Sonic Drive-In — Restaurant in Aiken County

Let me start by saying that I believe in supporting local businesses, especially during the Covid crisis, and so usually when I get upset I just try to let it go. When it comes to restaurants I never ask for refunds (I never ask because people should be allowed to make mistakes periodically). I also refrain from writing negative reviews because it impacts jobs and right now we are in a depression. However, something happened today at Sonic which absolutely infuriated me. I had ordered four meals for the family with an item on the side. Please note that all four of the meal orders were suppose to come with fries. The screen displayed the status of my order with a small timeline at the bottom. I turned on the radio and we waited. Eventually the screen indicated that the food was on its way, it gave the name of the runner (and since I don't know if it was his fault, I won't give the name, but management can email me for it). After two songs on the radio, our food never arrived. I hit the red order button at the kiosk and asked what the delay was. The woman on the speaker stated; “I don't know what your order was, can you please tell me so that I can locate it?” This remark concerned me because I had never left the stall. I repeated the order. “Okay, we will look for it.” she replied. Another song passed. Our runner came with the bags and drinks. I asked what the hold up was, and the runner stated something that burned me up inside. “They have a habit of throwing out the tickets before the orders are delivered.” So not only was my experience ruined by that, but it means that other people are going to get upset too when it happens to them. I reached into the bag and pulled out some brown limp fries. Needless to say they were cool and soggy. I asked the runner to replace them. I waited in the car. I figured that our runner would be there at the fryer waiting for the first fries that come out, and he was going to make it up by ensuring that all four orders of fries would be hot and crisp to make certain that it made up for the mistake. Two songs later, runner #2 came with a bag of fries. I looked inside and immediately noticed that there were only two orders for fries, not four. They were warm, but not hot. So there I was, I displayed patience and calm, but inside I was broiling. I had given a second chance to make things right and it turned out to be a waste of my time. I told the second don't worry about the other fries, I'm not coming back. I get home, and discover that an order of food is missing. That was the last straw, now I have to write about it. I can appreciate the human element of mistakes. But professionals own mistakes, apologize, and make things right. That didn't happen here. These unprofessional individuals took more than I was suppose to give, which in my mind is theft. America is in crisis, people need work, and I get the impression that these people don't want their jobs that bad. Lastly, I will say: Dear Sonic, I took the time to write the most professional and articulate letter as I possibly could. You will not receive anymore of...

To Whom It May Concern,

On the night of August 1st, 2025, I encountered some deeply disappointing service from a young Hispanic woman working the night shift. Her approach to customer interaction was rude, impatient, and needlessly confrontational. When I asked to speak with a manager or supervisor, she flat-out refused and ignored me. I then reached out to other young women on staff — many of whom I see daily — and waited patiently, yet still, no one acknowledged or addressed my request.

Let me be clear: I understand when a team is short-staffed or overwhelmed — I’m here nearly every day and I get it. But no customer should be treated like a burden for simply placing an order. I wasn’t being rude or demanding — I was trying to clarify a mistake (removing bacon and letting her know I’d be using tap pay to save her time). Instead of receiving basic respect, I was brushed off and met with negativity.

I even stood outside my car to calmly explain the situation. Rather than listen, she insulted me by suggesting I just wanted something for free, then walked off mid-conversation yelling, “I’m busy.” That moment wasn’t just frustrating — it was demeaning.

As a Black man, I’m constantly mindful of how I express myself, because even the slightest show of frustration can be misinterpreted. That awareness shouldn’t be necessary, but here we are. The way this situation was handled left me feeling disregarded, disrespected, and unheard — and that’s not something I’ll stay silent about.

I’ve been waiting over 20 minutes for a manager — and no one has shown up. That’s unacceptable. I’m reaching out to corporate, and yes, I will be speaking to the press. You can review your security footage for proof — I stand by everything I’ve said here.

This incident doesn’t reflect the standard I usually see from your team — many of your staff are great. But on this night, your brand was poorly represented, and I left feeling small for simply trying to spend my money. That’s not just bad service — that’s a failure in leadership.

Do better. You’ve earned your 3.9-star rating.

—...

TL;DR - When I place an order and request something, especially something like "no jalapeños", I expect my order to be accurate at least most of the time, especially if it's been read back to me twice - and I think that's a fair expectation.

I used to visit this Sonic location on a regular, almost daily, basis - and now, after my first visit in about two months, I'm sorry to say that it will be my last. I ordered a Supersonic burrito with no jalapeños and some popcorn chicken with the sweet sesame sauce. Granted, this is a bit off the norm for them and is a special order, but it was read back to me by the order-taker, who seemed a bit distracted, but everything was displayed on the screen perfectly once all was said and done.

When my order was brought to me, the carhop read it back perfectly, with the exception of the sauce as it was a special item that I don't believe is actually in their system as yet. However, he had the right of the order, and told me everything on the ticket perfectly. So I was dismayed to find that my burrito was full of jalapeños - over half a dozen slices, in fact - and the sauce was some other spicy concoction that was also not what I'd requested.

Wrong orders happen - I understand that, and I'm sympathetic to it. Where I have a problem is that the past 6 or 7 times I've visited this location, it's gotten worse, to the point that the order being wrong has become the norm. They used to be on the ball - I don't know what's happened, and yes, they may exhibit great customer service skills in making incorrect orders right in the end - but this is unacceptable. It's inefficient and so incredibly wasteful - not just in terms of the food and the time on both business and customer sides, but it's completely unnecessary. Now, I look on here, and I see multiple reviews saying exactly the same thing - they can't get a single order right.

Well, I don't know what their problem is now, but I give up on this location. I'll go to the one at the Edgefield...