Sonic
The total investment to open a Sonic franchise ranges from $138,800 to $1.2M. The initial franchise fee is $72,550. Ongoing royalties are 4% plus a 3% advertising fee.
What is the Sonic franchise?
Sonic is a restaurant franchise where customers buy prepared food and drinks. Estimated total initial investment ranges from $138,800 to $1,239,200, and the initial franchise fee is $72,550.
The royalty is 4 percent of sales, and the advertising or brand fund fee is 3 percent. The net worth requirement is $100.
Its headquarters are in COLUMBUS, TX. Sonic was founded in 1953 and began franchising in 1960.
Loan Activity Score
36/100
SBA Default Rate
9.2%
Active Lenders
76
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, Sonic has 178 locations, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 76 lenders made 174 loans to franchisees of Sonic. PeerSense calculates Sonic's score as 36 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity.
Franchising since 1953 · 178 locations
$138,800 to $1.2M
$72,550
178
178 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
FairDistinct lenders in public SBA records for Sonic
174
Total SBA loans
$623K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for Sonic
Loan Activity Score Breakdown
Major Brand (100+ loans)
Are lenders increasingly or decreasingly funding this brand? Growing trends score highest.
Blended default rate (recent + all time) compared to NAICS sector peers.
Quality lenders actively backing this brand, with penalty for lender pullback.
FDD availability, Item 19 disclosure, and overall data completeness.
Geographic spread of SBA funded locations across states.
SBA Lending Performance
SBA Default Rate
9.2%
vs 10.3% peer avg
SBA Loans
174
Total Volume
$108.5M
Active Lenders
76
6 selective
States
31
vs. SBA Sector Average
SBA loan default rate vs. all franchises in the same NAICS sector, not limited to direct competitors
Key Highlights
Franchise Financing Resources
Data Insights
Key performance metrics for Sonic based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
9.2%
1.1% below peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
174 loans
Across 76 lenders
Lender Diversity
76 lenders
Avg 2.3 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Significant investment
$138,800 to $1,239,200 total
Sonic: Deep SBA Data
Brand specific metrics derived directly from SBA 7(a) approval records: peak lending year, leading state, average loan size, and lender concentration. PeerSense computes these per brand so capital advisors and prospective franchisees can benchmark this opportunity against the rest of the franchise universe.
Peak SBA Year
2016
20 approvals. The best year on record for Sonic.
Top SBA State
Texas
33 SBA financed Sonic locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$766K
Median $548K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own Sonic unit.
Lender Concentration
18.2%
Highly Diversified
Share of Sonic approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
Sonic's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 2016 (20 approvals). The last five fiscal years account for 13% of cumulative volume ($30M approved). Operator density is highest in Texas with 33 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $766K, with the median at $548K. Lender mix is highly diversified: the top three SBA lenders account for 18.2% of approvals. Borrowers have leverage to shop multiple credit boxes.
Payment Estimator
Estimated Monthly Payment
$1,437
Principal & Interest only
Indicative only, as of October 1, 2026. Not a quote, commitment or offer of credit. Final pricing, leverage and terms are determined by the lender at underwriting, after full transaction materials are reviewed. PeerSense sources the file. The lender sets pricing. What these terms mean.
Locations
Sonic, unit breakdown
Explore Funding for Sonic
Our business financing consultants help connect you with the right lending partners. Referral fee paid at closing.
Or get an instant analysis
Scan Your Deal InstantlyPage Review
Reviewed by Edward L. Freeman, Founder and Managing Director, PeerSense
- PeerSense is a capital advisory firm that places commercial financing with direct capital sources; it does not lend, fund, or approve loans, and the capital source sets final terms.
- Edward L. Freeman founded PeerSense in January 2020.
- He is a Registered Franchise Consultant with Business Alliance, Inc., a credential issued in March 2022, and worked as a franchise consultant there from March 2022 to May 2023.
- His recorded experience includes a $22 million SBA construction loan, with about $16 million funded on the deal.
- In the 12 months through September 30, 2026, PeerSense tracked 912 publicly announced financings with a disclosed size of $361.32 billion. PeerSense Capital Data Report · Methodology page
Last reviewed LinkedIn profileAbout Edward Freeman