Earlier this year, a study of fast-food chains found that Sonic Drive-In was due for a comeback, using Google search data over several years to illustrate shifts in public interest. More recently, Sonic made major changes to its menu that may help move the needle on customer traffic for the chain, which has declined in San Antonio.
As of June 1, Sonic Drive-In is now offering its new $7 Big Deal Meal, a combo that includes a Sonic cheeseburger, a small order of chicken bites, a medium drink and a medium order of fries or tots. In a time when so many combos are exceeding the $10 mark, one that includes so much for just $7 sounds like a steal. So we tried it out for ourselves.
I visited a local Sonic off Bandera Road and pulled into one of the carhop-service spaces, where I began searching the menu board for the $7 Big Deal Meal to no avail. Eventually, I had to go for it, pressing the order button and asking the voice on the other end if they had the combo.
After a resounding yes, I customized my order to my liking, and after tax was added, I paid $7.58. Despite its low price, Sonic’s $7 Big Deal Meal includes plenty of food for the money. After scarfing down the chicken, tots and burger, there was no room left in my tummy for anything else.
Is it any good? For $7, it was better than fine. Plus, there are some new options on the $1.99 menu if you insist on adding a small root beer float or a vanilla soft-serve cup to the order. If you already have an aversion to Sonic‘s food offerings, this deal doesn’t change the menu items themselves. In other words, it’s a cheat code for cheap eats, and sometimes that’s all a person really needs.