Sonic to Sell Beer and Wine Following Burger King's "Whopper Bar"

Nothing's more uplifting than getting drunk on a fast food patio and wolfing a foot-long chili cheese dog from Sonic. Which is the feeling we're guessing Sonic is attempting to capitalize on by the decision to sell alcohol. Either that, or it's just copying Burger King. (Never a good idea.)...

By Nick Rallo

July 1, 2011

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Nothing's more uplifting than getting drunk on a fast food patio and wolfing a foot-long chili cheese dog from Sonic. Which is the feeling we're guessing Sonic is attempting to capitalize on by the decision to sell alcohol. Either that, or it's just copying Burger King. (Never a good idea.)

USA Today reports that Sonic is planning a late-summer upgrade with 25 kinds of bottled beer and a bunch of wine. That's right, we said wine.

Over at Burger King, "Whopper bars" sell beer already in Las Vegas, Miami and Kansas City, because everyone knows those cities are all exactly alike. If you haven't visited the site for "Whopper bar," we highly suggest it: hip-pulsing club music plays over a deep voice whispering "Whopper ... onions."

So, fast food continues to find new ways to top itself from a novelty standpoint. Certainly, most of us have experienced the great joy of a cold Miller High Life (the Champagne of beers, people) and Whataburger to go. It's fantastic. Consider the image, however -- heads up, Patton Oswalt -- of Burger King's tables overcrowded with buzzed near-drunks sidled up to a Double Whopper at the bar. Depressing.

If In-N-Out gets draft beer, maybe we'd reconsider our negative position.

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