Friday, Dec. 24, 2004

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Sonic wants to ‘drive-in’ to Tyrone

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

After last week’s rejection of waffles, will the town of Tyrone be more amenable to a drive-in restaurant?

Residents will find out next week as the Tyrone Planning Commission will consider a request from Sonic Drive-In restaurant to locate on Ga. Highway 74.

The drive-in featuring coney dogs and tater tots would be located across the busy state highway from the Publix shopping center.

According to the company’s Web site, the prototype of the first Sonic Drive-In opened in Shawnee, Okla in 1953.

The company’s founder, Troy Smith, Sr., originally named the hamburger and root beer stand Top Hat Drive-In, and the name aptly changed to Sonic Drive-In in 1959.

The company is the nation's largest chain of drive-in fast-food restaurants with almost 2,900 drive-ins located coast to coast. In 2001, Sonic crossed international borders by opening its first drive-in in Monterrey, Mexico, and now has six locations in Mexico.

The Planning Commission will discuss the issue at its Dec.30 meeting at 7 p.m.