Sonic Construction Begins as Mall Location Closes
by March 27, 2006 12:00 am 243 views
The Sonic in the Northwest Arkansas Mall closed in early March, said Alice Church, the mall manager, adding that the restaurant’s lease had expired.
Kenny Smith, who owns the Sonic Drive-In restaurants in Fayetteville, couldn’t be reached for comment.
The closing of the mall location comes as Pete Esch, another Sonic franchisee, starts building a new restaurant on Main Drive in Johnson, a block north of the mall.
Esch said construction on the $500,000 Sonic will start at the end of March and should be completed in June. Esch said the proposed building will straddle the city limits between Fayetteville and Johnson.
Even though Esch doesn’t have the franchise rights to Fayetteville Sonics, he said there is an “imaginary” boundary line that isn’t represented by city limits.
“Basically, I’ve got north of the line and [Kenny Smith] has south of the line,” Esch said.
Esch said the building permit was obtained from the city of Fayetteville, and the restaurant will pay Fayetteville city sales taxes.
Esch has 60 Sonic Drive-In restaurants throughout Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Georgia and Illinois. He has 35 in Arkansas, including Springdale, Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell and Bella Vista.