Sonic coming to Chicago area
 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,6796223.story

Should we be excited? I've never tried them.

LOOKS like they've got good milkshakes from the Cable TV adds!

It also looks like AM-PM Mini-Markets are coming to Chicago according to the ads. How do these compare to 7-11 and White Hen?

Steve

AM-PM are all over the place. I've also seen some Circle K's.

I wish some of these burger joints (Steak 'n Shake, Culvers, etc.) would be IN the city.

Sonic is dangerous to the waistline. Be prepared chicago! I tend to go during happy hour and get a route 44 soda for 1/2 price.


Halothane

Sonic has been an important stop during our roadtrips in the south. Best corn dogs and limeade delivered to your car...EVER. ^

"Sonic announced Wednesday that four restaurants are slated to open near Chicago by the end of the year, the first two this summer in Country Club Hills and Aurora."

Hey, Country Club Hills is just a couple miles from me.

Flyertalk party!

Talk about stretching the limits of "Chicago area." :D :D

I'd be much more excited if it were In 'N Out. :)

Well, if there are going to be 40, they'll probably get a few a little closer in.

For you, they should put one at 79th and Stoney Island. Now that's Chicago.

The Chicago area, or "Chicagoland" used to be defined as the six-county area, but now it's considered the seven county area to include Kendall County. And that doesn't even include Kenosha and NW Indiana, which is why the Chevy commercials always talk about visiting "your Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy dealers."

http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/about/overview.aspx

One comment re Sonic: Cherry-Lime slush thing. Especially during happy hour. :p:p:p

Anyone have an opening date for the loc in Aurora? I think we should do a Do on opening day (I think someone's already suggested this somewhere).

Onion rings, too, are without fast food parallel.

According to Sonic, Aurora opens "late August." I'll email the lady again in early Aug and see if I can get an actual date.

+1. And the Fritos chili cheese wraps...any time of day. :cool:

Breakfast?

Of champions. :D I've seen a few FTers happily consuming them for breakfast. :p :)

With or without having gone to bed? :)

Technically, Peoria doesn't have a Sonic yet. It's under construction. There are Sonics in East Peoria and Pekin, however.

I believe the closest Sonic to Chicago prior to the East Peoria opening was in Kokomo, Ind. But I'd much rather go to one at 79th and Stony. ;)

It was a 9am breakfast call, so I'll let you draw your own conclusions. :p

There's also South Bend, IN.

Lucky me...tomorrow I'll be driving near a few Sonic locations. :cool:

I could care less about Sonic being in Chicagoland. McDonald's will probably push them out of the market (remember Checkers?), not to mention a drive from where I am.

I'm with UNITED959, if it was an In 'N Out, that would be something!

We're looking forward to a pitstop @ Sonic this weekend when we travel to STL to watch the Cubs v. Cards @ new and improved Busch Stadium.

There are 5 possible locations near our hotel!!

Need to look at ILP's best Chicago burger thread if In 'N Out is a burger you look forward to. I can understand if one doesn't know their backyard but to go to a fast food chain where you live to get a burger clearly shows a lack of exploring one's area IMO.

How did you draw so many conclusions off of such a short comment? You imply that a) I think In 'N Out has the best burgers, b) I only go to fast food chains for burgers, and c) I clearly do not explore my area because of conclusion b).

A burger is a burger is a burger. Fast food, slow food, Trotter grilling a burger for you in his personal kitchen, it's all nearly the same. I like In 'N Out because it reminds me of older days. A burger there holds more value to me than to get a burger at Sonic which is just the same at Hard Rock Cafe, or Ed Debovic's, or [fill in your burger joint of choice].

When I go out exploring the culinary choices of my area, burger cuisine is not high on my list. Fast food is definitely a place I go only if I really hungry and my other choice is Denny's. If anything, there are way too many burger restaurants in the market; it's far too saturated. One more in the market isn't going to shake up the mix, though they may fare better than Checkers.

HA!

Don't get your hopes up. They make theirs with softserv. I'll take a Steak n Shake milkshake any day over Sonic.

Their shakes are about the worst I've ever had. They're too thick at first, then they're "chunky" (it can be 2/3 full and you just suck air) after they start to melt.

I love their Diet Cherry Limeades (during half price Happy Hour), though.

We have Sonics down heah, and I'd much rather have In 'N Out, too.

But if you could have In 'N Out's food with Sonic's carhop service, now that'd be something. :D^

That would be fast food nirvana.

As for my family, we like Sonic because it's tasty but more importantly because my wife grew up in OKC, Sonic's hometown. So there's some nostalgia at work here.

That must be why I like McDonald's, since the first one was in Des Plaines. ;) :D

and now you know how I arrived at my conclusion:D;)

Drove by the Aurora, IL location yesterday. It's one minute north of I-88. Take the Farnsworth Road exit, go North, Farnsworth turns into Kirk Road at the first major intersection. It's about three miles South of Fermilab.

The buildnig faces East and is on the West side of Kirk Road. Building exterior is complete, the I-beams for the drive-in stalls are up to the North or the store. The parking lot looks to me to be ready to be paved. I'd say late August is probably a pretty good guess. I have already been singing the praises of strawberry limeades to family, friends and co-workers who do not get the chance to visit Sonics out west like I do.

Now if we can just get a Mr. Hero here in Chicago, we'll be all set!

--PP

Diet cherry limeades, mmmmmmm. :)

It's a dangerous location to bring the wife to, just a mile away from the outlet mall :D

I'll have to try to get the address and load it into my GPS. I'll be in the Chicago area the next several days and just might have a craving for a Diet Cherry Limeade.

Bummer, they don't have it on the "Sonic Locator" on their web site.

Doh - never mind. I just noticed that it's not open yet. Nearest open one appears to be in South Bend - not driving that far. ;)

Yeah, but she takes you to the Fuddruckers on Finley, so it's a wash... :p

According to a post on a local bulletin board, they'll be opening in Aurora on the 19th! Since we still have a bit of summer ahead of us, it might be time to start planning the first Chicagolandsonicfillyourselfwithfooddo.

The bulletin board has better info, then, than the Sonic "franchise coordinator" I emailed on this topic. She didn't know, or wasn't telling.

I have to drive up to Waubonsee Community College tomorrow, I'll loop by and report.

Last weekend they were working on the finishing touches on the canopy for the drive in stalls and there were a bunch of workers sitting out front in he dining chairs and tables working on assembling something, i don;t know what. The menu boards were all installed but the actual menu graphics were not yet in place. All signage was in and the reader board said "COMING SOON SONIC BOOM"

--PP

Confirmed! Opening 8/19!!
 

I went by this morning. The place is just about as ready as it can get before cooking the Chili Cheese Tots. Uniformed crew members (one on roller skates!) were windexing the drive-in menu boards, which have their menu graphics installed. All the lights are on, there is activity inside and if there weren't cars blocking the parking lot, I'd think it were open now. More uniformed crew members were sitting at hte tables in front doing something and I asked one of the car-hops (the one on roller skates) when they were opeing and she said on the 19th.

So there you have it! Now, who wanted to schedule the stuff your face with Sonic 'do??

--PP

Awesome news!

Do we want a do for breakfast or lunch? Perhaps the weekend of the 30th? That way we can skip the really busy first opening weekend?