Sonic Drive-In, more commonly known as Sonic, is an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1953, the prototype of the first SONIC Drive-In opened in Shawnee, Okla. As of August 31, 2000 there were 2,172 Sonic restaurants, of which 1,860 were owned and operated by independent franchisees; the remainder were majority-owned by Sonic Corp.