Sonic Drive-In Plans To Expand
Ken Schultz has been to Kingston’s Sonic Drive-In nine or 10 times since it opened in June.
“This place was so packed when it first opened,” Schultz said. “You used to wait in line a half hour, 40 minutes, just to get a parking space.”
The hysteria has died down a bit since Sonic made Kingston its first location in New York state. It figures to reignite as the chain with the ’50s drive-in vibe rolls across the mid-Hudson.
An opening in the Town of Wappinger in Dutchess County is weeks away. Franchisee Daser Restaurant Group presented plans last week for a parcel in front of the Walmart on Route 300 in New Windsor.
“We’re looking to do several more over the next several years,” said Doug Slater, a partner in Daser.
The franchisee, which has the rights to seven counties in the lower and mid-Hudson Valley, has been scouting sites in all the usual high-traffic locations, including the Town of Wallkill.
“They’re very interested in (Route) 211,” said Wallkill Supervisor John Ward, who pitched a Sonic representative recently on the former Town Hall property.
The company, which has about 3,500 restaurants across the country, is making a strong push into the New York market, said Senior Vice President Drew Ritger. Restaurants have opened in northern New Jersey and Binghamton, with locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts to follow.
“Eventually, we’ll go into Syracuse, Albany, and the rest of the Northeast,” Ritger said.
