2026 FDD Issued Mar 26, 2026 Minnesota Commerce (CARDS)
Sonic Drive-In Franchise Cost (2026)
A Sonic Drive-In franchise costs an estimated $1,485,200 – $2,522,900 to open, according to Item 7 of the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). That total includes the $15,000 initial franchise fee (Item 5) and covers this format: Free-Standing Leased. Item 6 lists royalty fee: 5% of Gross Sales, subject to the conditions below. This record has unresolved source-review issues and was published provisionally before independent verification was complete.
Read the source-review hold before using these figures.
- Total investment
- $1.49M – $2.52MItem 7 source and qualifications
- Franchise fee
- $15KItem 5 source and terms
- Royalty
- 5% of Gross SalesItem 6 conditions and fee bases apply
- Brand fund
- 0.9% of Gross SalesItem 6 conditions and fee bases apply
- Liquid capital
- $500KFranchisor website, checked October 29, 2026
- Net worth
- $1MFranchisor website, checked October 29, 2026
What stands out about Sonic Drive-In
Freestanding occupancy is an unestimated row in Item 7, not a zero-cost component of the leased drive-in. The printed total excludes its real-estate costs even though the format says leased. Equipment freight and taxes, technology installation and a possible Friends and Family training event also sit outside their listed estimates. These exclusions make the printed startup range different from a finished project budget.
Advertising flows through separate Sonic Brand Fund, System Marketing Fund and cooperative obligations. Core, developing and new markets allocate the marketing contribution differently, and cooperative votes can increase it. Qualified opening incentives reduce the SMF portion on a schedule rather than erase every advertising obligation. The FDD's incentive wording also contains a fund-label difference and an overlapping royalty transition that need confirmation before calculating a discounted total.
Annual unit volume, meaning annual Gross Sales, covers an eligible Traditional Restaurant sample that includes C-Stores. Restaurants closed during the year, extended temporary closures and certain late-year company-to-franchise transfers are excluded. The average $1,552,145 is therefore not a sales result for every location. The FDD also prints different lowest sales values in its all-restaurant and lowest-quartile rows; no corrected minimum is inferred.
The outlet table's opened column includes restaurants purchased from the franchisor. Those ownership changes are different from constructing a new drive-in, while franchisee-to-franchisee transfers appear in a separate table. Multi-brand openings are counted in Item 20 but excluded from Item 19's sales sample. Comparing growth with the earnings sample requires preserving those differences rather than treating the populations as identical.
What are the initial franchise fees and financial requirements for Sonic Drive-In?
Item 5 lists an initial franchise fee of $15,000 for Sonic Drive-In. Check the cited Item 5 for payment timing, discounts and format-specific terms.
These minimums come from the franchisor’s website, not from the FDD, and can change: Sonic Drive-In franchise page (checked October 29, 2026).
The $15,000 standard fee is nonrefundable and fully earned at signing. Reopening another franchisee's restaurant closed within the last year costs $12,500, or $5,000 for an existing franchisee in good standing. Item 5 lists $11,250 for Non-Traditional and Non-Drive-In C-Store locations, or $1,125 per full/partial term year up to 10 years; relocation has no initial fee. At least one general manager must attend the $250-per-person Leadership Class. The first three Sonic Training Program trainees are included in the franchise fee; fourth/subsequent trainees cost $5,000 each. Cancellation costs $1,250 per person 8-14 days before class or $2,500 within seven days. Optional preliminary site/kitchen design costs $1,200 each for a new restaurant, with remodeling kitchen design $750; site layout services are offered only for drive-through locations. A Development Agreement requires $10,000 per scheduled restaurant, credited toward that restaurant's initial franchise fee, not an additional full fee. Multi-brand restaurants also owe the other brand's initial fees and training obligations. PDF pp. 28-30.
Source: Sonic Drive-In 2026 FDD, Item 5, PDF p. 28.
How much does it cost to open a Sonic Drive-In franchise? (Item 7)
Source: Sonic Drive-In 2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 37.
Item 7 of Sonic Drive-In’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates the total cost to open one free-standing leased at $1,485,200 – $2,522,900. This total includes the initial franchise fee.
| Expense Category | Low ($) | High ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Travel and living expenses during training | $8,200 | $93,600 |
| Crew training expenses | $15,200 | $42,500 |
| Prepaid expenses | $2,000 | $125,000 |
| Building costs | $600,000 | $800,000 |
| Site work | $450,000 | $700,000 |
| Restaurant equipment | $175,000 | $310,000 |
| Point-of-sale system, digital menu housings & other technology | $105,000 | $160,000 |
| External Signage | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Beginning Inventory | $20,000 | $50,000 |
| Advertising funds | $2,000 | $5,000 |
| Insurance premiums | $11,000 | $22,000 |
| Payroll | $26,800 | $94,800 |
| Additional funds (3 months) | $5,000 | $25,000 |
| Total | $1,485,200 | $2,522,900 |
Other formats
| Format | Total investment |
|---|---|
| C-Store Leased (Printed Item 7 Estimate) | $670,200 – $1,412,900 |
| Urban In-Line Leased (Occupancy Costs Variable) | $679,200 – $1,250,900 |
For comparison, the median high-end investment among 25 restaurants & food records without a source-review hold is $1,297,100.
Item 7 spans PDF pp. 37-38. Its free-standing real property/occupancy row is Variable, not zero, and the total expressly excludes free-standing real-estate costs. Deposits and acquisition/lease costs for free-standing and inline locations are not estimated; triple-net leases also require taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs and common-area costs. C-Store occupancy estimates include a security deposit and three months' rent, while owned C-Store premises can have none. The main table's 14 numeric rows are retained; the unestimated occupancy row is described here rather than assigned invented bounds. A Friends and Family training event for the first three drive-ins may add up to $15,000 and is excluded. Restaurant equipment excludes transportation/delivery and sales tax; the POS/digital-menu technology line excludes electrical costs, shipping, installation and sales tax. Optional design services are already included in building/site estimates. Payroll covers specified managers' training/preopening wages; additional funds cover other attire, office/cleaning supplies and utensils, not all itemized expenses a second time. Financing charges, interest and debt service are excluded. Other-brand setup expenses at multi-brand locations are additional, with possible overlapping rent/insurance. Printed source differences need confirmation: C-Store Item 7 uses a $15,000 initial-fee line although Item 5 lists $11,250 or its term formula; Note 15 names a leased Drive-Thru Only format where the table names Urban In-Line and says new-building costs are excluded despite building-cost lines; Note 2 says no separate initial investment on a Development Agreement while the cover and Item 5 disclose a development fee credited toward restaurant franchise fees. Printed totals are retained, not recalculated to resolve those statements. PDF pp. 28-29 and 39-41.
What ongoing royalties and fees does Sonic Drive-In charge? (Item 6)
Source: Sonic Drive-In 2026 FDD, Item 6, PDF p. 30.
Item 6 of Sonic Drive-In’s 2026 FDD lists the charges below. Recurring charges and charges triggered by a transfer, renewal or other event have different conditions. Read each fee’s basis and notes before comparing rates.
How to read an Item 6 fee table.
| Fee Type | Amount / Rate | Payment Frequency | Notes & Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty Fee | 5% of Gross Sales | Every period | Monthly on the next month's tenth day. Standard Incentive eligibility includes signing a qualifying agreement/amendment by March 31, 2027, compliant opening at an approved site/design and required cost reporting within 120 days. Qualified royalties are 1% in year one, 1.5% in year two, 2% in year three, 2.5% in year four, then 5%. Additional relief under a new Development Agreement requires opening by December 31, 2028 and specified third/fourth-anniversary reports below $1,400,000 plus compliance/good-faith conditions. Its printed schedule overlaps year eight: 2.5% for years five-eight but 5% from year eight onward; confirm the transition rather than guess. Relocation relief has separate conditions and 1%, 2%, 3%, then 5% rates, and cannot combine with other incentives. Early opening can give 0% royalty until the scheduled opening date, up to six months. Qualified new-to-Sonic veterans receive $10,000 royalty credits per eligible restaurant, capped at $100,000. Pioneer credits are restricted to the first qualifying developer of at least two restaurants in the named markets; they are not generally available discounts. Renewal, format, transfer/acquisition and relocation exclusions differ by program. Gross Sales includes imputed business-interruption sales and excludes the stated refunds, remitted sales taxes, documented discounts/coupons, approved stored-value-card sales and restaurant-sale proceeds. PDF pp. 30 and 32-36. (Item 6, PDF p. 30) |
| Brand Fee / SBF Contribution | 0.9% of Gross Sales | Every period | Monthly on the next month's tenth day to the Sonic Brand Fund (SBF). The incentive introduction on PDF p. 33 names the Brand fee/SBF contribution, but the later discount schedule on p. 37 names the System Marketing Fund (SMF). The scope of that reference needs confirmation; no SBF discount is inferred from an SMF schedule. (Item 6, PDF p. 30) |
| Advertising Cooperative Fee / SMF Contribution | 3.25% of Gross Sales | Every period | 3.25% is a minimum for the main traditional format, not a total advertising ceiling. Non-Traditional and Non-Drive-In C-Store locations have a 1.625% minimum paid entirely to SMF. Core-market allocation is 0.5% to the cooperative plus 2.75%-4.5% to SMF; developing is 0.5% plus 4.5%; new is 5% to SMF. The franchisor's requirement is capped at 5%, but cooperatives can vote additional contributions; company-controlled cooperatives have a 5% maximum. Eligible Standard Incentive restaurants receive 50% off the SMF standard rate through year five, with years six-eight relief only under the additional qualifying program, then full rate. The cooperative allocation is not automatically discounted; Item 6 also states an additional 0.5% collection for cooperatives during the specified incentive years. PDF pp. 31 and 33-37; Item 11 p. 53. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Additional Training Fee | Varies | When it applies | Currently $250 per person for new general managers' Leadership Class, due on registration; managers hired after opening must attend within six months. A $1,000 training fee applies to a failed-inspection occurrence. Separate additional Sonic Training Program trainees cost $5,000 each under Items 5/11; attendee salaries, travel and living expenses remain the franchisee's responsibility. PDF pp. 29, 31 and 54-55. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Inspire Payment Services | $365 – $565 per month | Every period | Currently about $365-$565 monthly depending on covered products/services, including cybersecurity. The affiliate collects and pays vendors; this approximate range is not a guaranteed all-technology total. Item 11 separately describes mandatory POS maintenance and variable field/optional services without establishing whether each vendor charge overlaps this collection. Do not assume either inclusion or a nonoverlapping sum. PDF pp. 31 and 54. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Site Design and Kitchen Layout Design Fee | Varies | When it applies | Optional affiliate remodeling services: currently $1,200 for PSL and $750 for PKL; may increase with costs. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Transfer Fee | Varies | When it applies | $1,000 per specified non-control, immediate-family or wholly-owned entity transfer; $3,000 for other transfers. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Audit Fee, Interest and Surcharge | Varies | When it applies | Unpaid amounts plus interest and a 10% surcharge on unpaid amounts. Audit costs are also reimbursed if the audit finds Gross Sales understated by at least 3%; these are not percentages charged on every sale. PDF p. 31. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Late Charge | Varies | When it applies | 1.75% per month of overdue amount. (Item 6, PDF p. 31) |
| Renewal Fee | $15,000 | When it applies | Upon signing the new agreement for a renewal term. Item 17 separately requires notice, compliance, remodeling, retraining and the then-current agreement; renewal is not automatic. Item 6 Note 5 concerns additional ongoing fees at multi-brand locations. PDF pp. 32, 37 and 67. (Item 6, PDF p. 32) |
| Insurance | Varies | When it applies | Cost of obtaining missing required insurance. (Item 6, PDF p. 32) |
| Management Fee | 3% of Gross Sales | When it applies | Only during appointed management after termination pending purchase option. (Item 6, PDF p. 32) |
| Indemnification | Varies | When it applies | Covered development/operation or agreement-breach claims. (Item 6, PDF p. 32) |
| Enforcement Costs | Varies | When it applies | Prevailing-party costs/legal fees in enforcement actions. (Item 6, PDF p. 32) |
| Incomplete Reporting Debit and Reconciliation (Item 6 Note 3) | Varies | When it applies | Missing or late complete sales/financial reports permit a debit of 120% of the last royalty, SMF/SBF and other amounts paid. Actual underpayments are reconciled with interest and a 10% administrative fee; excess is credited without interest against future amounts. This is a reporting-default mechanism, not another universal sales fee. PDF p. 36. (Item 6, PDF p. 36) |
| Mandatory POS Maintenance, Repairs and Updates (Item 11) | $4,000 – $8,000 per year | Every period | Item 11 estimates $4,000-$8,000 annually for mandatory POS software/hardware maintenance, repairs, upgrades and updates. No contract limits the frequency or cost of required technology changes. The FDD does not establish whether particular vendor amounts overlap Inspire Payment Services; no all-fee aggregate is computed. PDF p. 54. (Item 6, PDF p. 54) |
| Other Technology Field Repairs and Optional Services (Item 11) | Varies | When it applies | Other services, including field repairs and optional services, vary with need and are estimated at approximately $1,000-$5,000 annually. They are not a universally fixed charge paid every year by every restaurant. PDF p. 54. (Item 6, PDF p. 54) |
Explore annual fees and payback assumptions
This fee schedule cannot be reduced to the calculator’s simple sales-based formula. Enter your own assumptions and check them against the Item 6 terms.
Sonic Drive-In startup investment and modeled fees over 10 years
A source check placed this record on review hold. Automatic fee estimates are withheld until the outstanding issues are resolved. Advertising depends on market allocation, cooperative votes and qualified incentive timing, not only the printed minimum. Payment-service and POS obligations do not have an established nonoverlapping all-in total. Royalty relief depends on eligibility, opening/reporting dates and credits, with an overlapping year-eight transition in the printed additional-relief schedule. A constant-sales subtotal cannot establish complete recurring costs. See the fee amounts and definitions in Item 6 above. Open the calculator with your own assumptions.
Item 20: Sonic Drive-In franchised outlet history
Source: Sonic Drive-In 2026 FDD, Item 20, PDF p. 79.
Item 20 Table 3 reports 3,120 franchised outlets at the end of 2025. The company-owned table reports a further 292 outlets.
| Year | Franchised at Start | Opened | Reported Exits | At End | Franchise Exit Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3,220 | 23 | 49 | 3,194 | — |
| 2024 | 3,194 | 30 | 80 | 3,144 | — |
| 2025 | 3,144 | 32 | 56 | 3,120 | — |
Calculated outlet totals, net growth and exit rates are withheld because this record has not cleared the current Item 20 source checks. The table retains the outlet counts printed in Item 20. Read the unresolved source issues.
Reported exits include terminations, non-renewals, franchisor reacquisitions and other cessations. A reacquired outlet may continue operating. How we calculate the exit rate. How to read the Item 20 outlet tables.
100 units changed owners in 2025.
Table 3 national franchised totals are on PDF p. 79, company endings in Table 4 on p. 80 and ownership transfers in Table 2 on p. 76. The Table 3 opened column expressly includes restaurants purchased from the franchisor, so it is not solely newly built locations; transfers between franchisees are separate ownership events. Fiscal periods are January 2-December 31, 2023; January 1-December 29, 2024; and December 30, 2024-December 28, 2025. If multiple events affect an outlet, the last event is reported. Multi-brand openings are included, including the starred Texas opening in 2024; Item 19 excludes multi-brand sales. PDF pp. 74 and 76-82.
How much do Sonic Drive-In franchise owners make? (Item 19)
Source: Sonic Drive-In 2026 FDD, Item 19, PDF p. 72.
Item 19 of the 2026 FDD reports average AUV - All Franchised Restaurants of $1,552,145 (December 30, 2024 to December 28, 2025, 3,057 eligible U.S. franchised Traditional Restaurants, including C-Stores; excludes first-year openings, extended closures, nontraditional/multi-brand locations and specified late-year company-to-franchise transfers). Sonic Drive-In’s Item 19 reports sales but no profit, costs or owner pay. Rent, payroll, supplies, loan payments and Item 6 fees come out of sales before an owner is paid, so these figures cannot show what an owner earns.
Read the source-review hold before using this figure.
See every Sonic Drive-In Item 19 figure, with its period and sample.
Payback calculator (enter your own assumptions) Check any inputs against this record’s Item 7 startup costs and Item 6 fee rules.
How to interpret Sonic Drive-In’s Item 19 figures and sample limits.
How long is the Sonic Drive-In franchise agreement term?
Source: Sonic Drive-In 2026 FDD, Item 17, PDF p. 66.
The standard Sonic Drive-In franchise agreement runs 10 years, with renewal terms of 10 years.
Traditional Drive-In and Non-Drive-In locations have a ten-year initial term and two conditional additional ten-year renewal terms. Renewal requires six-to-twelve-month advance written notice/compliance, amounts due, the renewal fee, remodeling, retraining, a general release and the then-current agreement, which can change fees and protected-area rights. A multi-brand renewal can require extending the other brand's agreement. Non-Traditional initial terms are limited to the lesser of ten years or the facility contract. Development Agreements have a separate schedule-based expiration and no renewal. PDF pp. 66-67.
How long does it take to open a Sonic Drive-In franchise? (Item 11)
Source: Sonic Drive-In 2026 FDD, Item 11, PDF p. 49.
Item 11 of the 2026 FDD states the time from signing the franchise agreement to opening: approximately 6 to 12 months.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Sonic Drive-In
This record has unresolved source-review issues and was published provisionally. Read the specific issues before using these answers.
- What is the initial franchise fee for a Sonic Drive-In location?
- The initial franchise fee for a standard Traditional Drive-In is $15,000.
- How much does it cost to open a Sonic Drive-In?
- Item 7 prints $1,485,200 – $2,522,900 for the leased free-standing format, expressly excluding free-standing real-estate costs. Unestimated occupancy costs, some equipment/technology charges, a possible training event and financing costs can add to the budget. C-Store and urban inline estimates have their own qualifications and printed-source differences.
- What is the ongoing royalty fee for Sonic Drive-In?
- The standard royalty is 5% of Gross Sales of Gross Sales, with conditional incentive schedules and credits. The separate Sonic Brand Fund fee is 0.9% of Gross Sales. SMF/cooperative advertising depends on market and votes, while technology charges also apply. These rates are not a complete recurring-cost total.
- What annual sales does Sonic Drive-In disclose?
- Item 19 reports average annual Gross Sales of $1,552,145 for its eligible U.S. franchised Traditional Restaurant sample, including C-Stores. It excludes the stated new, closed, nontraditional, multi-brand and other nonqualifying restaurants. This is historical sales, not a promise for a new restaurant, profit or owner income.
Sources
Sonic Franchising LLC Franchise Disclosure Document, issued March 26, 2026, as filed with the Minnesota Commerce (CARDS). Read the source FDD PDF. How to get this FDD yourself.
- Item 5: cited PDF p. 28
- Item 6: cited PDF p. 30
- Item 7: cited PDF p. 37
- Item 19: cited PDF p. 72
- Item 20: cited PDF p. 79
- Agreement term (Item 17): cited PDF p. 66
Page references for Sonic Drive-In use the PDF viewer's digital page count, not printed page headers. Some viewers download the document instead of opening the referenced page.
If the state document viewer does not open, use Minnesota Commerce's public filing instructions to look up the filing by franchisor name and document date.
Document & verification changelog
- October 29, 2026: Record updated.
- October 28, 2026: Source review hold recorded. Unresolved corrections are listed in this source section.
- October 9, 2026: Provisional publication approved per owner directive: Owner-directed provisional publication before independent source verification was complete.
- October 9, 2026: Initial cost profile published from the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (issued March 26, 2026).