Who owns Sonic Drive-In?
Sonic Drive-In is owned by Inspire Brands (the United States), which has owned the brand since 7 December 2018.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: About Us - Inspire Brands, Inspire Brands, Inc. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Inspire Brands, Inc. reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Atlanta, Georgia
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Shawnee, Oklahoma
- Founded
- 1953
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Burger & chicken chains
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Sonic Drive-In
Sonic operates drive-in restaurants where customers park in a bay, order through an intercom and are served by staff on roller skates, a format almost extinct elsewhere. Inspire Brands acquired the chain in 2018. Its drinks range, including flavoured slushes and ice combinations, generates a much larger share of sales than at other chains.
Ownership timeline of Sonic Drive-In
- 2018 – present Inspire Brands [1] reported
Where Sonic Drive-In sits in Inspire Brands
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Inspire Brands ownership tree →
See the full Inspire Brands brand portfolio (6) →
Other brands owned by Inspire Brands
Inspire Brands controls 6 brands on Brandtree, 6 of them in restaurants & foodservice.
Also in restaurants & foodservice
- Arby's (1964)
- Baskin-Robbins (1945)
- Buffalo Wild Wings (1982)
- Dunkin' (1950)
- Jimmy John's (1983)
Other brands in burger & chicken chains, and who owns them
The 38 brands in burger & chicken chains on Brandtree belong to 23 owners. The largest is Jollibee Group, with 5; Inspire Brands has 4.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Chowking | Jollibee Group | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
| KFC | Yum! Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Chester's | CP Foods | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Burger King | Restaurant Brands International | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Papa Murphy's | MTY Group | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Wimpy (Middle East) | Americana Restaurants | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates |
| Steak n Shake | Biglari Holdings | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Choppies Fried Chicken | Choppies | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
About the owner: Inspire Brands
Inspire Brands is a privately held company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, founded in 2018. Brandtree records 6 brands under its control.
Inspire Brands was formed in 2018 when Arby's bought Buffalo Wild Wings, and it assembled one of the largest restaurant portfolios in the United States within three years. It is controlled by the private equity firm Roark Capital, and its 2020 purchase of Dunkin' Brands took it private at $11.3 billion.
Inspire Brands: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Sonic Drive-In and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Sonic Drive-In is not one of them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Caribou Coffee — Panera Brands 🇺🇸
- Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen — Darden 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Sonic Drive-In?
The parent company of Sonic Drive-In is Inspire Brands, a privately held company headquartered in the United States.
Is Sonic Drive-In American?
Yes. Sonic Drive-In originated in the United States in 1953 and its owner, Inspire Brands, is also headquartered in the United States.
Since when has Inspire Brands owned Sonic Drive-In?
Inspire Brands has owned Sonic Drive-In since 7 December 2018.
Is Sonic Drive-In still owned by Inspire Brands?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Sonic Drive-In is still owned by Inspire Brands. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] About Us - Inspire Brands — Inspire Brands, Inc., Official document; retrieved 28 September 2026.
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