Kings Founder Partners Break Ground for Their First SONIC DriveIn in North Strabane



SONIC Drive-In television commercials have long tempted those living in Western Pennsylvania. The delicious food and unique drinks featured in the prevalent spots have had local food lovers searching high and low for the drive-in restaurants.

The search ends today, as franchise group NCH Hospitality broke ground at 2611 Washington Rd. in North Strabane Township for its first of many SONIC locations in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The restaurant is scheduled to open for business in early December.

Led by Kings Family Restaurants founder Hartley King, NCH Hospitality, which includes King's partners Nick Hrehovchak and Chris Whalen, plans to open 15 more SONIC locations during the next five years. The group is considering multiple sites for additional SONIC locations in Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties as well as West Virginia.

"We're very excited to bring SONIC Drive-Ins to the Pittsburgh area," said King. "SONIC is a fun, family restaurant with great food. It's a good fit for Pittsburgh residents."

SONIC has been America's favorite drive-in for more than 50 years and currently has about 3,300 locations in the United States. The closest operating SONIC to Pittsburgh is in Athens, Ohio, with a location at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer Township, Allegheny County, expected to open this year.

SONIC offers a variety of unique, made-to-order menu items including Toaster sandwiches made with thick Texas toast, hand-battered onion rings, fresh salads and hundreds of thousands of refreshing drink combinations, all served by friendly, roller-skating, Carhops.

SONIC, America's Drive-In (NASDAQ/NM: SONC) started as a hamburger and root beer stand in 1953 in Shawnee, Okla., called Top Hat Drive-In, and then changed its name to SONIC in 1959. The first drive-in to adopt the SONIC name is still serving customers in Stillwater, Okla. As the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants, SONIC has more than 3,300 drive-ins coast to coast. More than a million customers eat at SONIC every day; and with more drink combinations than any other quick-service restaurant -- 168,894 to be exact -- SONIC is Your Ultimate Drink StopSM. For more information about Sonic Corp. and its subsidiaries, visit SONIC at



Kings Founder Partners Break Ground for Their First SONIC DriveIn in North Strabane