Many in San Antonio have begun to feel the absence left by the closure of their nearby Sonic Drive-In, as multiple locations across the city have closed in recent years. A new report suggested that these closures may be part of a larger trend for the brand, which has seen more than 70 locations shutter in 2025 and 2026.
On Thursday, October 22, financial news site TheStreet published a report addressing the uptick in Sonic closures, citing information from Franchise Investor Data. The report cited obstacles such as high operating costs and competition from other fast-food chains as possible contributing factors for the closures.
MySA has been covering the impact of Sonic‘s closures in San Antonio over the past couple of years, reporting that, since 2024, nearly 10 locations have shuttered in the city. Since the most recent closure in September, Sonic’s San Antonio count has dropped from 35 to 33 locations that are still listed on the company’s website. We’ve sent Sonic a request for comment about the closures, but it has not been answered.
TheStreet’s report also noted that Sonic closed 56 locations in 2025 and 18 in 2026, which is small potatoes compared with the more than 3,000 locations that are active across the United States. Still, even a small percentage of franchise losses could signal difficult times for local operators who represent the larger brand.
It also doesn’t help that Sonic’s competitors, like Whataburger and McDonald’s, are coming out of the gate with their own beverage creations that rival the cherry limeades and slushes that made the drive-in chain so popular.