Wallingford's Sonic Drive-In Open For Business
Mickey D's arches are sagging a bit. BK's crown has lost a little of its luster. And Wendy's? Well, they may be lost in Never Never Land.
After months of negotiation, debate, meetings, planning, studies and construction, Wallingford's newest eatery opened today with style, fanfare and fantastic food. While I could not be there in person, I did follow some of the festivities on Facebook. After the ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 AM, the drive-in began serving customers in earnest at 10:30 AM. Sonic staff did well to take lots of pictures of the tidal wave of customers who descended on the place to get their first taste of the delectable menu of burgers, hot dogs, fries, tater tots, salads, desserts, and the over 169,000 possible combinations of drinks available.
Traffic Woes
As anticipated by Operations Manager Robert Mesite the traffic volume was considerable, apparently high enough to get people turned away at the entrance as early as 1:30 PM according to some disappointed patrons who posted comments on Sonic of CT's Facebook page. One person said that they had driven about two hours to attend the grand opening, only to be told that no one else was being admitted. The traffic problem, though unfortunate, should not have come as a surprise to anyone who has been following Sonic's progress. It was a main sticking point in the approval process, and has been emphasized repeatedly by Robert Mesite on the Sonic web site. Plus, anyone who's been in Connecticut for any length of time remembers the Krispy Kreme opening on the Berlin Turnpike a few years back. Just remembering how that turned out should have been enough to prepare everyone for today's heavy attendance, and it will probably continue for several more days at least.
Play Nice in the Sandbox
One last thing I'd like to address before I close is all the Sonic bashers/haters/trolls that have been clogging up Sonic's Facebook page today. These people were making rude remarks about Sonic, the pictures that were being posted, the poor quality of the food, etc. All I have to say is this: if you disapprove of Sonic, their food or how they conduct business, there are ways to make your feelings known without showing the world how much of a butthead you are by acting like one online. Remember, what happens online, stays online...forever. Sonic is proud of what they've accomplished, and well they should be. In a time of rising unemployment and dismal economic forecasts, Sonic has brought 130 new jobs to Wallingford and who knows how much revenue will be generated. Bottom line is, Sonic will be nothing but a boon to the Wallingford economy for years to come.
The last official word I heard is that for the first two weeks they're open, the hours of operation will be 10 AM to 10 PM; beginning August 1st, the hours will change to 6 AM to 11 PM. These hours may change, and of course if they do I'll post something here as I receive it. In case you don't know, the new Sonic is located at 1033 North Colony Road on the site of the former Yankee Silversmith Inn. If you haven't yet done so, you can sign up to be a TIFOS (The Incredible Friends of Sonic) on the Sonic web site, and there are also four videos by Robert Mesite further explaining the grans opening, the honeymoon period, traffic issues and other important information.
WELCOME TO WALLINGFORD, SONIC!!
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