Sonic Drive-In — Restaurant in Windsor

In this review, I am placing my informal interest to be the new owner of the Windsor sonic located off Main Street by the police station. To be completely honest, this location needs help and has needed help for the last 6 years. I went away for college and quickly fell in love with the sonic in my college town, coming back to town I thought I would give this sonic another try and chance. I was soon slapped in the face with the reality of how awful this place is. Their service needs work and this is not rooted in the employees staffed but the training they received. In addition, I assume that the managers(at least the store manager) just take their paychecks and sit while everyone else does the work. As a place that staffs mostly high schoolers and first time fast food workers getting paid minimum wage, these employees NEED support and guidance or else they will lose passion for their jobs and quit shortly after they are hired. We can quickly see this result as customers, as many employees are seen working alone or in high stress situation that makes it unmanageable for anyone to maintain customer service or even put on a mask to hide any emotions or straight up stress. Overall, the OWNER needs to put more care into this location and this locations employees. A quick google search can layout lesson plans and training program for employees that make their first step into any position easier and less stressful. To add, as someone who used to be a hiring manager at a retail store in high school, it is important to acknowledge that hiring new employees can be extremely difficult. By creating an exciting and healthy work place, I found that it makes the hiring process easier as many current employees are able and more willing to recommend working at any place of work when they are happy in their own work place.

Now let’s talk money and where this business is loosing out. First, as I already stated, their service is awful and long, this causes many customers to leave before even ordering/paying. Given the obvious, they are losing a sale (aka money), in addition they are losing customers as many of these people that drive off before ordering are not likely to return ever. Additionally, this sonic has a large number of drive in stalls, and are not even using them, and referring their customers to order in the drive thru. To be completely honest, if I wasn’t parched during my visit, I would have not even bothered and drive off, and I am positive that many others would do and have done the same. Also to add, one of the payment screen asks if the customer would like to leave a tip, and as the drive thru does not have an option to leave a tip, many of the employees are losing their own tips. Making it, once again, a place that employees will not work at for a long period of time. Finally, this store needs to stock up on their ingredients! I tried ordering a GRILLED CHEESE and they didn’t have cheese or bread, those are used in most of the things listed on their menu. To add, online I noticed they didn’t even have tater tots. They should closed for the day at this point. Or left a note as they aren’t shy to those( see paragraph below).

For the Drive thru: I did not appreciate the sign saying to check that my order was correct, cause they will not add anything or change anything at the window. To say this in a kind and respectful way, screw that sign, I wanted to rip it up and spit on it, but I didn’t because it’s just paper and I knew they would just print it out again, so I decided to save a tree this time. Overall, not a kind sign and was word very passive aggressively. Especially since it didn’t appear that the employees could hear that well through the intercom, making it clear that common error may occur due to their own systems.

Lastly to note: this message I wrote while passing time, so I may have been a bit over dramatic. However, the offer still stands that if the owner want to hand over the title for this location to me, I will happily take over for the sake of this location and...

Wow....not sure what happened. I had to change my review from five stars and praise for great service, to this! There was a time I had a great experience every time I went to this Sonic, usually around my lunch break at noon with two younger ladies working. However, going there in the evening and then most recently at lunch again, MUCH different experience than the former visits!

I do not appreciate pulling up to the speaker, and getting told "just a sec!", not even a greeting , or "Welcome to Sonic, one moment." From there, waiting for nearly six minutes, even when there isn't a line nor are they busy! Then, a younger guy's voice came back finally came back on, he sounded as if I was really putting him out! I asked for a Diet Cherry Slush Float, well he first paused, then came with "Wait....you want a cherry soda and what?"

Huh??? No!

So, I repeated my order, then another long pause and "Oooookaaaay....so you want a cherry slush?" in this tone as if....he had NO clue what I was even talking about and was baffled!

I repeated, once more that I wanted a DIET cherry slush FLOAT. Another pause, followed with "Hold on just a sec...."

Ummm???

After about a minute he comes back ,"Wait? So what do you want in it?"

sighs I repeat myself....then he says "In a float....or what is it?"

I then have to explain , "Yeah, the slush with the ice cream...."

Then silence again, followed with , "So, you just want ice cream with cherries ?"

Eh? Ice cream w/ cherries????

I then asked, "Do you have the ice cream slushes anymore?"

Another pause,

Then..."Oooh, no, we don't have those...."

Well, that isn't true, because I was looking right at the advertisement for the Sour Patch Kids Slush Float, but whatever.

So, I then give up, and tell him I'll just have an Large Sugar-Free Peach Unsweet Tea, no ice.

Then I get, "Ok hold on...."

Another pause

He comes back, "So, you want a sweet peach tea?"

I again, repeat myself. He then replies with "So, you want an iced tea, but you don't want ice?" I confirm, and get another, "OOoooookay...." same tone as before.

Finally pull around to get my tea. He hands my credit card back to me, it was damp with smears of what I hope was water, then when he hands me my tea, his hands were damp. I keep telling myself it was just because he washed them before I came around the corner.

My tea didn't have ANY flavor in it I could taste, and I requested it without ice as well, but it was packed full of ice.

So, I decided it was probably just an off day for them, since the previous times I had at this Sonic were NOT this way, and were actually very good.

I go back for lunch the following day, pull up the speaker, no answer forever, then the same voice from the previous day comes on and says , "Just a sec."

About another three or four minutes pass of total silence, and I decide I am not going through this again, and leave for Taco Bell instead.

Interesting how later in the week, the Sonic in another city nearby had no issue making me a Diet Cherry...

Absolutely the worst customer service experience I have ever had in life. As a woman who has worked customer service in one form or another for the better part of my life, I've never seen, heard, or treated someone the way I was treated this afternoon. After waiting for 20 mins in the drive thru in mid afternoon, paying for my 2 combo meals both the exact same, size and all, then given the wrong size drinks I told the cashier I ordered large combos and I needed the drink sizes changed before even grabbing the incorrect ones from her she immediately had an attitude and seemed very intoxicated, and then took another 10 mins to get my drinks out. Then, proceeds to hand me my order with the wrong size fries and onion rings. I again told her we needed larges as we paid for. Again, she shut the window with force, and after about 7 minutes another crew member came to the window with my new bag of fries, etc. I took that opportunity to tell her the cashier working was extremely rude, and I wasn't impressed with her lack of care at all. Instead of being given even a slight apology, or even a chance to finish my sentence, that crew member chose to accuse me of not paying yet, which I had with a $20 bill about 30 mins ago, while my ticket which wasnt given to me was sitting on the counter in front of the window, she again said ok well we need you to pay for the order. I was confused and not sure why she wasnt able to see the issue I was having, she then held my bag of sides inside of the window and I literally had to reach in and grab it. She yanked it away so hard that it ripped the bag and spilled my husband's onion rings everywhere. She then screamed very loudly in front of customers on the patio, and a long line behind us to " SUCK MY D" AND GET THE F OUT OF HERE YOU B**". I was shocked, I drove away so upset and irate, embarrassed and apologetic to my young daughter and husband who witnessed all of this as well. Never again will I ever go to the sonic in Windsor, Colorado. Ever. And to think that those crew members are considered "essential"...