Sonic 2003 Annual Report Download - page 10

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30 states from coast to coast and into northern Mexico around Monterrey. Along the
way, we acquired quite a fan club as well, developing the most loyal customer base in the
QSR category.
However, while celebrating our golden anniversary in calendar 2003, the most
important gauge of our success can be found in the more recent acceleration of our
brand growth. System-wide sales did
not break the $1 billion mark until
fiscal 1997, our 44th year, but then
doubled again by fiscal 2002 and today
stand at nearly $2.4 billion. Likewise, it
took us almost 40 years to grow the
chain to 1,000 locations, but the chain
jumped to 2,000 drive-ins by fiscal
1999 and further expanded to more
than 2,700 locations by fiscal 2003.
The strength of our brand over the
past 50 years reflects an unwavering
focus on the fundamentals that made
us successful from the beginning.
We’ve done our best to remain
authentic, taking a different road to
build a brand based on service,
quality, menu differentiation, and
plain, old-fashioned fun. This brand
differentiation is readily apparent the
moment you arrive at Sonic – our
drive-in concept lets customers
remain comfortably in their cars, or
enjoy outdoor picnic tables if they
so desire, while we do the rest. It’s
a place where every customer is
first in line, where service revolves
around the customer, where they
control the dining experience from
start to finish.
Another thing you may notice at Sonic is our renowned carhop service. Many still
skate, speeding their deliveries curbside with finesse and skill (not to mention high-tech
four wheelers and in-line skates) that would make their predecessors proud. More important
A Success Story
Starting at the bottom and working your way
up; it’s the classic bootstrap success story in
America. It’s a story that David Castleberry of
Elk City, Oklahoma, knows well. He began his
career with Sonic in 1961 as a carhop at the
Sonic Drive-In in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Troy
Smith, Sonic’s founder, signed David’s first
Sonic paycheck. Through the years, David
worked every position at the drive-in, rising to
assistant manager before he purchased his first
Sonic in 1969, together with partner Gene
Longworth, in Elk City, Oklahoma. Today,
David and his partners own 35 drive-ins in
Oklahoma, Texas and Florida.
p.08