The Oklahoma-based Sonic Drive-In, which you probably have seen many commercials for but have not necessarily sampled yourself if you've only lived in the inner Bay Area most of your life (or Manhattan for that matter), is trying to break into the local market in a bigger way, seeking franchisees for new locations in Oakland, Pleasanton, Livermore, Concord, and Fairfield.
As the Business Times reports, the chain already has more than 3,500 restaurants nationwide, and they're planning on double-digit growth in California, with eight new stores already under construction in the state.
The Sonic format is geared more to the suburbs, with the old-fashioned drive-in style of dining, either at canopy-covered spots for your car where your order is delivered by a server on actual roller skates, or at a canopy-covered picnic table where you're served the same way. Sonic already has locations in Hayward, Vacaville, American Canyon, and Gilroy.
If you're not familiar, Sonic does your burger-and-fries deal, as well as hot dogs, shakes, tater tots, and chicken sandwiches of different types, as well things like chili-cheese fries, and jalapeno poppers.
And this comes as other burger chains like Five Guys, Smashburger, and Habit Burger Grill have all made in-roads in the Bay Area, competing with existing powerhouses like In-N-Out and local chains like Super Duper and Burgermeister.