15,000$2,000$15,000
Real Property / Occupancy ChargeVariableVariable$0$35,000VariableVariable
Building Costs$800,000$1,100,000$250,000$500,000$800,000$1,100,000
Site Work$450,000$1,000,000$50,000$100,000$400,000$1,000,000
Restaurant Equipment$175,000$260,000$175,000$260,000$175,000$260,000
POS, POPS & Other Technology$105,000$160,000$70,000$80,000$90,000$120,000
External Signage$50,000$150,000$30,000$50,000$50,000$150,000
Beginning Inventory$20,000$50,000$10,000$25,000$10,000$25,000
Advertising Funds$2,000$5,000$2,000$5,000$2,000$5,000
Insurance Premiums$10,000$20,000$10,000$20,000$10,000$20,000
Payroll$26,800$94,800$26,800$94,800$26,800$94,800
Additional Funds (3 Months)$5,000$25,000$5,000$25,000$5,000$25,000
Total Estimated Initial Investment$1,676,000$3,140,900$669,200$1,360,900$1,609,200$2,965,900

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Type of Expenditure Freestanding Leased (Low) Freestanding Leased (High) C-Store Leased (Low) C-Store Leased (High) Drive-Thru Only Leased (Low) Drive-Thru Only Leased (High)
Initial Franchise Fee$15,000$15,000$15,000$15,000$15,000$15,000
Travel and Living Expenses During Training$8,200$93,600$8,200$93,600$8,200$93,600
Franchisee Certified Training Team Expenses$15,200$42,500$15,200$42,500$15,200$42,500
Prepaid Expenses$2,000$125,000$2,000$15,000$2,000$15,000
Real Property / Occupancy ChargeVariableVariable$0$35,000VariableVariable
Building Costs$800,000$1,100,000$250,000$500,000$800,000$1,100,000
Site Work$450,000$1,000,000$50,000$100,000$400,000$1,000,000
Restaurant Equipment$175,000$260,000$175,000$260,000$175,000$260,000
POS, POPS & Other Technology$105,000$160,000$70,000$80,000$90,000$120,000
External Signage$50,000$150,000$30,000$50,000$50,000$150,000
Beginning Inventory$20,000$50,000$10,000$25,000$10,000$25,000
Advertising Funds$2,000$5,000$2,000$5,000$2,000$5,000
Insurance Premiums$10,000$20,000$10,000$20,000$10,000$20,000
Payroll$26,800$94,800$26,800$94,800$26,800$94,800
Additional Funds (3 Months)$5,000$25,000$5,000$25,000$5,000$25,000
Total Estimated Initial Investment$1,676,000$3,140,900$669,200$1,360,900$1,609,200$2,965,900

Franchise Disclosure Document

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Number of units

Training 

Sonic Drive-In offers a thorough training program designed to ensure franchisees are fully prepared to manage their franchises effectively. Here’s an overview of the training process:

Before the restaurant opens, a designated Franchisee Certified Training Team from the franchisee's side must complete a certification training lasting approximately 5 weeks. This training encompasses various on-the-job topics, including restaurant setup, crew station training, and improving the guest experience.

Although there is no tuition fee for the certification training, the franchisee is responsible for covering the salaries, travel, and living expenses of all participants, as well as any necessary training materials.

Additionally, Sonic provides ongoing training programs, online training, and webinars for management personnel at no cost. These resources include station courses and advanced manager leadership classes, ensuring continuous development and operational excellence.

Territory Protection

Franchisees are granted the right to operate a Sonic Drive-In Restaurant within a specific area known as the "Protected Area." Within this zone, they are required to develop and manage their Franchised Restaurants. However, while the Protected Area provides certain territorial rights, it does not guarantee exclusivity.

Franchisees are not permitted to utilize other distribution channels, such as the Internet, catalog sales, telemarketing, or direct marketing, to make sales either within or outside of their Protected Area.

Furthermore, Sonic and its affiliates retain the right to use these distribution channels to make sales within the Protected Area using the Proprietary Marks, without providing compensation to the franchisee.

Competitors

Below are some of

Sonic Drive-In

key competitors in the

Burger

sector.

Franchise
Franchisees
Initial fee
Total investment
Revenue
Upgrade
Gross Profit
Upgrade
EBITDA
Upgrade

3144

New
+
-2%
-2%

$15,000

$669,000

$3,141,000

n.a.

$1,501,000

$xxx,xxx

n.a.

xx%

n.a.

n.a.

xx%

n.a.

Competitors

Buns on Fire

Buns on Fire is a fast-casual concept offering burgers, sandwiches, and comfort sides, serving quick-service diners and late-night guests, and known for indulgent stacked burgers, playful branding, and convenient counter-service or food-truck style operations.

Franchisees

?

0
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$255,000 - $462,000

Sammy's Sliders

Sammy's Sliders is a fast-casual restaurant brand offering gourmet sliders, fries, and shakes, serving burger lovers seeking smaller portions and variety, and known for customizable mini-sandwich combinations, playful branding, and efficient service suited to urban and neighborhood locations.

Franchisees

?

0
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$328,000 - $713,000

Home Frite

Home Frite is a fast-casual franchise offering gourmet fries, burgers, chicken sandwiches and milkshakes, serving urban diners and comfort-food lovers, and known for hand-cut potatoes, signature sauces, and scalable franchise model.

Franchisees

?

0
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$351,000 - $506,000

iniBurger

iniBurger is a burger-restaurant franchise offering gourmet burgers, shakes, and innovative sides, serving millennials and casual diners, and known for bold menu items, modern branding and strong franchisee support.

Franchisees

?

3
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$302,000 - $686,000

Harlem Shake

Harlem Shake is a burger-and-shake chain franchise offering premium burgers, fries, shakes and craft menu items, serving families and casual diners, and known for nostalgic branding, community vibe, and scalable restaurant prototype.

Franchisees

?

0
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$412,000 - $849,000

Good Stuff Eatery

Good Stuff Eatery is a fast-casual burger franchise offering handcrafted burgers, crispy fries and shakes, serving casual diners and burger-lovers, and known for chef-driven quality, fun branding and a mission to bring “goodness everywhere”.

Franchisees

?

5
+
0%
0%
Investment

?

$633,000 - $962,000

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