Sonic 2001 Annual Report Download - page 4

THE DAILY CRUISER PAGE 4
Sure, there are a couple of inventions such as pottery and plywood
that are older than the wheel, but it was the wheel that really trans-
formed the way we live. During the past 5,000 years, this one wheel
led to the development of such critical inventions as the modern
automobile, shopping carts and roller skates.
Roller skates? Why, without roller skates the 1950s
would have been dramatically different for poodle-
skirted youngsters who couldn’t wait to pack the local
skating rink every weekend. But as newer crazes like
pet rocks, mood rings and disco faded into oblivion,
skating found a permanent home. At Sonic Drive-
Ins, carhops have been skating for almost five
decades. And while Sonic didn’t invent the wheel,
roller skates or carhops for that matter, it did write
the book on combining the drive-in setting with
extraordinary customer service. The result is a
unique dining experience that fast-paced,
always-on-the-go patrons simply can’t find any-
where else.
This kind of service that only carhops can provide adds to the not-
so-subtle distinction between Sonic and its competition, for at Sonic,
customers drive the dining experience from the moment they arrive
until the time they leave. Unlike other fast-food places, every customer
is first in line at Sonic, so customers here set their own pace for ordering
and eating at the touch of a button.
What follows is fast, curbside delivery, but the dining experience
doesn’t end there. Every order comes with a smile - and a trademark
Sonic mint. Carhops, plenty of them on skates, check back during the
meal to see if anything else is needed, setting a high standard for personal
service and, coincidentally, preserving the skating legacy. Along the
way, Sonic has built a class of carhops who love connecting
with customers, as well as a loyal fan base that rivals
even NASCAR, another national institution
that’s all about wheels.
As the United States’ largest
employer of carhops, Sonic is almost
single-handedly preserving the nos-
talgia associated with smiling, friendly
carhops - seven days a week, morning,
noon and night. And without question,
Sonic is the recognized inventor of another
product that is also transforming the way we live - a truly distinctive dining
experience that combines great food with carhop service for a totally
differentiated product. ■
Reinventing the Wheel?
Sonic Puts a New Spin
on Tradition and
Customer Service
■By Roland A. Long
Staff Writer