The original Sonic with the first sign was demolished and renovated in May 2015. This was the first of three Sonics in Stillwater. After the name change, the first Sonic sign was installed at the Stillwater Top-Hat Drive-In. The new name worked with their existing slogan, "Service with the Speed of Sound". Upon learning that the Top Hat name was already trademarked, Smith and Pappe changed the name to Sonic in 1959. Sonic Drive-In neon sign at the Oklahoma History Center By 1958, two more drive-ins were built, in Enid and Stillwater. Smith and he negotiated the first franchise location in Woodward, Oklahoma, in 1956, based on a handshake. Charles Woodrow Pappe, an entrepreneur, saw the Shawnee drive-in and was impressed. He also had some so-called " jukebox boys" wire an intercom system in the parking lot. Smith borrowed several automobiles from a friend who owned a used-car lot to establish a layout for controlled parking. He suspected that he could increase his sales by controlling the parking and having the customers order from speakers at their cars, with carhops delivering the food to the cars. In Louisiana, Smith saw a drive-in that used speakers for ordering. Originally, Top Hat customers parked their automobiles anywhere on the gravel parking lot and walked up to place orders. After realizing that the stand was averaging $700 a week in the sale of root beer, hamburgers, and hot dogs, Smith decided to focus on the more-profitable root beer stand. The two continued operating the root beer stand and converted the log house into a steak restaurant. In 1953, Smith joined with a business partner to purchase a five-acre parcel of land that had a log house and a walk-up root beer stand named the Top Hat. Before long, he sold it and opened a fast-food service, Troy's Pan Full of Chicken, on the edge of town. Soon afterwards, Smith purchased the Cottage Cafe, a little diner in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He decided to work delivering bread because bread is lighter than milk. Smith, Sr., returned to his hometown of Seminole, Oklahoma, where he became employed as a milkman. The company also has a breakfast menu.įollowing World War II, Sonic founder Troy N. The company's core products include the "Chili Cheese Coney", "Sonic Cheeseburger Combo", "Sonic Blasts", "Master Shakes", and "Wacky Pack Kids Meals". Sonic is known for its use of carhops on roller skates, and hosts an annual competition (in most locations) to determine the top skating carhop in the company. Originally a walk-up root beer stand outside a log-cabin steakhouse selling soda, hamburgers, and hotdogs, Sonic currently has 3,545 locations in the United States. Smith, Sr., opened its first location in 1953, under the name Top Hat Drive-In. All rights reserved.Sonic, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic (stylized in all caps), is an American drive-in fast-food chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's, Dunkin' Donuts and Buffalo Wild Wings. That price was based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the real versions of the seized fakes.Ĭopyright 2023 The Associated Press. The actual street value of the items seized in the raids is likely well under $1 billion, federal authorities said. Law enforcement officials, often working in conjunction with investigators from luxury brands, have taken a more aggressive approach to cracking down on counterfeiting in recent decades, targeting both the retailers who sell them and the importers and distribution centers. Indictments accuse them of distributing counterfeit goods since at least January.Ĭounterfeit luxury goods have been a staple of the underground New York City shopping experience for generations, with some savvy shoppers actually seeking out inexpensive knockoffs that look identical to designer goods but can be bought for hundreds or even thousands of dollars less. The two men charged could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Attorney Damian Williams called the raids “the largest-ever seizure of counterfeit goods in U.S.
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