What was the original name of the fast-food chain now known as Sonic Drive-In?

The fast-food chain now known as Sonic Drive-In originally operated as Top Hat Drive-In.

Troy Smith opened the first Top Hat Drive-In in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1953. The restaurant used a drive-in format in which customers ordered from their cars, a model that later became central to Sonic’s identity. Smith expanded the concept through franchising during the following years.

The name changed in 1959 after the company discovered that “Top Hat” was already being used by another business. Smith adopted the name Sonic, inspired by the service idea “service at the speed of sound.” The change gave the growing chain a distinctive national brand.

Sonic is therefore not the original name, and the first restaurant’s 1953 opening should not be confused with the 1959 renaming. The company later became known for drive-in stalls, carhops, and roller-skating servers.