SONIC Cheeseburger
The classic single-patty drive-in cheeseburger. One beef patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions and your choice of ketchup, mustard or mayo. It is not trying to reinvent anything, which is exactly what makes it satisfying: a proper old-fashioned cheeseburger delivered to your car window.
The story
America had thousands of drive-ins in the 1950s and almost none by the 1980s: land got expensive, the drive-thru window was faster, and eating in a parked car went out of fashion. Sonic is the big exception. Troy Smith wired intercoms into every parking stall of his Oklahoma root beer stand after seeing the idea in Louisiana, sales tripled, and the chain renamed itself Sonic in 1959 around the promise of speed. Carhops still bring the food out, which makes an ordinary cheeseburger arrive in a way nowhere else does.
What’s inside
- beef patty
- American cheese
- lettuce
- tomato
- pickles
- onions
- choice of condiment
- toasted bun
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the SONIC Cheeseburger yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef and cheese
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe (Copycat) - Shares beef and cheese
Whopper (Copycat) - Shares beef and cheese
McDonald's McFeast (Copycat) - Shares beef and cheese
McDLT
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the SONIC Cheeseburger.- Smashburger · beef and cheese
SignatureClassic Smash - Wahlburgers · beef and cheese
SignatureThe Our Burger - Pasibus · beef and cheese
SignatureStandard - The Counter · beef and cheese
Old School Cheeseburger
More from Sonic Drive-In
About Sonic Drive-In
Troy Smith opened a root beer stand called the Top Hat Drive-In in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1953. After seeing a restaurant in Louisiana where customers ordered through speakers, he wired up intercoms at every parking stall, and sales tripled. In 1959 he renamed it Sonic, promising “service with the speed of sound”.
Around 3,500 drive-ins across the United States, most densely in the South.
Not affiliated with Sonic Drive-In. Trademarks belong to their owners.