1/19/2011

SONIC drive-in (and superbSONIC 'blog) glossary

phrases you will hear at SONIC and/or on this 'blog:


800 number: if i ever say this, i'm actually referring to the customer service number -- even though it starts with 866.  although the headquarters of SONIC are in oklahoma city, the call center is housed in atlanta, GA.


BOGO: Buy One Get One free.


cheyenne SONIC: the SONIC drive-in on 7390 W cheyenne avenue in las vegas.


croisSONIC: SONIC's term for their breakfast sandwich.  somewhat similar to mcdonald's egg mcmuffin.


customer service number: 1-866-OK-SONIC (1-866-657-6642).  staffed 24 hours a day.


debris: the tag i use for information that is trivial in nature about SONIC.  good as trivia fodder or for amusement only.


double-day: going to SONIC twice on the same calendar day.


drink: the phrase i use to collectively describe slushes and soft drinks (but not shakes).  these are the beverages that qualify for half-off at happy hour.


drive-thru: the lane you use to pick up your food at the SONIC restaurant window -- as opposed to pulling into a stall.


driving the nautilus: some SONICs are set up in such a way that you have to completely circle the restaurant to be able to go through the drive-thru ... essentially what you do is slowly spiral your car to the center.  gilroy, CA; woodland park, CO and st. george, UT are all examples of this type of design.



durango SONICthe SONIC drive-in located at 7245 S durango drive in las vegas.


edgewater SONIC: the SONIC drive-in located at 2463 sheridan boulevard in edgewater, CO.


FAN TRAK: a phrase sometimes used by SONIC insiders when referring to a survey receipt.  if you exchange a survey receipt for a free route 44 you may see the phrase "FAN TRAK" printed on the new receipt given with your drink.


flamingo SONICthe SONIC drive-in located at 4260 W flamingo road in las vegas.  store #4960.  my preferred SONIC because it's: 24 hour, near the strip, has an interesting view of the palms across the street and has exceptionally good staff.

general info: the tag i use to describe information i believe to be of broad interest about SONIC.


gilroy SONIC: the SONIC drive-in located at 6921 cameron boulevard in gilroy, CA.  my most hated SONIC because the staff aren't very sharp and they are always baffled by my TXT discounts.

happy hour: mildly misnomered phrase for the hours when drinks are half price.  2:00 - 4:00 PM in most parts of the country, 2:00 - 5:00 PM in las vegas, NV.


ice tea: the phrase i've always used for what SONIC calls "iced tea."


iced tea: the phrase SONIC uses for what i call "ice tea."  i only use this phrase when i'm describing the drink from the official SONIC point-of-view.


lake mead SONIC: the SONIC drive-in located at 6301 West Lake Mead Boulevard in las vegas.


landing: the term i use to describe the patio at a SONIC where you can order and eat at picnic tables -- as opposed to sitting in your car at a stall.


LTO: SONIC's abbreviation for "limited time only," used in TXT messages.


my SONIC card: a card that can be loaded for your SONIC purchases.  you get freebies for registering the card and for re-loads.  any problem you have with an existing card will be sent through the 800 number and end up on the desks of the my SONIC card contractor, heritage solutions.


nellis SONIC: the SONIC drive-in located at 377 N nellis boulevard in las vegas.

pahrump SONIC: the SONIC drive-in located at 350 S highway 160; pahrump, NV.

quadruple-day (or quadruple): going to SONIC four times in one calendar day.

robo-news: the tag i use for news information generated automatically by google alerts related to SONIC drive-in.  from google's perspective, my settings for this are: news feeds only, most important information only.


route 44: the largest size menu items at SONIC.  applies to drinks, tots and fries.


sahara SONIC: the SONIC drive-in located at 6455 W sahara avenue in las vegas.  store #2438.


slush: a flavored drink of a semi-frozen consistency, similar to an ICEE or 7-eleven's slurpee.


stall: the spots at SONIC where you can park and order from your car -- as opposed to using the drive-thru.


SONC: the stock ticker symbol for SONIC on the NASDAQ exchange.


SONIC: my shorthand for SONIC drive-in.  SONIC is a sub-entity of "america's brand drive-in properties LLC."  all trademarks, copyrights and propaganda images belong to america's brand drive-in and are used on this 'blog for review, demonstration or look-good purposes only.  SONIC is, in no way, responsible for anything that i post on this 'blog.


SONIC cruisersthe fan club/propaganda arm of SONIC drive-in. joining (for free) off the SONIC web site gives you a newsletter, occasional discounts and a birthday present.


SONIC FM: the music station that plays overhead at the SONIC stalls and landings.  you can request tunes by calling 1-866-SONIC-FM or by text at SONICliveradio.com.


SONIC live radio: a more modern nomer for SONIC FM.

SONIC propaganda: the tag i use when i'm regurgitating information about SONIC that was originally published by SONIC.



SONIC tales: the tag i use when i'm talking about an event or story that happened in relation to SONIC.

SONIC visit: the tag i use to describe when i've gone to a SONIC.


superSONIC experience: the name of the postcard that SONIC might send you after calling their customer service number.  good for "a free sandwich of your choice."


survey: occasionally the bottom of SONIC receipts will give you the chance to call (877-807-2710) for a survey about your SONIC visit.  the list of questions you have to answer can be as short as: "how was the taste of your food?" "how was the speed of service?" and "how was your overall experience?"  or as long as deals about how many people were in your car, the kinds of food you had and the ability to leave a voice message about any problems you might have had.  providing a receipt code and then answering the questions, gives you a confirmation number.  passing this receipt and confirmation number back to SONIC will get you a free route 44 drink.  (note: you don't have to hand this receipt back to the same SONIC that issued it to get your free drink.)

tehachapi SONIC: the SONIC located at 1040 W valley boulevard, tehachapi, CA.  an extremely good SONIC due to outstanding staff and my favorite while traveling.


thanks SONIC: as a result of writing this 'blog, SONIC has sent me gift cards.  i use this tag any time i make a purchase using their generosity.  (thanks, SONIC!)


triple-day (or triple): going to SONIC three times in one calendar day.


tots: tater tots.


TXT message (or TXT offer): sent to and from your cell phone, these are offers that appear to be unique to the las vegas area.  TXT details are here.  standard rates apply.


vanilla dish: the phrase the SONIC menu board uses to describe a serving of vanilla ice cream with no cone.


wacky pack: a collection of food with the underlying intent of being a kid's meal.  you get a the choice of: a corn dog, jr. hamburger, chicken strips or a grilled cheese sandwich; and a banana, apple slices, tots or fries; and milk, juice or a drink; and a toy.


wacky pack wednesday: in las vegas, NV, wacky packs are on sale for $1.49 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM on wednesdays.  a 30 cent surcharge applies to grilled cheese or chicken strip choices.  on my SONIC numbers in the right margin, i only count a wacky pack once as an entire unit -- i don't also tally all the contents.


warm springs SONIC: the SONIC drive-in located at 2082 E warm springs road in las vegas, NV.


WNA upscale disposable products: manufacturers of SONIC's plastic cups.


{if you find this interesting, you may want to check out my maximizing your SONIC experience page}

2 comments:

  1. You forgot Flamingo - which is the one that sent a reply text when I typed in the SONICV12 code to the 411247 - evidently it's a texting code just for that one Flamingo location in Vegas? Not sure it will work for my area in Kansas but oh well they got my number now. Maybe that's why GilRoy is always baffled. And you know in WW2 etc they wrote "Kilroy was here" with that goofy face - maybe Gilroy was supposed to be called "Kilroy" and they are just baffled because they don't know where they are??? Just a thought...

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  2. the SONIC TXT messages are an ongoing problem. i think you're right -- the TXT discounts are only for the las vegas (and st. george) areas. this doesn't mean you can't get them and it doesn't mean you shouldn't still try to use them very nicely.

    i'd suggest calling the 800 number as well and telling them that SONIC TXT discounts should be accepted at all SONICs. if everyone made this comment, SONIC would probably install this nationwide.

    i'm not sure what you meant by saying i forgot flamingo ... maybe you just missed it higher in the glossary entry?

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PLEASE don't drink your slush as you type.