"Sonic" news and stories

Love the jolt of a good old Mountain Dew? Then you're going to flip for the new very yellow, very slushy Dunkin' Donuts' Mountain Dew Coolatta, coming in May.

But before you plan a summer-long date with a poolside Dew-latta, you might want to check out USA Today's round-up of the other new (and slightly weird) spring and summer frozen drinks, from fruity Slushees to lemonade chillers.

Oreo cookie fans, heads up: The Sonic Double Stuf Oreo Blast (also being introduced in May) is made with ice cream that's made with the cookie's cream filling. No twisting apart your chocolatey outsides anymore to get to the middle. We're in.

Get all the details at USA Today.

Nathan's and Wienerschnitzel have dominated the fast food chain hot dog arena for years, but now Sonic, America's Drive-In, has stepped up their game with the introduction of four new premium hot dogs -- and you don't even have to leave your car for them. Here's how they rate:

The Claims: The frankfurters in Sonic's new lineup all start with a grilled, all-beef hot dog inside a "soft, warm bakery bun," and are each differentiated by their fixings: the All-American Dog has ketchup, mustard, relish, and chopped raw onions (386 calories); the Chili Cheese Coney is topped with chili and shredded cheddar cheese (420 calories); the New York Dog has spicy mustard, grilled onions, and sauerkraut (352 calories); and the Chicago Dog is topped with a pickle spear, relish, tomatoes, hot peppers, chopped raw onions, celery salt, and mustard, with poppy seeds on the bun (435 calories).

The Price: Each hot dog sells for the introductory price of $1.99, at participating locations.

Read our review after the jump.

Sonic is launching a richer, creamier soft-serve ice cream -- Real Ice Cream -- with a "buy one, get one free" shake promotion and 99 cent one-topping sundaes, Nation's Restaurant News reported.

Sonic customers who purchase a shake through June 27 will receive free-shake coupons that can be redeemed at the time of purchase or on a later visit through July 15. The coupons can be cashed in for Cream Pie shakes and malts, where available, in addition to regular shakes. The 99-cent single-topping Real Ice Cream sundae promotion runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The new ice cream formula is part of Sonic's effort to turn around its sales slump.

Unbeknownst to most of the world, there is a tiny Eastern European nation named Soniccia, a country whose traditions have carried on through the ages, even before the bleak days of the Soviet Union. So small that it is barely mentioned as a former Soviet republic, Soniccia strives to sustain a unique national identity in the post-Cold War era, much like its sibling nations -- including Latvia, Ukraine and Georgia. This distinction of national identity is most evident in Soniccian cuisine; while other former Soviet republics' variations of the staple, beet-based soup of borscht remain in the savory category, Soniccia's palate is bit more on the sweet side.

Find the recipe for Soniccian "Borscht" after the jump.

By Catherine Donaldson-Evans

They weren't skating on thin ice, but the carhops at a new Southern California Sonic Drive-In were definitely skating.

Employees of the soon-to-open restaurant in Duarte, Calif., have been training for the job on roller skates, as they'll be tasked with zipping up to customers' car windows on wheels carrying trays of food and drinks.

Sonic has set itself apart from other fast-food chains with its 1950s theme. Key to its business are its skating carhops.

"It's a fun job," Sonic franchising partner Steve Jones told Slashfood. "Customers see the carhops having fun on the job and then they want to be one."