odds of getting a survey receipt

about a year ago i speculated on the odds of getting a survey receipt at a SONIC.  today there was an excellent reply that i wanted to bring forward as its own posting ...

as with everything on the internet, you should assume this is a lie until you have strong reasons to believe otherwise, but i believe this to be true...

I've been a manager with Sonic for 9 years. Just to give you some insight, it depends on the Sonic Drive-In in question. They set the tickets to print out every (4,5,6, etc) tickets based on the number of responses they get a month. If they get too many responses (more than 65), they knock it down to every 6 or 7 tickets. If they need more responses they will set it to print every 2 or 3 tickets. Our store prints a "winning" receipt every 4 tickets, because that is a good way to get enough responses per month. The store 10 miles from us prints every 2 tickets, because they do not receive as many responses. So it varies on how often they print out, but it has nothing to do with what you order, the area of the US, the sales of the store, etc.

Sonic will only pay for the first 65 responses to a survey, so they stores try to vary their tickets to give a number of receipts that will get them to that number. They wouldn't print it on every ticket, because it would be a waste because they may receive many more than 65 responses, when all they want/need is 65.

SONIC ringtone

this sent to me by txt (along with a confirmation from me.)

***

Your heart desires the Heart's Desire song. And so your heart shall receive. Click the link http://tinyurl.com/3wajn6o

SONIC TXT codes defined

it took me awhile to figure this stuff out, but a combination of several readers writing to me, my new threaded messaging cell phone and some raw time in the human percolator, i've figured it all out.

the national TXT number for SONIC is 866-77.  i think you can send this number any phrase (i just typed "help" and it signed me up) and they'll sign you up for promotions.  i find this number to be a little too spammy ... SONIC tends to offer a few ads and announcements here, but fewer discounts.

if you're in las vegas, you're lucky.  i think the privately owned SONICs here are all under the same franchisee.  TXT any of the following strings to 411-247 (get it?  that's information 24/7) to sign up for a specific restaurant

SONICV3 -- activates the SONIC TXT discount for the store at 377 N nellis.
SONICV4 -- activates 6455 W sahara
SONICV5 -- 7390 W cheyenne
SONICV6 -- 2082 E warm springs
SONICV7 -- 4442 N decatur
SONICv8 -- 5085 E tropicana
SONICV9 -- 5725 E charleston
SONICV10 -- 2120 E craig road
SONICV11 -- 3431 N rancho
SONICV12 -- 4260 W flamingo
SONICV13 -- 7245 S durango
SONICV14 -- 6464 N decatur
SONICV15 -- 5465 camino al norte
SONICV16 -- 3340 E flamingo
SONICV17 -- 2301 E sahara

{note that there are no stores attached to SONICV1 nor SONICV2 ... they've also boldly ignored the las vegas superstition surrounding the number 13 and have decided to go ahead and use that.}

i can't think of a good reason to subscribe to all these numbers ... UNLESS the automated system sometimes just pukes ... OR you like the idea of getting swarmed by 14 TXT messages at once.

if you're not from las vegas, you can go ahead and subscribe to any of these local alerts ... it'll give you an idea of what's going on in sin city.  there's a very slim chance you could get a local SONIC to honor a vegas TXT code (if you look back at the TXT samples on here you can see that they don't mention locations), but i've had problems with this in the past and so have my readers.

normal TXTing rates apply, of course ... but jack, this is the 21st century -- you should be getting unlimited TXTs.

to cancel your TXT subsciptions, you can TXT "STOP" to either the national or local numbers.

SONIC golden tot: ACHIEVED!

lepers and hardcore readers know that i've been after the SONIC golden tot in the wacky pack drink buddies series.

this morning i came home to find a package from msdrpepper.  it looks like an old skool floppy disc mailer (in reality, it was probably a SONIC gift card mailer) and inside, the goldiest of the SONIC drink buddy grails.

that's right, a golden tot ... and to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time a picture of one has ever been displayed on the 'net.

golden tot (with quarter for scale)

thrilling, i know.

so these are all the critters available as drink buddies: a lizard, a dog, a cat, a monkey, a WTF and a golden tot.

who's your buddy?

there are a few anomalies worth noting:

• the cat is the only buddy with clothing (it's wearing a bow in its hair -- the dog has a collar)
• the dog, the lizard and the WTF are the only buddies have a SONIC logo on the reverse
• the others (cat, tot and monkey) have the mywackypack.com URL on the reverse [a site that has been "under construction" for months]

according to the wacky pack insert card, buddies are available in metallic, see-through and glitter finishes.  they're also available in many (unknown number) colors.

death to the jr. reese's sundae

it's funny ... somewhere in the SONIC info stream i saw that the menu had been changed and many new exciting items are being offered ... so far i'm only noticing where they're shooting holes through good items ...

last night we went through the flamingo SONIC for a survey receipt ice tea and two jr. reese's sundaes -- they too are no longer available.

that means i'm going to have to go through and do a comprehensive menu examination in the next few days.  ick.

life to SONIC premium beef hot dogs

unlike the fritos chili cheese wraps, SONIC has decided to make their premium beef hot dogs a permanent menu addition ... both of them are good ... it's easiest if i think of this as a form of fast food karma and balance.

death of the fritos chili cheese wrap

stopped by the flamingo SONIC this morning with dr. bob ... along with the new menu changes they are no longer offering the fritos chili cheese wrap.

RIP.  that was a good product.

SONIC's nutrition calculator is now officially broken ...

... which is too bad, because it was fabulous.  the absolute best thing about it was it allowed you to see the components of separate things (like the fact a vanilla shake is made of ice cream and water).  it lived here, but links to it were removed several days ago, and now it's no longer functional.

it was a really really great tool.  i'm sorry to see it gone.

sonic live radio is on the web -- kinda

what was formerly better known as "SONIC FM," can be found at SONICliveradio.com.  what's weird is you need a valid SONICdrivein.com or SONICpartnernet.com (sic) email address to listen online ... so you can make your request online but you can't listen to it.

uh.  i don't think i get it.

complete SONIC menu (with pricing)

this should answer all the "how much is a ____ at SONIC drive-in" questions.

SONIC as a company can't put up the prices because they vary by region and individual location (although with a little intelligent software they could make some damn good guesses).  the following list is from the flamingo SONIC -- those in your area will likely be different (probably a little higher?), but they'll definitely in the same ballpark.  if you want to know exact pricing at any given SONIC, call the store and ask ... if you can't find your store's number, call SONIC's 800 number and ask them for it.


breakfast items
jr. breakfast burrito: $1.00
breakfast burrito: 1.89
french toast sticks: 1.99
breakfast toaster: 2.39
croisSONIC breakfast sandwich: 2.59
superSONIC breakfast burrito: 2.89

burgers
jr. deluxe burger: 1.00

jr. double cheeseburger: 1.99
SONIC burger: 2.89

SONIC cheeseburger: 3.39
superSONIC cheeseburger: 3.99
SONIC bacon cheeseburger: 3.99
bacon cheeseburger toaster: 4.19

chicken
chicken strip sandwich: 1.29

JUMBO popcorn chicken: small 2.99, large 3.99
chicken wrap: 3.59

chicken sandwich: 3.99

chicken bacon ranch sandwich: 4.29
chicken club toaster: 4.39

grilled chicken salad: 4.59

crispy chicken salad: 4.59
chicken strip dinner: 4.79

hot dogs
corn dog: 1.00
premium beef hot dogs (new york, all-american, chili cheese coney, chicago): 1.99
footlong quarter pound coney: 3.19

main course upgrades

american cheese: 0.50

green chili: 0.50
hot chili: 0.50
spicy jalpenos: 0.50
crispy bacon: 0.70

drinks

add flavor to any drink: 0.20

SONIC boom espresso shot added to any drink: 0.50

apple juice: 0.99
iced tea*: small 1.00, medium 1.49, large 1.99, route 44 2.19

soft drinks*: 1.00, 1.49, 1.99, 2.19

"famous" slushes*: 1.00, 1.79, 1.99, 2.19

bottled water: 1.29
premium roast coffee: 1.49, 1.69

real fruit slushes: 1.49, 1.79, 1.99, 2.19

flavored teas*: 1.49, 1.79, 1.99, 2.19

limeades*: 1.49, 1.79, 1.99, 2.19

ocean water*: 1.49, 1.79, 1.99, 2.19

cranberry juice: 1.69, 1.99

orange juice:  1.69, 1.99

iced latte: 2.49, 2.99

fruit smoothie: 2.59, 3.19

ice cream concoctions

vanilla cone: 1.00

vanilla dish: 1.00

sundaes: 2.39

floats: 2.49, 2.99
creamslush: small 2.59, medium 2.99

java chiller: 2.59, 2.99

limeade chillers: 2.59, 2.99

shakes: 2.59, 2.99

SONIC blast: 2.99, 3.39

banana split: 3.59

sides and miscellaneous

fresh banana: 1.00

jr. fritos chili cheese wrap: 1.00

apple slices with caramel dipping sauce: 1.29

tots or fries plain: small 1.00, medium 1.49, large 1.89

tots or fries with cheese: 1.49, 1.89, 2.39

tots or fries with chili and cheese: 1.99, 2.49, 2.89

onion rings: 1.79, 1.99

bag of ice: 1.99

mozzarella sticks: 2.59

ched 'R' peppers: 2.69

fritos chili cheese wrap: 2.99

wacky pack** (burger, grilled cheese or corn dog): 3.19

wacky pack (chicken strips): 3.39

note: a medium combo (adding medium tots or fries and a medium drink to any sandwich) is roughly $2.20 more than the single item price; a large combo is about $2.80 more.

*this drink qualifies for half-off during happy hour.

**some regional SONICs have wacky packs for $1.49 on wednesdays from 5:00PM to 8:00PM.  occasionally these SONICs will add a $0.30 surcharge for chicken strip or grilled cheese main courses on wacky pack wednesday.

SONIC nutrition calculator tweak

it used to be that you could select any item from the SONIC menu and throw it into the nutrition calculator.  for some reason, that capability has been removed from SONIC's website ... fortunately, the calculator still exists in its original spot.

the plastic cups at SONIC ...

... are WNA upscale disposable products.

the greatest drink token ever made

when i ordered my second wacky pack, the response was *so* slow that i
quit waiting and went through the drive-thru.

my vanilla dish was quick, but the wacky pack production was slow, slow,
slow. when the acting manager finally came to the window, he gave me
the pictured token as an apology for my wait: good for a free medium softdrink.

i've never seen one of these before, so they must be relatively new
(although the © says 2010).

it is just *AWESOME*. the chip itself is weighted and approaching pro-grade. the color is hilarious, a riff not only on the mints they give with your order at SONIC (it says "every customer is WORTH A MINT" on the reverse); but red is also commonly the lowest denomination of chips in a casino (okay, okay, it might just be a coincidence).

the fine print says it expires in 60 days, but there's no indication of
when it was actually given ... you could spend it for forever.

now, i'm one of the cheapest people who's ever lived ... in fact for the last 48 items i've received from SONIC i've paid a grand total of  $45 ... but
there's *no way* i'm ever cashing this chip ... it'll be my talisman until it's lost, stolen or i die ... and you better believe it'll be seeing more than a little action as a card protector.

it's gotta be a vegas only thing. hilarious, great and on the mark.

superb.

the execution of my SONIC cards is farmed out to ...

... heritage solutions (formerly heritage print shoppe), in el reno, OK.

any problem you have using an existing card will most likely be referred to them (after passing through the SONIC 800 number).

(you can see a glancing reference to SONIC in inventory management.  and a SONIC testimony in the customers section [where a writer uses an incorrect definition and style of the word "gambit," no less].)

where the SONICs are

older article with an interesting (and still probably proportionally
relevant) map.

the most calorie heavy item on the SONIC menu ...

... is the superSONIC cheeseburger with mayonnaise at 1270 calories.  it would be 1340 if you added bacon.

a large (and truly awful) red velvet cheesecake blast was 1280 calories, but thankfully, those are no longer available.

SONIC drink buddies explained

there's an ad at edgewater SONIC for drink buddies -- the first time
i've seen one.

the implication is there are five different critters: a monkey, a cat, a
dog, a prehensile-tailed lizard and something that i don't know what the
hell it is (it's the purple critter in the poster -- i'll call it "WTF" for short).  in addition to these there is the righteous standing-on-the-cup tot.

according to wacky pack packaging, all of those critters can be in
different states including transparent, "glitter" (which really seems
more pearlescent to me) and boring mom-i-need-another-wacky-pack
normal.

i've read in different places on the 'net that the tot is available in different colors as well, but the one that everyone wants is the legendary limited edition "golden tot."

i know i've seen two different WTFs, which are almost exactly the same
color of orange, but one is glittery. i've also seen two different color monkeys.

i'm guessing, and this is a pure guess, there's *at least* two colors of every critter and probably 3 states for each color. which means at the dead minimum there'd be (7*6) = 42 (the answer to the universe and everything, of course) different drink buddies. but this is chinese plastic mass manufacture -- it wouldn't surprise me if there are several hundred different variations.

(side trivium: you can ask for the book "tour the alphabet with tot" instead of getting drink buddies if that whole experience seems too intense for you.}

drink buddies are getting big search hits on this 'blog ... a
wondering/questioning public is dying to know ... and now you do.

{6/24 addendum: i now have a golden tot and have posted some updated information about all the drink buddies in a newer posting.}

what are the odds of getting a survey receipt at SONIC?

you'd think a combination of a degree in applied mathematics, a minor cataloging  mentality and a major obsession with SONIC would give me a definitive answer to this question ... but, surprisingly (to me, only, perhaps), i only have guesses.

my experience has been that any given visit to a NV SONIC has something like a 40-60% chance of getting a survey receipt.

there are a number of things that might come into play here:

• the interest of the franchisee
• the area of the country the SONIC is in
• individual items that are ordered
• the financial success of any individual store within the chain
• health reports on any individual store

so your odds may vary widely.  it wouldn't surprise me at all (in fact i'd go so far to say that i "expect") if your chances of getting a survey receipt in long island are different than OK city.

i tried calling the 800 number to see if i could glean more information before i wrote this post, but was put hold.  this is precisely the kind of question that the customer service operators there will have no clue about ... mostly they regurgitate the stuff that's already online (and in some cases they even miss that).  i'll call again at some freak hour (so i don't have to hold) and update this if i get more information ... but i'll tell you right now, the odds of that happening are MUCH lower than those of getting a survey receipt at SONIC.

what is the point of going to SONIC drive thru?*

driving through at SONIC (as opposed to stopping at the stalls) has one major advantage: you don't have to tip the cashier (and you absolutely should tip a carhop), thus reducing your total expenditure.

it's possible you might get faster service driving through than at a stall.  HOWEVER, when there's been a queue in the drive-thru (and i felt i was in some weird kind of a hurry), pulling into a stall gave me service at least as fast as the third car back from the cashier window.

if i'm eating on the patio, i have a mild preference for ordering at the drive-thru, then parking and carrying my food to the landing.  not only does this keep the tip in my pocket, it also guarantees my food will be in small portable packets ... when ordering on the landing, it's not that unusual for my food to kinda stream in waves from the inside and my personal preference is for my food to be a little more "immediate" than that.

{there are two times that i'll just order from the landing for sure: one is if i know i'll be making a request on SONIC FM, the other is if i go to flamingo SONIC and know matt is working the landing.}

if you just want to eat-and-run, the biggest disadvantage of using the drive-thru is securing your food and drinks before driving off.  if you have a big order, or are just by yourself, it's often easier to pull into a stall, giving you the chance to stage your food before driving off (or, to the HUGE dismay of the japanese, preparing to eat as you drive in your car).

there's a larger psychological argument here, though ... consider that most american fast food companies have drive-thrus, but nearly none have stalls ... why not take advantage of what the others don't have?

*i've seen this question come up as a search hit against this site several times in the last few days ... i'm going to occasionally include search hit posts to up this site's ranking.

SONIC trivium

limeades at SONIC are made using a combo of lime juice and sprite.