Rochester Sonic Drive-In franchisee to expand with six locations between Syracuse and Watertown

Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC) today announced a franchise-development agreement for six new drive-in eateries in the Syracuse and Watertown areas in the next four years.

Sonic, based in Oklahoma City, Okla., describes itself as the nation’s “largest chain” of drive-in restaurants with more than 3,500 drive-ins serving about 3 million customers daily, according to a company news release. Sonic generated an average of $1.1 million in sales per restaurant location in fiscal year 2013, according to its website.

The six new Central New York locations represent an expansion of an agreement that a franchise group reached in 2013 for five new drive-ins in the Rochester market, Sonic said.

Local restaurateur Fran DeSimone leads the franchise group, according to Sonic.

“Our first Rochester area drive-in is under development and we expect to open later this year, but our experience with Sonic has been so positive and the community reaction to Sonic so great that we decided to double our numbers and bring Sonic to Syracuse and Watertown,” DeSimone, president of the local Sonic franchise, said in the news release.

The northern states are “ripe” with expansion opportunities for Sonic given the brand’s “relatively small footprint” in the area, Bob Franke, senior vice president of franchise sales and international development for Sonic, said.

Franke sees the chain’s national TV commercials, often featuring humor, as “popular and effective.” He contends the ads have produced “high customer awareness and pent-up demand.”

“In addition, we recently introduced an indoor-dining prototype that is ideally suited for drive-ins in colder climates. Each location will still have the iconic drive-in stalls that our guests know and love, but will also feature a drive-thru and indoor dining room so they can come in out of the cold,” Franke said.

DeSimone and his team are no strangers to the quick-service and fast-casual restaurant market, Sonic said.

DeSimone’s experience includes leadership roles with the Panera Bread, Burger King, and Taco Bell brands.

Through a separate business partnership, DeSimone also currently serves as the franchisee for the Corner Bakery Cafe chain in the Rochester market.