Fearing the worst, the Star Tribune is continuing to unnecessarily hype yet another Sonic and the traffic it may cause. I’m not quite sure what it is about the newspapers around here but if I had to guess, I would say that they are being paid by the restaurants to write stupid fucking fluff pieces instead of honest to goodness reviews of the food. Shouldn’t they be required to notify us that “this is an advertisement”?
Please explain to me why Sonic, which is nothing more than McDonald’s with a fucking awning, is getting any attention at all? Do people really think that it’s somehow worth waiting in line for more time that I would spend grocery shopping for two weeks to eat something that tastes exactly the same as 99 other similar fast food restaurants? It’s certainly not because people want drive-in food. If they did, they would be driving to 3 Seasons in Mahtomedi or out to Delano’s Peppermint Twist but instead, they’re lining up like people do at any one of the other ~3,500 shitty fucking Sonic’s that exist in this country.
Honestly, I’ve eaten at Sonic as Kim is a fan. Even before I cavorted as some sort of typical blogger turned restaurant reviewer, I couldn’t stand that place. I realize that I’m not in the majority here but can someone seriously explain to me why anyone would choose some shitty fast food chain restaurant over locations that have true character and great food? If you happen to go to 3 Seasons and get one of their homemade root beers and then fucking tell me that Sonic’s multitude of stupid “happy hour specials” that are so heavily advertised (even before they existed in this market!) are better, well, I’ll just be forced to stamp, ‘NO TASTEBUDS’ on your forehead to let everyone know that you should be ignored, at all costs.
People, Sonic sucks. It’s really that simple. It’s not worth waiting 5 minutes for, nevermind 50+ while burning precious fuel and paying some community service officer to direct traffic in and around Savage. If you want to waste 50 minutes of your life and your gas, drive to Delano or Mahtomedi (or any of the other drive-in type restaurants around), I guarantee you that you will end up with a much better experience for your time and money.
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August 19th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
The hype just is not worth it. I have eaten at Sonic before in Vegas and it was just okay. The burgers are fine for fast food, I thought the fries were HORRIBLE. The Onion Rings HORRIBLE. The malt just okay. The Slushies that people seem to drool over were nothing but a flavored sprite. I really don’t understand the appeal honestly. Give me an In-N-Out Double Double or a Fatburger with fried egg any ole day over the sludge the Sonic is peddling.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Poor Kim…
August 19th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
It’s fast-food, to be sure, but you’re a stronger man than I (not that I’m a man) if you can resist drive-thru tater tots.
I won’t frequent it or anything, but I’ll visit Sonic a hell of a lot more than most other fast food chains. Including Culvers. God I hate Culvers. (ever notice a Culvers sign is missing an all-important comma? who wouldn’t love a “frozen custard butterburger?)
August 19th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
You’re right, I’d rather go to Sonic than Culvers but that’s like saying I’d rather drink piss than eat shit.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Well yeah, you could eat at one of those local establishments…but do they have the clever advertisements? I don’t think so. For clever advertisements Sonic is going to get my vote.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:00 am
As dawnmarie said, tater tots at a drive-through will absolve many culinary sins. But yeah, I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Two words, cherry limeade. That’s my only reason for going there. Oh and the tater tots. For a fast food place, they have decent tots.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:10 am
You nailed it Bill, I can’t figure out why people wait for hours at the opening of a damned chain restaurant. Their advertisements alnoe make me feel that if I eat there I’ll end up a lame-ass bald man failing to wisecrack to my wife of 15 years as we power down greasy crap while sitting in our crossover SUV.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:15 am
My favorite is the Star Tribune article that tackles the ever present question, “how will this chain survive in the Minnesota winter?”
Thankfully there are a slew of gas stations nearby!
August 20th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I love the ads as well, and when I saw my first one in Oklahoma last winter, well I was pretty danged excited. My excitement was quickly tempered however as the food is pretty danged bad. Even the vaunted shakes and freezes.. not so much. The only good things about it.. you pay with your credit card when you make do you order. Swipe from your car, slick.
I’m not sure I get the lack of love for Culvers however, for a fast food burger, they’re pretty danged good. For one thing they season the meat, no one else does that. it’s no Nook burger for sure, but it’s pretty darn good. Frozen custard also beats anything I’ve had a Sonic.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Whoa whoa here.. Sornie.. I AM a lameass bald fat man who wisecracks to his wife.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Sank, “fast food” means that you don’t have to wait very long for your food. Culvers certainly doesn’t fall into that category. I have waited, in the drive-thru lane, for over 15 minutes for one of their famous “butterburgers” which turned out to be pretty lame.
I will admit though, that frozen custard is much better than almost every other ice cream you can get here in Minnesota. I miss Carvel.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:02 am
The wait is a bit longer than say McDonalds, but I’ve not had your experiences. If you really want an excellent fast food burger.. I’m on the In-N-Out bandwagon in the worst way. Simply the best burgers and fries in the FF business. Bar NONE.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:10 am
For me going to Sonic isn’t about expecting great food, and it’s not about getting my meal fast. It is about a slightly out of the ordinary dining experience. I don’t normally eat at a drive in and the novelty of interacting with the car hop and collecting food off my window tray is fun. I have warm fuzzy memories of going to Sonic with my parents and I guess a part of me will never grow up because a slightly out of the ordinary outing holds the same appeal with me now as it did when I was a kid.
Although Bill will swear to me up and down before we go that he will be good and won’t ruin my warm fuzzy memories I can see his pained expressions and aren’t you done yet looks even now. You are thereby released from the experience Bill. I’ll take Laura with me instead.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Agreed. Over the years, I’ve stopped at Sonics on the odd road trip around the country where it was the choice between that, a Cracker Barrel-type sit-down place, and an additional 30 minute drive/search for the next available place (or some similar conundrum). Not only does the below-average food disappoint, but wasting 30 minutes idling in my car for below-average food is infuriating. And I just shake my head at the trumpeting of “cherry limeade” and their other cold combinations of cloying syrup, water, ice and a straw. Anyone over 8 years old should be embarrassed to admit they like that kind of stuff.
And as long as I’m in party pooper mode, In-N-Out isn’t at all worth the hype. Their burgers are no better than Wendy’s. Their fries are no better than McDonald’s. The only thing great about In-N-Out is that they give out neat stickers for free, one of which adorns my workbench (next to the Wall Drug bumper sticker, the Yellowstone sticker and other similar gifts of Americana). Well, that, and you can order a burger with 64 patties and slices of cheese if you want.
Culvers? It should be a federal offense to take beef (albeit flavorless beef) and press it so thin as to guarantee a crispy, well-done frisbee burger. Culvers is my example of nearly everything that’s wrong about a burger. The only thing they’re missing is the obvious “flower” shape of the patty that screams “I’m frozen Sysco crap” (see Buffalo Wild Wings, etc.) Oh yay…you butter your bun. So now that industrial grade bun and burger are an additional 100 calories and 10g of fat completely wasted on a crappy experience.
Bill, you’re right on. The folks that celebrate the custard at Culvers as though it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, have never been to a place like Carvel or even a good custard place like (insert a half-dozen names of celebrated Milwaukee custard places here). It’s not that I dislike their custard…it’s really the only thing at all worth going to Culvers for, but at least get up to Liberty Custard in south Minneapolis to try good stuff. Oh wait…Liberty makes you get out of your car and actually walk 20 steps to get your food. Never mind.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I went to In-N-Out when we were in Vegas in 2006. Even though I was excited to eat one of these famed creations, I was left confused and disappointed at the fact that people really thought that those burgers were somehow any different, or better, than any other fast food place. Sorry folks, In-N-Out also falls into the “pretty lame” category. Perhaps it was an off day or the Vegas location just isn’t the same or something else, but in my single experience, it just wasn’t anything to get worked up over.
MSPD, I’m going to have to take Kim to Liberty Custard then. I still miss Carvel.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Soo wrong about In-N-Out. Fresh lettuce and tomatoes, fresh never frozen meat, you can watch them making fresh fries from REAL potatoes as opposed to potato like product you get at elsewhere. Toasted buns.. They’re fantastic. Eat a In-N-Out and and Wendy’s burger and there is no comparison.
The only thing I don’t like about In-N-Out is every one I’ve ever been to is packed all the time. Says something right there.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:25 am
The only thing I don’t like about In-N-Out is every one I’ve ever been to is packed all the time. Says something right there.
Yeah so are Subway, Jimmy John’s, Taco Bell and your personal favorite, Applebee’s. What were you saying again? ;-)
August 20th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Subway is usually empty when there are other choices around. See the Apple Valley one. Something about nail-headed purple haired 19year old drop outs spitting in your food I’m guessing. But I could be wrong.
Jimmy Johns in the burbs is REALLY empty. Too bad as I actually don’t mind their sandwiches. Taco Bell serves a purpose. Where ya gonna get fed on change from your car seat. Plus if your drunk.. there are cravings.
BTW, I’ve NEVER had a craving for a White Castle, there’s some really shitty food.
If you’re gaging packed by downtown.. I believe that you could could sell catshit sandwiches down here and be packed, as long as the price, with a drink was under $5.00. All the cheap fast food joints are always busy, the expensive salad places and so forth.. not so much.
The fact that Applebee’ in Apple Valley is busy all the time is testament to my motto that “this country just might not be worth saving”. See ratings of American Idol, and penetration for Itunes store for more confirmation.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Every time I’m in the Apple Valley Subway (or any Subway for that matter) they are crowded. YMMV.
White Castle is great drunk food and comfort food for me. I haven’t eaten it in well over a year (along with most other fast foods).
As far as Applebee’s, I was just giving you a hard time :)
August 20th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I stand by my opinion and I’ve given In-N-Out enough tries, as I have Sonic. I like that In-N-Out uses fresh ingredients. That doesn’t mean they’re high quality ingredients. And what they do to those ingredients–cook them in a manner that makes them less flavorful and, in the case of the fries, dry and overdone–negates the freshness of the ingredients. And, by the way, the last thing I care about is the iceburg lettuce and crappy tomato that’s going on a burger. Let’s talk about the uber-processed Kraft-style cheeselike product they put on there. Like I said…no better than Wendy’s (which, by the way, never freezes their patties either). That’s not to say In-N-Out is BAD (like Culvers and Sonic)…it’s just nowhere near worth the hype, the crazy waits and lengths people will go to to get there, nor all the glorification it gets.
As for “says something right there” that they’re packed. Are we not still attached to a thread about three-hour waits and traffic control at SONIC? Have you ever tried to dine at a Cheesecake Factory? Red Lobster or Olive Garden on most nights? Outback? Champps? TGI Friday’s? Old Country Buffet? Buca?
Yeah, it does “say something right there”. People are stupid and have no idea how badly they’re getting duped out of their hard-earned dollar. That’s exactly why I try and share my passion for great food made with quality ingredients by people who are skilled and care, and introduce as many people as I can to it (partly by spouting off on sites like this).
On a side note, one of the absolutely most shameful things about this whole Sonic mess is that Dan Flanagan, the guy who will be expanding Sonic into western Wisconsin and Redwing, etc., used to own Danny Boy’s on West 7th, one of best burger places in MSP during its run. What a complete sellout.
By the way Kim, I can totally understand the nostalgia factor. The unfortunate thing is, the Sonic of today will probably seem sterilized and robotic compared to your warm fuzzy memories. It’s the same way for me with a lot of places.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
No, I tend to take joy in the small things in life. It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers. (Please note who my husband is.) Things that seem to send people into a tizzy on here rank very, very low importance wise on my radar. To each his own, as it should be.
The only things ruffling my feathers at the moment is the general tone of the comment section lately.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Yak! I tries Sonic the first time a few months ago in Florida. I chomped down on little bits of bone 3 times in the same burger. That did it for me.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
OK I’m on an island here. Fries are best crispy and a burger is a burger. Given the fast food options out there…. I still like In-N-out the best. It gets some of it’s gloy because, like Culvers (whose burgers I find better than Wendy’s or Macs or BKing) they’re family owned and, until recently very local. Plus, the bumper sticker. Growing up in their backyard, Cali, every other car boys car in high school had an In-N-Out Burger sticker on the back of their car, and of course everyone had been doctored so the “B” and “r” were removed from the word Burger.
Good times baby, good times.
Didn’t realize Subway was packed however. That could be the worst place to eat on the planet.
I take everyones point.. packed doesn’t mean anything.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I have to agree Sank, I think that Culvers is pretty decent for a fast food place. The one in Apple Valley at least is generally clean and the people are mostly friendly. It is usually busy, and we dont eat there often, but for a quick burger and a shake, its Culvers>>>Wendys>>>McDonalds>>>Burger King>>>>Arbys
I might like Burger King, or Arbys better, but it seems like every one of them around here are nasty dirty places.
As for Sonic, I will probably eat there after the lines die WAY down, but I will never understand why anyone would stand/wait in line for fast food of any kind.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Well I am from the south, no Culvers, no In-N-Out, no Carls Jr., no White Castle…I am sure there are many more that we didn’t have. We had the usuals: McD’s, Wendy’s, etc. Plus Sonic.
Fast food is just that—fast. It sure isn’t good for you, but a lot of the population relies on it. I think that it is really sad that we are a fast food nation.
Oh, and I do partake in Sonic occasionally, I didn’t have to wait at the one in St. Paul when I visited it recently. Yup, tater tots with chili and cheese for me.
September 14th, 2008 at 12:25 am
I’m never eating here again. In Burnsville today and driving through Savage and saw the new Sonic. I don’t know when it opened, but there was no wait and it was 5:30. Anyways, the wife suggests we stop, I caved and said sure because nothing sounded good anyways. What a mistake. I’ve probably eaten at Sonic 3-4 times in my life, and this will be the last.
Ordered a Cheeseburger with Jalapenos, fries and a Banana Hot Fudge Malt. The meal of champions, I know. Wife: CHeeseburger, some cheese nugget things and a coke.
Burger was okay, really nothing better than your average fast food burger. To put in comparison, I’d rather eat a Big Mac and that’s far down on the totem pole. The fries are the worst I’ve probably ever had, nothing enjoyable at all, not hot, not crisp, just limpy gross nothingness. The malt was okay.
Wife’s cheese nugget things, I forget what they are called, were suppose to come with ranch sauce. Nope, none in the bag. Anyways, they weren’t even hot and the cheese was solid, they had zero flavor. Gross. Buzz the intercome, buzz, buzz, buzz because no answer. “Yes?”. Told them they forget the ranch. “Ok, we’ll send some out.” 5 minutes pass, both of us have finished our burgers. What the hell. Buzz….Buzz….Buzz.. Ho hum ho hum. Buzz Buzz. “Yes?” Still haven’t received the ranch and cheese things are now cold, can we get a new order. “I’ll send the manager out”. My god this is difficult. Manager comes by and I tell her what’s going on. Says she’ll be back with a new order. Kid you not, 5 minutes. I was so close to Buzzing the intercom and telling them to give me my money back. Comes out finally and says they are hot out of the oven. Right, the “oven”. Well, they were hot and the cheese was actually MELTED. And they weren’t bad, not terrific, but alright.
When we left, the line was maybe 10 cars deep, considering it was a Saturday night at the height of dinner hour, and that’s the best the can do for just opening. I dunno what that says.
Anyways, I’m done with the place, the food is among the nastiest in fast food, barely a notch above White Castle. Bleh! I just have the hardest time really believing anyone really likes this place. I don’t know what I am missing, and I’m not the harshest critic when it comes to fast food, but this place is just awful.
September 14th, 2008 at 8:40 am
P-Funk, at least you didn’t have to wait to be served the first time too! ;-)
September 17th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Bill we went yesterday, and it went better than I had suspected. The crowd looked huge but our food was to us in less than 5 minutes – at at least thats my estimate, I was in mom mode, and had to settle a squabble and divert! The food was okay, like you said McDonalds-esque so that wasn’t all that fantastic…… but Thea was happy with the corndog, Grace was happy with the slush, and I was happy they ate. (They turn into gremlins when they don’t.) Thea said that if she doesn’t get into Juilliard to be a dancer, she could work at Sonic and wear rollerskates – so I think its best we don’t go back. She’s 5, and I don’t want her to drop her dream of being a ballerina to be a sonic waitress! LOL
September 19th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I went yesterday with my wife. I don’t think we will ever go back. They screwed up almost everything with our order. Both of our sandwiches were wrong. I ordered a double cheeseburger with no onions or mayo and french fries. She ordered a jalepeno burger with tots. The only thing they got right were her tots. My burger ended up with both onions and mayo on it, and she just got a plain hamburger with pickles. They did fix the burgers for us though. In the end, the only thing she liked were the tots and I wasn’t overly impressed with the burgers. I didn’t think they were too terrible, but not something I would ever think “Hey, I want to go to Sonic” for either.