By Rebecca Blackner
They came, they built, and 60 days later, they opened.
After a quick 60-day construction and hiring 70 employees in just 10 days, Sonic is now open in Provo.
Provo is the sixth Sonic location in Utah; others include Spanish Fork, American Fork, Springville, Pleasant Grove and Orem. Owner Mike Simonsen and partners plan to open at least one store per year, with the ultimate goal of 12-15 locations. Two more Sonics are projected to open in Provo.
The Utah franchises are out-performing other Sonic franchises on the West Coast.
'Our employees are friendlier,' said store manager LaRen Rasmussen. 'My kids enjoy their jobs.'
Rasmussen said the most important thing to customers is Sonic offers new healthy menu options such as low-carb tortillas and salads.
These healthy options only add to the original menu items at Sonic. They are famous for their Sonic Burger, chili cheese fries, popcorn chicken, and slushes. Sonic holds Happy Hour everyday from 2-5 p.m. and all drinks and slushes are half price.
'Our edge is quality, fresh prepared food, and service with a smile,' Rasmussen said.
During the final construction stages, Rasmussen said she saw people driving by, hoping Sonic was open. This gave her hope for a profitable opening.
Opening day was moderate because 'people don''t know we are open yet,' Rasmussen said.
The official grand opening will be June 1 with weeklong festivities. Rasmussen said they are working with the Chamber of Commerce for the event to 'really kick off the new location.'
Long time customer Josh Andrew said he loves Sonic. Andrew works at Macey''s, lives up the street from Sonic and loves the new location.
'The half-price drinks are great,' Andrew said. 'The main reason I come is for the slushes. The service is really good, and I love the old-fashioned atmosphere.'
Andrew said the carhop waiters also seem to be a great hit; he said he enjoyed his meal from the driver''s seat of his car.
Sonic offers various ways of ordering food. They have the famous carhops, walk-up ordering outside, a drive thru and booths inside. These different methods allow Sonic to meet the demands of their customers in a quick fashion. All of these methods are aimed at faster, more efficient service, Rasmussen said.
'It has a little something for everyone,' Rasmussen said. 'We are absolutely aiming our market toward college students. We put out a great quality product for a great price. I know that''s important to college kids.'
Rasmussen said the 50''s atmosphere with the well-known roller skating makes Sonic a fun place for students to hang out; specifically the carhops she said are a huge attraction for college guys.
Scott Hillstrom, 17, graduating from Mountain View said he jumped on the chance to work there and plans to continue working for the next year or even longer. 'It seems like you can go far in a business like this,' he said. 'It is just a fun place to be.'