Sonic Drive-In franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Sonic Drive-In franchise takes $1,485,200 – $2,522,900 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $15,250 – $17,650. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 3.25%. To qualify, Sonic Drive-In asks for a $115,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Sonic Drive-In franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $15,250 | $17,650 | $15,250 to $17,650 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $1,485,200 | $2,522,900 | $1,485,200 to $2,522,900 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $115,000 | $115,000 | $115,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $1,485,200 | $2,522,900 | $1,485,200 to $2,522,900 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Sonic Drive-In's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 3.25% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Sonic Drive-In cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Sonic Drive-In's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Sonic Drive-In's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $1,485,200 — about 5.3× the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $15,250 — about 56% below the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
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How Sonic Drive-In's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 3,115 units; 512 units opened, 399 closed, ending at 3,221 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Sonic Drive-In or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Sonic Drive-In for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Sonic Drive-In is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Sonic Drive-In grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Sonic Drive-In can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Sonic Drive-In franchise
Sonic Drive-In is a food & beverage franchisor with 3,221 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 3,115 units; its filings record 512 unit openings and 399 closures, ending at 3,221 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Sonic Capital LLC.
Disclosure filings report 2 franchise-related lawsuits. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
Sonic Franchising LLC licenses the operation of Sonic restaurants, serving made-to-order premium beef hot dogs, footlong quarter pound coneys, hamburgers and other sandwiches, hand-battered onion rings, tater tots and a full breakfast menu. They are known for our variety of Frozen Favorites® treats and Fountain Favorites® drinks, too, like cherry limeades, famous slushes and SONIC Blast® treats. At a typical “Traditional Sonic Drive-In,” a customer parks in one of 16 to 24 covered drive-in spaces and orders through an intercom speaker system. A Carhop then delivers the customer’s food directly to the customer’s vehicle. The Traditional Sonic Drive-In also includes a drive-thru lane and a patio, and may include an enclosed patio or indoor seating.
Sonic Drive-In franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Sonic Drive-In franchise cost?
- $1,485,200 – $2,522,900 all-in to open, per Sonic Drive-In's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Sonic Drive-In units are there?
- 3,221 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Sonic Drive-In's units held up?
- 97.3% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).
- Is Sonic Drive-In SBA-eligible?
- Sonic Drive-In is flagged SBA-eligible in our dataset (as of 2026-05). Confirm current status on the SBA Franchise Directory before relying on it for financing.