Sonic Drive-in breaks ground on Lapeer location; slated to open by mid-January

Trees were cleared this week on the site of the new Sonic Drive-in in Lapeer, to be located across from the new Taco Bell on M-24. The Sonic franchise in Lapeer is owned by the same family that operates the Lapeer and Imlay City Taco Bell locations. LAPEER — Certain to shake up the local fast food market in Lapeer, area consumers in early 2010 can look forward to a new name and choice to join fast food row along M-24 with the opening of a Sonic, America’s Drive-In.

Trees have been cleared and site work is expected to begin soon at Sonic’s new Lapeer location, across from the new Taco Bell restaurant and just south of the Michigan State Police post on the east side of the highway. Construction is expected to take about 60 days, provided weather conditions allow.

The franchise was purchased from the Oklahoma City-based company by the Shah family of Rochester, including Sejal, Sanjay and Ashvin Shah, also the owners and operators of the Taco Bell restaurants in Lapeer, Imlay City, Caro, Lake Orion, and Grand Blanc. The Shahs also are building their sixth Taco Bell location on Van Dyke in Macomb County’s Washington Township (near Romeo). It, too, will open in early to mid-January.

“We’re just looking forward to ringing in the new year with the new Sonic in Lapeer and Taco Bell in Washington Township,” said Sejal.

The Sonic brand is known for its signature carhop service, its multitude of burgers, wraps and salads, its specialty drinks including slushes, shakes and coffees (hot and cold), and unique sides such as tater tots and fresh bananas.

“The timing was perfect. We were looking for something new to bring to our company, and at the same time Sonic was looking at going from a regional company to a national brand,” Sejal added. “Sonic is very fun, and I’m sure people are going to love the food and dining experience it will offer. There’s nothing else like it around.”

Sonic has more than 3,500 drive-ins coast to coast, of which 80 percent are franchised. The company originally began in 1953 as Top Hat Drive-In, a hamburger and root beer stand in Shawnee, Okla., and then changed its name to Sonic in 1959.

“It was by choice to bring our first Sonic to Lapeer,” Sejal told The County Press on Monday, a day heavy equipment operators continued to clear trees from the site. “The city and community have been very good to our business, and so we knew we wanted to bring one to the city,” who added her family has an agreement with the company to open five Sonic restaurants in the next four years.

The new Sonic is expected to be nearly 1,700 square feet, and will provide customers three dining options — through carhop service, a traditional drivethrough window as well as seasonal outdoor patio space. The new business is expected to employ between 130 and 150 people, and will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.

Sejal is not concerned the new Sonic will hurt business at her Taco Bell restaurant across the street.

“Each of the brands actually compliment one another. Sonic opens early and offers a breakfast menu whereas Taco Bell does not, and late-afternoon and early evening are usually slower periods at Taco Bell,” Sejal said. “The slushes and desserts at Sonic are very big and will generate lots of customers once they try them.”

Elsewhere in Southeast and Mid-Michigan, Sonic has locations in Flint (on Miller Road), Birch Run, Commerce Township, Clinton Township, Troy, Southgate and Westland.

In 2009, Sonic opened its first drive-ins in Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New York and Wisconsin, helping to increase the breadth of the company’s brand footprint to 42 states, up from 29 just four years ago.