Esch Firm Building 57th Sonic

Pete Esch plans to begin construction this spring on a Sonic Drive-In restaurant in Centerton and open it by July. Esch said it costs about $800,000 to buy the land and build a Sonic in Northwest Arkansas. Sonics usually have a 1,632-SF building with a drive-through lane, 24 parking spaces and a patio.

Esch’s company, Benton Properties Inc. of Rogers, owns 56 Sonics in Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Georgia and Illinois. The majority, 32, are in Arkansas. Esch’s most recent Sonic opening was in Pea Ridge in January. In Northwest Arkansas, Esch owns three Sonics each in Springdale and Rogers, two in Bentonville and one each in Lowell, Pea Ridge, Gentry, Gravette and Bella Vista. Kenny Smith owns the six Sonics in Fayetteville and the remaining Sonics in the area.

“We’ve been able to put more stores in Northwest Arkansas due to the growth,” Esch said. “I guess we can thank Wal-Mart for that.”

Esch said same-store sales for his company in the first two months of the year were up 13 percent over January and February of 2003.

“We’ve come out with a lot of new items on our menu, and that has helped,” he said. “Now, we’re going to do salads. People want to get healthy. We’re going to do low-carb buns.”

Esch said the mild winter also contributed to his sales increase so far this year.

Esch became a Sonic franchisee in 1970 when he bought the Sonic restaurant in Nevada, Mo.

As of Aug. 31, the end of Sonic’s fiscal year 2003, Sonic had 2,706 restaurants and systemwide sales of $2.36 billion. The average Sonic brought in $907,000 in sales last year. Sonic’s net income was $52.3 million in 2003, up 9.6 percent from $47.7 million the previous year.