Sonic Leverages Drink Customization to Ride Specialty Beverage Surge

Sonic Drive-In believes its emphasis on drink customization positions it well in the booming specialty-beverage segment. Marion Campbell, Sonic’s vice president of integrated marketing and communications, explained that while the quick-service industry is still learning how to embed specialty drinks into its core, Sonic has already woven customization into its operations. In 2025, U.S. foodservice establishments recorded $264.1 billion in non-alcoholic beverage spending, with cold drinks rising 3.4 % versus 1.2 % for hot drinks.

Rival chains such as McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Jack in the Box now sell “dirty sodas,” but Sonic has long offered similar soda-plus-cream concoctions and is using its platform to launch new seasonal and flavored options, including a fall “Hotumn” campaign and banana-flavored drinks. Campbell said beverage-only guests are frequent and that drinks can lift overall ticket size when paired with food. She also sees future growth in flavored water and other customizable drinks, though Sonic did not reveal upcoming concepts.