Althouse: "Cherry Limeade is all well and good, but I doubt they'll have a pitcher of Old Style for a buck fifty on Thursdays."

February 8, 2009

"Cherry Limeade is all well and good, but I doubt they'll have a pitcher of Old Style for a buck fifty on Thursdays."

SONIC comes to Madison.

30 comments:

blake said...: They advertise here, but the nearest one is unthinkably far away.; 2/8/09, 8:49 PM
traditionalguy said...: Carbohydrates heaven has come to Madison. Feeding the adults' and kids' sugar fix in style.( Please don't let Mayor Bloomberg see the menue. It would scare him.) Happy days for Wisconsin, with cheese on it, has arrived. I eagerly await the Sonic Cafe mood shots with 12 year old scotch in a paper cup.; 2/8/09, 8:53 PM
Mark D. said...: Sonic came to Spokane a few years ago, and at first it was impossible to get in to try the food. The place was swamped, much to the consternation of the nearby Taco Time and Zips (a local hamburger chain). Soon the novelty wore off, though, and people stopped flocking.

Personally, I would much rather eat at Zips than at Sonic. My wife and I went and ate at Sonic and I have to say, it was nothing special. Ok, but nothing special. Now, Zips on the other hand...hmm...fish sandwiches...; 2/8/09, 8:58 PM
SteveR said...: Yeah its nothing special but its got great drink options and decent fast food. If you want Old Style, gets some food in the drive through and go home for the beer. Its not either/or.; 2/8/09, 9:10 PM
Eli Blake said...: Sonic....

Should I tell this true story?

Yeah....

It was 1992. I was a newlywed, and my wife and I had just rented an apartment in Los Lunas, New Mexico. We'd picked it out some months earlier and reserved it but neither of us moved there until after we were married.

I was out late one night with some missionaires from my church visiting some investigators. So I decided to stop at the Sonic that was a few blocks from our apartment and buy my wife a Route 44 Ocean Water.

It is always well-lit under there, so while I was waiting I turned off the headlights.

When I pulled out onto the road, there were plenty of streetlights and my mind being filled with visions of more newlywed bliss, I neglected to switch the lights back on. I drove fairly slowly down the right lane, as I didn't want to miss the turn off to the apartments.

A couple of blocks down, there had been a minor incident and there were two police cars there. One of the officers, noticing my lights were off, waved at me to pull over. I thought he was waving me into the left lane (away from the cop cars), so I swerved into the left lane.

There was a car there, which I almost hit, so I quickly swerved back to the right. The cop did a quick jump out of the way.

All the swerving caused the Ocean Water I had bought my wife, which was between my legs (the car not having a drink holder large enough for a Route 44 Ocean Water) to spill.

And man, it was COLD!! Youch! That caused me to swerve some more. The police officers apparently agreed to split their duties, and one remained behind to finish up at the fender-bender scene and the other started following me. Probably not more than fifteen miles an hour.

I turned into the apartment block, unaware that the police car was following me, but realizing that the Ocean Water was only about a third full I decided to return back to Sonic for another one. So I made a sharp ninety degree turn back out of the parking lot. I thought I'd circle back down a side street, but just having moved there I didn't know the side streets very well and ended up at the end of a dead end road.

That was when I noticed the flashing lights behind me.

The officer walked up to me and asked where I'd been that night.

I told him, "With some missionaries! We were reading the Bible!"

"Uh-huh," replied the officer. "Have you been drinking anything?"

"No," I said. I knew he meant alcoholic, and I told him I hadn't had an alcoholic beverage in several years.

He didn't believe that so he asked me to get out of the car.

I did, and I was dripping wet from the waste down. He started fingering the handcuffs he was wearing on his belt.

I had to practically beg him to give me a field sobriety test. I passed of course, but I'm not sure he believed the results.

That's a true story, courtesy of all the bright lights at Sonic.; 2/8/09, 9:12 PM
MadisonMan said...: I'd rather go to Culvers.; 2/8/09, 9:12 PM
Triangle Man said...: Sonic replaces Rusty's, a Michael Feldman (whadda-ya-know-not-much-you) hang out. Limeade you say? Might be worth a try.; 2/8/09, 9:26 PM
SteveR said...: Eli: I can say from personal experience, that's a long way from the worst thing that can happen to you in Las Lunas. At least it was a large coffee.; 2/8/09, 9:27 PM
Douglas said...: If we have to suffer through your Culver Curds in Texas, you can suffer through Sonic's Limeade. It's pretty good, and not nearly as constipating.; 2/8/09, 9:28 PM
traditionalguy said...: They have expresso shots and other starbucks type lattes. Will starbucks be able to add burgers and fries fast enough to keep up? And I hear that sweaters are not sonic dress code approved. This may be eased by using the eat in your car method. But dry cleaning costs go up significantly for the suit & tie crowd and also the pastel colored sweater crowd. Oh yeah, it isn't known how they will react to a Professor type with a camera clicking away without asking permission over the speaker.; 2/8/09, 9:28 PM
save_the_rustbelt said...: Reminds me of my Chevy, car hops, plaid skirts, AM rock-and-roll and, well ya know.

Food is better at Culvers. Nostalgia better at Sonics. Plus my grandkids like it.; 2/8/09, 9:32 PM
chickelit said...: First The Unicorn Tavern, now Rusty's Tavern. Tell me, is the Club Tavern still there at least?

Blue collar aristocrats are a dying breed.; 2/8/09, 9:33 PM
Unknown said...: Sonic is an occasional guilty pleasure for me. Specifically their limeades, fruit slushes, and tater tots with cheese.; 2/8/09, 9:42 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Funny story Eli!; 2/8/09, 9:53 PM
Kev said...: Cherry Limeade is all well and good, but I doubt they'll have a pitcher of Old Style for a buck fifty on Thursdays.

Tater tots and beer? Breakfast of champions!

(But seriously, even if Sonic did try to serve beer--which would almost have to be at the sit-down area only, and from the picture, it appears it'll be months before that section gets any business--most of the carhops I've seen wouldn't be old enough to serve.)

Eli--hilarious story!; 2/8/09, 10:02 PM
Donna B. said...: Our local Sonic doesn't mind photos at all. I took one of the carhop delivering a cheeseburger, tater tots, and cherry limeade to email to my sister.

More photos of the unwrapped goodies were taken after I got home, including a big bite missing from the burger.

She loves Sonic and there aren't any in Scotland. She'll be in March and my Dad's already located the Sonic nearest the Little Rock airport.; 2/8/09, 10:18 PM
Christy said...: Great story, Eli.

Sonic serves breakfast all day long, which is nice. I don't like their burgers but the chicken items are good. Lots of ice cream drinks and desserts to appeal to the kids.; 2/8/09, 10:23 PM
Gretchen said...: Cherry Limeades are the best thing at Sonic. I spent the better part of the summer of 1994 juicing limes at Sonic as part of my carhop duties. The stint on roller skates only lasted 15 minutes. 15 minutes and about 10 dropped drinks. Oops.; 2/8/09, 10:28 PM
Linus said...: Personally, I would much rather eat at Zips than at Sonic.
I went to law school in Moscow, so I know whereof you speak, and I give a hearty AMEN to that. In fact, I miss Zips. Their fish and chips, you just can't get anything that good where I'm at now.; 2/8/09, 11:36 PM
sg said...: Old Style?

Isn't that the beer that Wisconsin exports to Illinois for Cub fans to drink?; 2/8/09, 11:40 PM
Ron said...: Althouse, do you remember the limeade at Drake's?; 2/9/09, 3:35 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Ron: Yes yes yes!

And I remember grilled cinnamon rolls with ice cream.

And beautiful green and black booths.

I fell in love with my future husband there (and a few other Ann Arbor places).

Do you remember Krazy Jims? I worked there one summer.; 2/9/09, 6:29 AM
Shanna said...: I like to get the cherry sprites. The coolest thing at Sonic is the "happy hour". Half priced drinks from 2-4!; 2/9/09, 6:56 AM
George M. Spencer said...: TOUBAB KREWE comes to Madison March 6.

It'll be majestic.; 2/9/09, 6:57 AM
Gretchen said...: Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers!

Yeah, we miss Ann Arbor sometimes. We liked Frank's, a diner behind Nickels Arcade.; 2/9/09, 9:32 AM
Ron said...: Yes, I still go to Krazy Jim's sometimes...it's like high-grade sliders.

I was the last customer at Drake's, buying candy from the owners daughter on Christmas Eve as she closed the doors...I got some of the signage from Drakes when she auctioned it off. I missed getting the 1000 jazz '78's from the '20's and 30's though...

The original owner always paid his bills only in cash, no checks. Employees were paid out of the till each night, and he ran around town paying his bills that way.; 2/9/09, 10:06 AM
Ron said...: Krazy Jim's is now famous for his "snow bears." In the winter, someone (I don't know who) makes a bear family out of the snow in front of and on top of the restaurant. They're usually pretty clever/funny and they change them a lot...

When the snow returns, I'll get a pic.; 2/9/09, 10:12 AM
Ron said...: Gretchen you really liked Frank's?; 2/9/09, 10:14 AM
Gretchen said...: Ron-
Yeah, in a dive-diner sort of way. They had good cabbage rolls. It was close to where I worked (Michigan Book and Supply), and close to the LSA building where my husband was, so we could meet there for lunch sometimes. We often went with his advisor, who was a big fan.

I much preferred Cottage Inn, for their $4.95 baked macaroni special on Fridays. Yum!; 2/9/09, 12:50 PM
former law student said...: A pitcher for $1.50?

I can't even get a PBR tallboy for less than $2.; 2/9/09, 11:10 PM