 The new Sonic on South Virginia Street is one of a kind.
"There's no other Sonic in the United States that has a detached patio," said Owner Taylor Cain. "We really wanted to give customers an opportunity to eat indoors during the Winter; no other sonic has that in Northern Nevada, and there's the garage doors we can open and close depending on the season."
It's the sixth Sonic in Northern Nevada; the franchise has been locally owned and operated fore more than two decades.
"I grew up in the back of a tater tot box in the Carson Sonic, drawing and hanging out as my parents built their business," Cain said. "And then as I got a little older, I was a car hop. Then I had gone off to school, came back, graduated UNR and I'm very proud of that. Then my parents passed away and it was kind of baptism by fire; I was never expecting to take over the business and definitely not this quickly, but it's been very rewarding and I really enjoy it. I have a great team that helps me through the process and I love it."
The new spot created more than 40 jobs and it's a project more than two years in the making.
"This was a dirt lot for 20 years," Cain said. "Before that, it was a gas station. It was just sitting empty, so we wanted to put this pretty building on it and show people how we Sonic down south."
Family will always be top priority here.
"My brother was on the construction team, and my other brother helped with financing, so we're really a team and we call our team members our Sonic family," Cain said. "Whenever we hire someone, we welcome them to the family. It's more than the corporate name, it's my family business."
This location is open from 7 a.m. until midnight, and there's a grand opening celebration on Monday, October 19 from 11 a.m. to noon. Everyone is welcome to come down and celebrate the new local business at 6250 S. Virginia Street.
