Happy hour normally brings to mind thoughts of discounted cocktails and drafts. But to those living within driving distance of a Sonic Drive-In, happy hour is the part of the day because it's when all drinks, fountain sodas, ice teas, slushes and smoothies alike are half-priced. Sadly, Connecticut residents cannot experience a happy hour, Sonic-style, because there are none within state lines. But this serious lack is about to change. According to a July 30 article in The Hartford Courant, Sonic is coming to Wallingford.
What could possibly be better than ordering a Coney Island-style hot dog, mango limeade slush and junior candy sundae all in the same place? Ordering all of those things from the comfort of your own car and having them delivered by a girl on roller skates. Being able to get breakfast all day, any day is pretty great, too. Sonic has not only a unique menu, but also offers unique service to those utilizing the drive-up intercom system to order. Adding an "America's Drive-In," a title the Sonic Web site uses to describe their restaurants, to the great state of Connecticut will enable all residence to have a supersonic cheeseburger brought right to their car window.
Right now, the closest Sonic is in Kingston, N.Y., located in the Hudson valley. GoogleMaps clocks the trip from Storrs to Kingston at just under three hours, one-way. So why are Sonic commercials played on televisions all across the state? This seems like a terrible business strategy for Sonic to employ. They waste money advertising on people who can't even join in on the drive-in experience. This advertising practice also increases frustration among those who would love to go to Sonic.
Kelly O'Donnell, a 5th-semester English major, said, "I would love to have a Sonic because it's cruel to have such delicious commercials when we can't even partake."
Many students share these very same sentiments, acknowledging that the advertisements are doing their job and drawing in customers, but to restaurant locations much too far away to access.
Jaime Zeigler, a 5th-semester psychology major, said, "I would love [a Sonic] in Connecticut because I hear they're really good. They play the commercials all the time."
The Sonic commercials are also very funny. Using the same format for each ad, Sonic somehow manages to get a laugh from its audience every time while they show the economically priced food and deals they have to offer. Combining delectable treats and humor is deadly; who wouldn't want to go to such a wonderful place?
Bringing the classic drive-in to Connecticut is definitely going to benefit the Sonic Corporation. According to collegebound.net, there are 46 colleges and universities in the Nutmeg state, which means there are many college students looking for more fast food restaurants to frequent on late weekend nights. While Wallingford, the prospective location for the new eatery, is still far from some parts of the state, it is much closer than any current Sonic. Students may not be flocking from Storrs to the new drive-in on Friday nights, but it may become a daytime destination for those of us who yearn to enjoy a half-priced blue coconut slush with a breakfast burrito at three in the afternoon.
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