Sonic Drive-In — Restaurant in Hot Springs

For 19 years, I have stopped at Sonic on my way to work, Monday thru Friday and got my drink for the day (Now 2, daughter)! Moved to Fountian Lake in March. We have given em chance after chance for orders to be right and to get in timely manner! At 6:50 in the morning, y does or would it take literally 17 minutes to get 2 drinks! Manager no help and is not friendly! We have left couple times with our food order short because of the long wait to begin with, y wait another 20 minutes for a burger or fry when the rest will be cold! I record the length of wait 1 morning and showed it to em, during that time 1 other customer there! Got better for a week! Y does 1 of car-hoppers allowed to get all 4 customers orders all together and then deliver all of em, making a person that only ordered a drink wait till they cook another persons food that arrived after them! Quite a few time after ordering, the screen is cleared so fast that when they bring ur stuff, they have to run in pay for it, when asking a car hopper y, they’re response is corporate can see how long it took! Hmm shady! Needless to say, word is a gas station will be built soon and no more morning drink stop there! I miss the Lake Hamiltons sonic and Airport Rd and Albert Pike Sonics! In all my years they were good, I mean, yea I mix up here and there! But...

I regularly frequent this Sonic bc it's service is fast and its the closest in proximity to my house. Most visits would get an above average score but the past several visits have failed to be average. Food was good, as usual, but the service was poor. The young guy who took the order and who was in the pickup window seemed, 'less than thrilled' to be at work and hasn't been friendly at all in my last several visits. It's just an open window/ take money/ close window, then open window/ here's your drink/ here's your food/ close window rush through unfriendliness. You'd think he would be friendly considering the multiple hickeys on both sides of his neck. But no, the past month or so, he's not. And I've noticed, as I'm sure most everyone has, about the trend of the window workers (not only him at this Sonic) expecting the customer Not To want their small change back whether it be 2 cents or 75 cents. I literally have to keep my hand cupped out my window so they know that I'm expecting that 13 cents back. They don't even begin grabbing for the change until you make it clear that you want it. Maybe this is Sonics policy, i don't know but it's rude...

The young woman who took my order of two slushes, each customized, was delightful. Not only did the customizations not phase her, she got it right the first time and then informed me that it was Happy Hour and giggling said, "even sweeter now, isn't it?" I drove around to pay, she was ready with my slushes, straws and even napkins. She took a moment to greet my passenger as she gathered receipt! I rarely go to Sonic in Hot Springs as Sonic is one of the few places we do have in Hot Springs Village, but I'm so glad I did stop and will anytime I am in town in the future. The difference in the way the two Sonic's treat their customers left me speechless and very impressed. I do wish, however, that Sonic would allow tips to be added when paying with a credit or debit card. It just seems chintzy and unfair to those...