Sonic Drive-In — Restaurant in Haltom City

If culinary disaster had a corporate sponsor, it would be Sonic Drive-In.

Imagine, if you will, a place that somehow manages to botch every single aspect of the fast-food experience. Now lower your expectations. Then bury them in the earth. Then salt the soil. That’s where Sonic lives — a place so fundamentally flawed, it feels like a parody of itself. A dystopian drive-in where hope goes to die in a pool of congealed cheese sauce.

Let’s talk speed. Sonic — a name presumably chosen for irony, because waiting for your food here is like aging in real time. I placed my order and began contemplating my will. I aged three years before a single tot touched my tongue. Somewhere between ordering and delivery, I had time to reflect on the fragility of life, write a memoir, and contemplate why I didn’t just eat the napkins in my glove box instead.

Now, the food. Calling it “food” is generous — this is more of a science experiment gone wrong. The burger looked like it had been punched together by a raccoon in heat. The bun was damp, the patty looked like it had been boiled in battery acid, and the lettuce was so translucent it could have been used as tracing paper. I bit into it and genuinely questioned whether I was being pranked by the employees or if this was just standard operating procedure at the seventh layer of Hell.

And the tater tots — sweet mercy. What should’ve been golden, crispy joy was instead a mushy pile of shame-flavored starch. They were neither hot nor cold, just… damp. Like someone had cooked them, forgotten about them, buried them in a time capsule, then microwaved them next to a wet sock.

The drinks? Let’s just say if you’re into melted ice with a splash of artificial regret, you’ll be in heaven. I ordered a cherry limeade that tasted like a melted cough drop in Alka-Seltzer. I don’t know who’s making these flavor decisions at Sonic HQ, but I imagine it involves blindfolds, darts, and a list of discontinued chemicals.

The staff? Less customer service, more hostage negotiation energy. I’ve never been greeted with such soul-crushing indifference. The girl who brought my food looked at me the way you’d look at someone who just cut you off in traffic. No words, no smile — just a dead-eyed handoff and a quick escape. I half-expected her to whisper, “Don’t eat that,” as she rolled away.

Cleanliness? Don’t even get me started. The stall I parked in smelled like expired ketchup and despair. The ordering screen looked like it had been licked clean by a raccoon, and I’m fairly certain the ketchup packet I stepped on had a copyright date from the Reagan era.

In conclusion, Sonic Drive-In is not a restaurant. It’s a crime scene. A sadistic social experiment. A place so aggressively bad that it could be used as punishment for minor crimes. I wouldn’t wish this experience on my worst enemy. Honestly, if aliens visited Earth and Sonic was the first thing they tried, they’d incinerate the planet without hesitation.

Zero stars. In fact, I’d like to return stars to the cosmos as reparations for...

I'm a Sonic fanatic! I always stop before heading in for the day to get a slush and a small snack. This has been a routine of mine for years. This location has upset me to say the least. My first incident happened almost two months ago. I pulled in to the speaker to pick up my order. Which is the procedure when ordering on line. I put the number in to let them know what stall I was in. I saw my name pop up, and then it disappeared as if I had been served. After waiting an additional ten minutes. I pressed the button, and a lady yelled we're only serving through the window. What?! Ok!! I drove to the window to get my food at this time it was cold and over cooked. I spent $30 this night. Since all of my food wasn't messed over I counted as my lost. After ordeal, I told myself I'll only order small items and drinks from this location. Sure, I've waited super long for drinks but I never complained. Honestly I'd get lost watching video on Tik Tok, then realize, "dang they still haven't came out yet!" But on this night they went a step further. Instead of them bringing my order late. They erased it from the screen and NEVER brought it out. I called Julian which is the operating manger for this location. He apologized and offered me a free drink. I declined his offer, and told him I appreciate his courtesy. Well today (2-21-25) I ordered two drinks and mozzarella sticks. Mozzarella sticks from Sonic are expensive so you want them fresh. We'll this time they were under cooked, the cheese wasn't melted and the were stuck together. I gave them back to Travis who has been the best worker they have at this location. The night crew here are very rude, and dirty. They will dig in their butt while walking your food out, wipe their nose with their sleeve, and the wipe that on their apron. Just ridiculous. I'm sure they've messed me out of $70. I hate to bring skin color into this, but each time I was done this way... I noticed I was the only black person there. And there's not ONE black person that works at this location. If hate is why you guys have treated me this way....

This Sonic is a couple miles from my office, and the Sonic app makes it very easy for me to swing by this location for lunch, typically about once a week. The whole staff here is FANTASTIC! They are always so nice; they're fast, the food is always great, they even put two or three peppermints in the bag as if to say "we know you're sharing this food with other people," although I'm sure they know good & well I'm going to eat it all myself, they're just trying to make me think they don't know to make me feel better. In all seriousness, I can't compliment the team here enough, they're all great and they serve great food! two thumbs up

EDIT - 3/7/2025 I just felt the need to come back and update my review: I still use the Sonic app and pick up lunch from this Sonic about once a week, usually on Thursdays (because who doesn't love BOGO Chili Dogs). Yesterday I pulled up and checked in for my order; Caitlyn brought my order out within what seemed like no more than 20 seconds and had to gall to say "Sorry about the wait!" Like, what "wait" are you talking about? I hadn't even gotten comfortable yet XD And whoever put the mustard on those chili dogs deserves a raise - just...