How much does it cost to open a Sonic Drive-In franchise?

The franchisor's Item 7 table puts the total initial investment to open a Sonic Drive-In franchise at $1,676,000 to $3,140,900, according to their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

What is the royalty rate for Sonic Drive-In franchise?

Sonic Drive-In charges a 5.0% royalty fee (percentage of gross sales), as disclosed in their FDD, Item 6.

What is the Murk Score for Sonic Drive-In?

Sonic Drive-In has a Murk Score of 62/100 (ELEVATED, our band for scores 40 to 64). The Murk Score measures FDD transparency across 32 binary checks covering disclosure completeness, system trajectory, franchisor solvency, internal consistency, and litigation. A lower score indicates greater transparency.

How many Sonic Drive-In franchise locations are there?

Sonic Drive-In has 3,461 total franchise outlets, with a net growth of -60 units in the last reported year, according to their FDD, Item 20.

Sonic Drive-In FDD Analysis

Q: Does Sonic Drive-In have any franchise litigation?

According to Item 3 of their FDD: Litigation detected: 1 pending case, 5 concluded, class action, affiliate government order.

[ KEY FINDING ]

Sonic Drive-In's Item 20 shows a net decrease of 60 franchise units in the last reported year. Item 20 breaks the changes down by terminations, non-renewals, reacquisitions, ceased operations and transfers.

Source: FDD Item 20

[ VERIFIED // FDD 2025 ]

Sonic Drive-In

Issuance Date: March 27, 2025·Verified: Sep 17, 2026

6 RED FLAGS DETECTED

0/100

MURK SCORE

FRANCHISE SONAR MURK SCORE: ELEVATED(our band for scores 40 to 64)

Does Sonic Drive-In Have Franchise Litigation?

Litigation detected: 1 pending case, 5 concluded, class action, affiliate government order.

[ FULL LITIGATION ANALYSIS LOCKED ]

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How Much Does a Sonic Drive-In Franchise Cost?

Royalty Rate	Initial Investment	Total Units	Net Growth (1Y)
5.0% percentage of gross sales	$1.7M to $3.1M	3,461	-60

Royalty Rate

Initial Investment

Total Units

Net Growth (1Y)

5.0%

percentage of gross sales

$1.7M to $3.1M

3,461

-60

Source: FDD Items 6, 7, 20

VERIFIED // CHECKED AGAINST THE FDD

What Does Sonic Drive-In's Item 19 Disclose About Earnings?

Avg Gross Sales	Sample Size	Average vs Median
$0,000,000	000 units	Unlock to see

[ EARNINGS DATA LOCKED ]

Average, sample size and footnotes, page-cited

[ RISK_ALERT ]

We found 6 red flags in Sonic Drive-In's FDD.

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We found 6 red flags in Sonic Drive-In's FDD.

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Essential Scan

$199

Items 19-21 financials

[ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ]

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Analyzed by Franchise Sonar Research Team

How is the Murk Score calculated? →

Franchise Sonar provides independent analysis of franchise disclosure documents (FDDs) filed with state regulators. This is for informational purposes only and is NOT investment advice. Data extracted using automated technology; verify all financial information directly in the official FDD before making decisions. Murk Score measures disclosure completeness, not franchise quality. Sonic Drive-In is a trademark of its respective owner. Franchise Sonar is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Sonic Drive-In.