
Sonic has long advertised its drive-ins with ads from Goodby Silverstein & Partners that center on the conversations of two guys in a car, played by comics Peter Grosz and T.J. Jagodowski. Earlier this year, Jane Krakowski and Ellie Kemper were featured in some of the chain’s ads.
Sonic is bigger than Arby’s in both systemwide sales and number of locations, according to Technomic industry data. Sonic’s systemwide sales fell 2.4 percent to $4.4 billion in 2017, while Arby’s systemwide sales rose 1.3 percent to $3.6 billion. Sonic had 3,593 locations in 2017, while Arby’s had 3,283, Technomic data show.
Inspire Brands has more than 4,700 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Rusty Taco (formerly R Taco) locations. Inspire itself is majority owned by affiliates of Roark Capital Group, a firm that has other wide-reaching restaurant investments, including Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Culver’s, Jamba Juice, Jimmy John’s and Naf Naf.
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