Sonic brings boom to Lake Zurich

Mike Wise of Round Lake Beach took the day off work so he could be among the first to dine at the newest Sonic drive-through eatery to open in the area. A native of Texas, Wise grew up drinking Sonic's signature limeades.

"I have wanted a Sonic to open around here. This is great. It's like old times," Wise said while enjoying his lunch with his wife, Sherry. Their burgers and drinks were delivered via a carhop on roller blades, a signature of the chain that opened its fourth suburban location Monday.

The couple, like many customers who visited the new Lake Zurich Sonic, have been waiting for the opening of the eatery known for its nostalgic 1950s-style system of ordering.

Kim Strassner of Barrington has eagerly watched as the Sonic on Rand Road replaced the former Kentucky Fried Chicken.

"My brother worked at a Sonic. I couldn't wait to come and get a diet cherry limeade and tater tots," she said.

For others, it was a first-time experience.

"We always see the commercials on TV and were frustrated that there were none around here," said Mike Arndt of Round Lake.

Arndt and Betsy Hernandez, work at Home Depot down the street and spent their lunch hour on the patio of the eatery on Rand Road.

John Cywinski of North Barrington and a group of investors own the newest Sonic. They opened their first location in Algonquin nearly nine months ago. The conditions and preparation were better this time around.

Their Algonquin Sonic opened on a brutally cold December day, but that didn't keep crowds away.

"It's sunny and opening day. Better weather conditions here," Cywinski said.

To help with crowd control, a staging area was set up in the parking lot of the adjacent vacant Kmart. Employees with two-way radios and police directed cars to the waiting lines until one of the 20 car stalls opened or the drive-through lane was clear.

"We've been through this before. We have all the bugs worked out," Cywinski said.

Similar crowds were seen at the openings in Barlett and Aurora. These establishments, operated by a different franchise owner, saw long lines during the initial months.

However, the owners don't see this as similar to the Krispy Kreme doughnuts craze, where interest faded dramatically after an initial explosion of popularity. The Barlett location still sees about 1,500 cars go through on a typical day, said manager Omar Maldonado.

"Sales have been steady," he said.

And contrary to the image of fast-food jobs, Cywinski sees Sonic as a "hip" place for teens to work. He hired 120 employees at the Lake Zurich location. A requirement is that the carhops know how to skate. A tryout of sorts was done at a local skating rink, where employees later trained with trays. Cywinski added that he had 400 applications as a result of two job fairs for the Lake County location.

The car hops can make good tips, he added. On a good day, they can take home about $100.

"It's a cool, fun, brand-new concept," he said.

Sonic started as a hamburger and root beer stand in Shawnee, Okla., in 1953. As the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants, Sonic has more than 3,500 locations.

Jan Tate of North Barrington is thrilled with the newest opening. She said she often visits the Sonic near her parent's home in Tennessee.

"They walk over to the happy hour where all the drinks are half price every afternoon," she said.

All locations offer the special from 2 to 4 p.m. daily. While sitting in her convertible Monday afternoon, she said she enjoyed the atmosphere.

"It's like the old days," she said.