Sonic Drive In vs Iceberg Drive Inn Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Sonic Drive In vs Iceberg Drive Inn including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Iceberg Drive Inn Franchise
Investment $1,242,000 - $3,523,300$132,500 - $556,000
Franchise Fee $45,000$25,000
Royalty Fee 2.45-5%-
Advertising Fee 3%-
Year Founded 19541960
Year Franchised 19592001
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee 10 years for $6K-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Iceberg Drive Inn Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • If no industry experience, must have an operating equity partner
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    Financing Options
     
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Iceberg Drive Inn Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/Yes-/-
    Payroll No/Yes-/-

    Training & Support
     
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Iceberg Drive Inn Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 400 hours Classroom Training: 24 hours Additional Training: At existing franchise location -
    Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Franchisee Intranet Platform -
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Email marketing Loyalty program/app -
    Operations International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 60% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 25

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Iceberg Drive Inn Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Sonic Drive In

    Sonic Industries Inc. was founded in 1973. In 1974, Sonic acquired the name 'Sonic Drive-In' from Troy Smith, Sr., and began franchising. Smith used his more than 15 years of experience in the restaurant business to develop and operate the Sonic franchise program. A wholly owned subsidiary of Sonic Corp., the company is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has locations throughout the United States. The company's storefronts recently got a facelift to give them a 'retro-futuristic' look.

    Your estimated initial investment necessary to begin operation of a Traditional Sonic Drive-In franchise ranges from approximately $1,242,200 to $3,537,700 plus land costs and includes the $45,000 franchise fee that must be paid to Sonic.
    Your estimated initial investment necessary to begin operation of a Non-Traditional Sonic franchise ranges from approximately $361,900 to $978,700 and includes the $22,500 franchise fee that must be paid to Sonic.

    "franchiserankingscom"     "Entrepreneur
    #91 on Franchise Rankings.com
    #4 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #28 in Franchise 500 for 2021.




    About Iceberg Drive Inn

    The first Iceberg Drive Inn was opened by Lamar Sorensen on April 12, 1960.  A local ice cream machine salesman named Hap Vitale had the idea for a building with a distinctive roof that served great milkshakes, burgers and fries.  He convinced Lamar to open this concept and Iceberg Drive Inn was born.  It was located on the corner of 900 East and 3900 South in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The building was originally designed to be moved after a few years as he was only renting the land at the time.  Many report that it was the first drive thru in the Salt Lake City area.  Lamar insisted that Drive Inn be spelled with two "n’s” as he felt it appeared friendlier to invite people to an "inn” rather than simply a "drive in”.