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GB Sonic drive-in crew one of top 300 in US
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OKLAHOMA CITY — The Sonic Drive-In crew at 3909 10th St. is one step closer to qualifying for the national finals of the 18th annual Dr Pepper Sonic Games, the annual competition recognizing the best Sonic Drive-Ins in the country. The Great Bend Sonic is one of 300 remaining drive-ins striving to become one of the final 12 teams to participate in the national finals held in Las Vegas this September.

"Sonic is extremely proud of these crew members for their hard work and dedication through the last six months to advance to the top 10 percent of all Sonics in the nation," said John Salama, vice president of training for Sonic Drive-In. "The Dr Pepper Sonic Games provide a fun platform that encourages employees to deliver outstanding customer service and learn about responsibility and teamwork."

Crews wage friendly rivalries through challenging team and individual competitions that ultimately determine the top Sonic crew in the country. The Olympic-style games span nine months and test crew members’ expertise in the areas of Carhop (food delivery), Fountain (drink preparation), Switchboard (service delivery), Dresser, Grill and Swamp (food preparation).

The Top 300 teams will be narrowed to 48 crews in late June. Those 48 drive-ins then compete in competitive quiz events called Traveling Knowledge Bowls to determine the Final 12 drive-ins. Final 12 teams receive all-expense-paid VIP trips to the national finals in Las Vegas on Sept. 11-12. Days later, Sonic’s top executives will honor the winners at Sonic’s national convention in Las Vegas in front of more than 3,000 franchisees, managers and employees.

SONIC started as a hamburger and root beer stand in 1953 in Shawnee, Okla., called Top Hat Drive-In, and then changed its name to SONIC in 1959. The first drive-in to adopt the SONIC name is still serving customers in Stillwater, Okla. As the nation’s largest chain of drive-in restaurants, Sonic has more than 3,500 drive-ins in 43 states coast to coast. Approximately 3 million customers eat at SONIC every day. Through Limeades for Learning, SONIC and its franchise partners have donated more than $1.3 million dollars to public school classrooms in local communities across the country.