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Find or Refer a Contractor in Tyler

Sonic in Tyler Texas

January 16th, 2010

Do you tip at Sonic? That’s a discussion I’ve had with several people recently after discovering that the workers who bring you your food actually expect tips. Should I feel like a jerk for my ignorance in not knowing this already? In my defense, I usually use the drive through, but when I don’t, I usually don’t tip.

I know, they don’t expect a lot but the thought of tipping at a fast food restaurant just seems weird to me. When you go through a drive through somewhere, and they ask you to pull up because your food isn’t ready yet, do you tip the person that finally does bring it?

If I have about 50 cents or so left, I may let them keep the change but I’m not going to go out of my way to give an extra something. No offense, but unless you’re coming by and refilling my drinks, I just don’t see it as being necessary. Not to mention, if you expect a tip, you need to make that an option for people paying with a debit card. One point that’s been made to me is the fact that the workers usually get paid minimum wage. They’re not actual waiters and waitresses here.

Almost every time I have this conversation with someone, I’m reminded of something that happened to me. A couple days or so after my cousin and I had gone to Sonic on the Loop and 64 in Tyler, I was cleaning out my car which required me to pick take out the Sonic bag from just nights before. In it, I found some ketchup packets. On one of those packets was written a girls name and phone number.

This had us puzzled. Was it intended for me, or him, which one? Or was it not intended for either of us. Perhaps someone had written a name and number on several packets and threw them in there and we happened to be one of the (not so) “lucky” ones. Regardless, the possibilities were endless.

That night at Sonic, there was no flirtatious Sonic employee. There was no drop dead gorgeous woman for whom either of us would consider buying a Rout 44 strawberry limeade. We simply came to the conclusion if the number actually belonged to a girl worth calling, we would have remembered it and therefore, we decided to let it remain a mystery. Who knows, maybe she was just trying to get a tip.

Sonic

January 8th, 2010

Things are changing and it is nowhere more evident than at the Tyler Sonic drive through. During the drive through and drive up restaurant hay day of the nineteen fifties the average suburban family survived exclusively on root beer floats and cheeseburgers, congregating at the Sonic, like desert wildlife nourishing their bodies in the watering hole’s life giving root beer floats and cheeseburgers. Any given night at the Sonic was nothing less than the beginning of a summer long drag race musical.

These days, however, Sonic blends into the multitude of fast food chains all trying desperately to relive the same era. But no matter how bad everyone wants to go back to the nineteen fifties we will eventually have to accept our fate instead of living in the fast food past. This brings us to the denial facing Sonic, which is mainly that it sees itself as some sort of quality restaurant.

Unfortunately, Sonic has spent the money required for this on its comedy abortion, “two guys in a car commercial” shoveled down my eye throat three or four times a day. To switch topics for one second, there are about six hundred thousand students out there who could make a better commercial with nothing but their iPhones. But no number of eager undervalued students could salvage Sonics mediocre at best menu. You see, when you take out of account the things that are impossible to do wrong, such as, corn dogs and milkshakes, Sonic is revealed as nothing more than a slightly above average McDonalds, and no one should eat at McDonalds.

Sonic: Tyler’s Drive-In, Too

October 1st, 2009

Like a John Wayne western, Sonic Drive In restaurants somehow manage to make us feel nostalgic for things we never actually experienced. Granted, many people do remember the 1950’s, where car-hopping waitresses wore roller skates and Franky Avalon crashed every beach party. But for the generation that thinks a “Drive In” is only a place where teenagers make out and tornadoes strike, Sonic reintroduces the good-old days in tantalizing Technicolor.

Tyler Sonics have four locations. As the name implies, they won’t have lobbies. You will drive into a spot, roll down your window read the big colorful menu, and give your order over the intercom. You can pay by credit card at that time, or wait for the “car-hop.” In a few minutes, she will walk out with your food (sorry, but rollerskates are rare nowadays), offer condiments from an impressive cargo belt, and take your money, leaving you to eat inside your car and have semi-witty conversations for 30 seconds.

“So,” you might ask, “if there is no lobby, why would I go? Why would I pay to sit in a parking lot and eat in my car?” There is a simple answer: the food is flat-out impressive, and the drinks are unbelievable. How else could Sonic become America’s Drive-In restaurant?

Sonic’s burgers are hot and delicious. They are light years ahead of Big Macs an barely shy of Whataburgers. Their fries are equally tasty, as are their chicken sandwiches. But these items are just Sonic’s obligatory staple foods. Most people come to Sonic because of all the unique things they offer, like Coney and Tots. Officially, that’s a hot dog and small potatoes. Sonic offers these without a shred of embarrassment, again claiming Nostalgic Rights. Who doesn’t have great memories of eating hot dogs on a Saturday afternoon? And I can promise you that Sonics are better than your memories.

Keep moving down the menu and you’ll find the glorious Toaster fleet. That’s a big burger, club, or breakfast sandwich between two golden pieces of Texas Toast. And speaking of Toast, you can get breakfast food all day, which is always appealing to people like me. The sides are fantastic, too, with onion rings, mozzarella sticks, chili cheese tots, and my favorite: jalapeno poppers.

But it’s Sonics specialty drinks that will keep you coming back. Don’t settle for a Coke or a Sprite. You can get those anywhere. Go for something big, like a Signature Limeade. Cherry, strawberry, lime, apple, cranberry… so many choices. Can’t pick one? Pick them all. Sonic’s Limeades are legendary because they actually put fruit into the drink. My favorite is the STRAWBERRY LIMEADE, a drink whose name demands capitalization. There aren’t just bits of strawberry mixed in, there are chunks, so that after you finish the drink itself, you’ll have a healthy desert mixed right in with your ice. It’s a beautiful thing.

All of Sonic’s drinks are fully customizable. There are thousands of possible combinations that have never even been though of before. Be creative. And do the same when desert time comes. Sonic’s Frozen Favorites menu is as unique and appealing as the drinks menu. I recommend going beyond the obvious sundaes and milk shakes and opt for a Sonic Blast, a Cream Slush Treat, or a Java Chiller. You can’t go wrong. Just don’t skip it.

I seriously doubt that the 1950’s ever tasted this good, but when you are holding a Toaster Sandwich and a Mocha Chip Java Chiller, it really doesn’t matter. If you really want to feel like a 50’s beach party-goer, head over to Sonic on 64 & the NW Loop or on South Broadway Tyler Texas. There are outdoor tables, a fine playground for the kids and a beach volleyball court for you. But if you go there, I can’t guarantee Franky Avalon won’t show up to mooch a Mozzarella stick or two. You’ve been warned.