10515 Mission Gorge Road, Santee
www.sonicdrivein.com
619-238-0048
Sonic Drive-In has finally arrived in San Diego County. For those of us who are familiar with America’s largest drive-in fast food chain, this was a much-anticipated event. Prior to the grand opening in Santee a few months ago, Sonic lovers had to drive to Anaheim, Hemet or El Centro to enjoy the many delights on the large menu.
What’s so special about Sonic? Because it is a drive-in in the true sense of the word, you never have to leave your car. Pull in to one of the many slots, take all the time needed to study your own individual menu and when you’re ready to place your order, just press the big red button and wait to be served by a friendly Sonic carhop who will usually arrive at your window on roller skates.
Sonic is the ultimate drink stop. Choose from Sonic blasts, shakes and malts, blended floats, cream slush treats, banana splits, sundaes, cones, java chillers, fruit smoothies and their famous slushes. My favorite is the orange cream slush, which tastes like a melted Creamsicle.
I was astonished to learn that Sonic offers more than 168,000 drink combinations. That’s not a typo—168,894 to be exact. If you can’t decide on one of these, you can experiment with a combo of your own creation, made to order.
Sonic also offers the usual selection of fast food favorites such as burgers, chicken, wraps and salads, breakfast burritos, hot dogs (called “Coneys”), french fries, onion rings and tots. The tots are the best I’ve ever tasted and I’m not a real fan of these miniature hash brown nuggets. New menu offerings include the toaster breakfast sandwiches, made with thick Texas toast.
Sonic’s prices are reasonable and the food quality is excellent.
It’s a fun and exciting place for kids. Mom or Dad can register their little ones in the Sonic Birthday Club and receive a coupon for a free Wacky Pack kid’s meal on the happy day. The kid’s meal is unique in that each child can make his own choices by picking one item from column A, one from column B and one from C. Column A offers a junior burger, grilled cheese, chicken strips or a corn dog. From column B, they can choose regular fries, regular tots, a banana or string cheese. Column C includes juice, soft drinks, milk or slushes. To top it all off, there is a surprise toy in each meal. What kid wouldn’t have fun making his own selections instead of having to settle for whatever comes in a kid’s meal at other fast food restaurants?
Now that you’re all hungry to choose your own Sonic favorite, head east and look for the red and yellow Sonic sign. You’ll know you’ve arrived at some good eating.
----------------
Geri Akan is a freelance writer living in East County.