Sonic Drive-In shuts down one Modesto location; had called closure temporary
Modesto’s Sonic Drive-In on Orangeburg Avenue has closed for good.
The fast-food restaurant closed abruptly in November. The company website listed the site as “Closed Temporarily,” as does a sign posted at the restaurant. But when contacted by The Modesto Bee, corporate officials confirmed the decision had been made to shut down the site.
In an email statement, Johnny Jones, vice president of development planning at Inspire Brands, confirmed its closure.
“The franchisee who owned and operated this location made the difficult decision to close the drive-in on Nov. 19, 2019,” he said. “We appreciate the community’s support of the drive-in since its opening in 2004. Sonic remains committed to serving guests at nearby drive-ins in Modesto, Ripon and Turlock, Calif., providing the highest level of service and one-of-a-kind dining experience.”
The Sonic on Orangeburg was the second to open in Modesto. The first, on McHenry Avenue, opened in September 2003 and remains open today.
No reason was given for the Orangeburg site’s closure. Besides the McHenry site, the chain also has locations on West Main Street and West Monte Vista Avenue in Turlock and Colony Road in Ripon.
According to Modesto Bee archives, when Sonic came to Stanislaus County in the early 2000s, the original franchise owners were part of the Keystone Restaurant Group and had hoped to open at least five locations in Modesto and 14 in the area by 2006.
The chain, based out of Oklahoma, started in 1953 as Top Hat, and then was renamed to Sonic in 1959. It is now owned by the Inspire Brands parent company, which also owns Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and Jimmy John’s.
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This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 12:34 PM.
