Sonic Restaurant in Canada

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Sonic is a drive-in restaurant that offers a menu of burgers, hot dogs, chicken fries and frozen drinks. The typical Sonic set-up allows customers to park at an ordering stall, review the menu, press the "Press to Order" button to place an order and receive their food delivered to to their vehicles by a carhop. Sonic begin offering franchises in 1953 and, as of 2011, they have more than 3, 500 drive-in locations across the United States. Entrepreneurs interested in becoming Sonic franchise owners must meet certain requirements before they are considered for a franchise.

1. Identify your work experience to ensure that you have had restaurant or retail experience, as it is a requirement in opening a Sonic restaurant. If you don't, acquire a partner who does have experience to invest in the business with you.

2. Determine where you wish to own a Sonic franchise. As of June 2011, Sonic had available markets in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Sonic requires that you or your equity partner live in the state where you operate your Sonic restaurant, so keep that in mind as you pick a location.

3. Decide between owning one of Sonic's traditional drive-in restaurants and a non-traditional location. Traditional locations are drive-in locations that use intercoms for ordering and carhops for delivery, while a non-traditional Sonic location requires customers to go to the counter to place their orders with cashiers. These are not drive-ins and may be located in mall food courts, in partnership with convenience stores or on college campuses.

4. Understand the costs and financial requirements to open a non-traditional Sonic franchise. Potential franchise owners must have a net worth of at least $1 million plus $1 million in liquidity. A franchise fee is $45, 000 and the total initial investment in the franchise can range from $710, 000 to $3 million, with four to five percent in royalty fees and 5.9 percent advertising fees. A mall location franchise fee is generally $22, 500.

5. Begin the process of opening a Sonic franchise by completing the "Request Form" on their website if you meet the requirements. You will need to provide your name, email address, mailing address, telephone numbers, current occupation, whether you have experience in fast food or as a business owner, your net worth and information on your liquid assets.

6. Submit the form. Sonic will contact you with your next steps for applying to become a Sonic restaurant owner.