First Sonic Shop; Any Tips?

I'm doing my first-ever Sonic shop tomorrow, a drive-in stall one. (No Sonics near me, but I'm going to be down the road from one tomorrow, so I grabbed it.) Seems pretty straightforward, but I have a couple questions. Do you do the restroom check after you eat and pull out of the stall?

I don't eat cheese on my burgers; apparently it's OK to ask them to leave the cheese off; is that accurate? Also, there's a garlic butter bacon burger on the list; that sounds good! Anyone every try one?

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

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Why are you doing a Sonic for $9? I did one last week for $70.

@Katierlou Do you live in Alaska? I haven't seen double digit bonuses (I am talking $12 bonus) on these shops since summer. People start taking them for $9 and they are basically all gone before the second bonus hits.

The only bonused ones I ever see are at the end of the month. Have done several for $25.

How do you know it was taken for $9?

Birdy, you can do the restroom check whenever you'd like, but I do it after to avoid those germs before I handle my food. You don't have to pull out of the stall; just back up enough so you can open your car door. Yes, it's okay to leave the cheese off. I've never tried that burger; I'm a hot dog girl, but now I'll have to switch to a cheeseburger.

Congrats, and welcome to the Sonic club. -lol-

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

@Katierlou wrote:

Why are you doing a Sonic for $9? I did one last week for $70.

Well, let me count the whys:
1. The location is literally on my way home from where I'm going to be tomorrow.
2. I will be driving by it at around lunchtime.
3. I would be stopping for lunch anyway.
4. The Sonic shops in my area are too far away for me to make a special trip to, and the biggest fee I've ever seen for them here hover around $17 to $18.

But, to avoid doing it for $9, I could just stop at the nearby Five Guys (where there is no shop available) and spend nearly $20 for a burger, fries, and drink.

(BTW, I never take a shop at base fee unless it's a purchase shop for something I need or want. Food happens to be one of those things I need tomorrow.)

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2023 10:04PM by BirdyC.

@Nikki21 wrote:

How do you know it was taken for $9?

I did take it for $9, for reasons explained above (not that anyone should care--LOL). Also, there are never highly bonused Sonic shops in my area. Certainly not bonused high enough for me to drive 20 to 30 miles one way.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

If you have a drive thru and the drive thru is closed, you have to do the sit in. And, vice versa.
If your red button at your stall is not answered within a certain amount of time, you have to move to another stall.

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.

All good reasons Birdy! Even without a bonus, the pay is decent (IMO) for a pretty simple shop that takes minimal time and effort. Compare to Raising Canes with another MSC that starts at no fee and has a reimbursement that no longer covers the purchase.

I'll add on a reason #5 that I might use in such a situation:

If I am out of town and there is a shop for something that does not exist in my normal area, that I've really wanted to try, I might take it for little to no fee, just to check it out.

P. S. Don't forget - no hot dogs!

@sestrahelena wrote:

I'll add on a reason #5 that I might use in such a situation:

If I am out of town and there is a shop for something that does not exist in my normal area, that I've really wanted to try, I might take it for little to no fee, just to check it out.

Sometimes I do that, too. There's a Sonic about 22 miles from me, and I shop down that way often. But either there are never any Sonic shops available, or I'm doing a Five Guys there. So I've never hit that area when I could try a Sonic shop.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Birdy,

I don't usually enjoy Sonic. But I have been surprised by their burgers at some location. That garlic butter burger thing sounds delicious, but greasy. If you do try it, ask to make sure you get a fork, just in case. I figured I'd wait for bonuses before I try that burger. And I really hope it's real butter, if it's not I may have to go to the ER for some relief.. And yes, you can request them without cheese.

I never have, but knowing that the cheese is probably single slices of "processed cheese food" rather than real cheese, I probably should have..

I can't imagine any fast food chain using real butter. Sorry, Mor.

On second thought, I think I'll get a Hickory BBQ Baconburger without the cheese. (BTW, I HATE the fact that so few restaurants offer just a hamburger--they all have cheese on them so you have to make a special request for no cheese. I love cheese, but don't want it on everything!)

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

@BirdyC wrote:

On second thought, I think I'll get a Hickory BBQ Baconburger without the cheese. (BTW, I HATE the fact that so few restaurants offer just a hamburger--they all have cheese on them so you have to make a special request for no cheese. I love cheese, but don't want it on everything!)

Get extra napkins!

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

Don't eat the food!

When I have a stall visit that actually stays a stall visit (the last one all the screens were out so it turned into a drive-thru), I ask the carhop about a public restroom when my food is delivered. If they have one (most I have done have not), I do it after I eat

And you are correct about the cheese mod. That's one of the things I like about these shops is flexibility when customizing a burger. One of my food quirks is I rarely, if ever, do lettuce on sandwiches (Jersey Mike's is pretty much the only place), and never on anything hot. Being able to 86 the lettuce and still make other mods is a nice aspect to these shops.

And I've always loved me some Sonic since my days growing up in Texas. One of the few restaurants that I will both mystery shop and pay my own way. The perks in their app, including 1/2-price beverages all the time, are good.

Have synthesizers, will travel...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2023 04:36PM by CoolMusic.

@sestrahelena wrote:

I can't imagine any fast food chain using real butter. Sorry, Mor.

Ses, I wasn't confused, Sonic doesn't use real food. I remember when Sonic first came to the Inland Empire in CA. I went to the one in Hemet and got a shake. I ended up throwing the whole thing away. The "whipped cream" was imitation Cool Whip, and the shake itself tasted like plastic. I didn't get food while I was there because I was at work, it was summer and I just wanted ice cream. I never went to another Sonic until I moved here to AL.

Ahhh, I didn’t see your "tongue in cheek." Sorry!

@BirdyC wrote:

On second thought, I think I'll get a Hickory BBQ Baconburger without the cheese. (BTW, I HATE the fact that so few restaurants offer just a hamburger--they all have cheese on them so you have to make a special request for no cheese. I love cheese, but don't want it on everything!)

That sounds good... I may try that next time

One thing I don't like about most restaurants shops is that you will see most of them have a CB meal with fries and drink just say $ 9 (yes I know it might be more but just a example) before tax

If you remove the cheese it still $ 9

We have a What A Burger where I live and they have a Hamburger meal for $ 9 before tax.. You can add cheese for $ .75

I remember several years ago Sonic would have a Sonic HB Meal for $ 6.00.. You can add cheese for $ .50 more.. But sadly all of there burgers come with cheese and you have to pay the same if you remove the cheese,

There have been times I would have them remove the mustard and have them replace it with BBQ sauce.

Well, I was not going to bother doing Sonic this month after I read the hot dogs were off the list. Then, I read here about this new garlic burger. I checked to make sure my Sonic has it as they only half about half of the list of items that can be ordered. Turns out they do have the garlic burger, so I grabbed up the drive-thru shop for next week.

I hear you. I personally have to have cheese on a burger or a sandwich, but I run into the same kind of thing. If you look in the Sonic app, they have the Sonic Cheeseburger with all the fixings. In my area, it's $5.49. If you look at the Plain Sonic Cheeseburger, which is just meat, cheese, and bun - no veggies - it's the exact same price. You're paying for it regardless if you want it or not.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

@ServiceAward wrote:

Well, I was not going to bother doing Sonic this month after I read the hot dogs were off the list. Then, I read here about this new garlic burger. I checked to make sure my Sonic has it as they only half about half of the list of items that can be ordered. Turns out they do have the garlic burger, so I grabbed up the drive-thru shop for next week.

So we can order the garlic burger?

@drdoggie00 wrote:

I hear you. I personally have to have cheese on a burger or a sandwich, but I run into the same kind of thing. If you look in the Sonic app, they have the Sonic Cheeseburger with all the fixings. In my area, it's $5.49. If you look at the Plain Sonic Cheeseburger, which is just meat, cheese, and bun - no veggies - it's the exact same price. You're paying for it regardless if you want it or not.

It would be nice if they say like Sonic HB meal $ 5.49.. Add cheese ,70 like they used to do,. Does not malke any sense.

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

It would be nice if they say like Sonic HB meal $ 5.49.. Add cheese ,70 like they used to do,. Does not malke any sense.

It makes perfect financial sense -- for THEM.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

@drdoggie00 wrote:

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

It would be nice if they say like Sonic HB meal $ 5.49.. Add cheese ,70 like they used to do,. Does not malke any sense.
It makes perfect financial sense -- for THEM.

Yes I know but it's the principle of the matter

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

@ServiceAward wrote:

Well, I was not going to bother doing Sonic this month after I read the hot dogs were off the list. Then, I read here about this new garlic burger. I checked to make sure my Sonic has it as they only half about half of the list of items that can be ordered. Turns out they do have the garlic burger, so I grabbed up the drive-thru shop for next week.

So we can order the garlic burger?

Per the guidelines, that is a most definite yes. Hopefully it will be good. If my local Sonic can do what they did last month sans sticky ketchup packets, they will have a perfect shop. I don't have it scheduled til next week.

@sestrahelena wrote:

...
I'll add on a reason #5 that I might use in such a situation:

If I am out of town and there is a shop for something that does not exist in my normal area, that I've really wanted to try, I might take it for little to no fee, just to check it out.

I just did a shop with no fee, but a hefty reimbursement,for a store that I'd never been in before. I looked online, saw I could probably pick up a couple of Christmas gifts, and snapped it up. It turned out to be a pretty easy report, to boot.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2023 01:52PM by mysterioso412.

It’s been several months since I shopped a Sonic. If it’s still a requirement, don’t forget the exterior photo. I did that once. Got home and realized it. It was just a few miles away, so I drove back and took a picture. I wondered if it would be accepted. It was, no questions asked. I like the Bacon Cheeseburger Toaster, no cheese.

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