POULSBO — Come Aug. 31, you’ll be able to get that Sonic burger, fries and shake meal delivered to you at the counter, takeout window or by carhop.
That’s the date the long-anticipated fast-food restaurant is expected to be completed and open for business at Highway 305 and Viking Way.
Poulsbo’s Sonic will have some unique design features, according to the site plan on file with the city.
It will be 2,148 square feet, with 690 square feet dedicated to customer seating and dining. “The common Sonic plan does not have indoor seating,” according to the site plan.
The Poulsbo Sonic will be a “Northwest version” with a covered patio, according to the site plan. Roll-up doors will border the seating area, and can be raised or lowered depending upon the weather.
The restaurant will have 30 parking stalls, seven more than the 23 stalls required for a restaurant of its size.
As of the end of July, the biggest parts of construction are completed.
According to the contractor, the first two weeks of August will be very busy, with the installation of the siding and the kitchen equipment, finishing the parking lot, working out any “kinks” in construction and cleaning the site in preparation for the opening Aug. 31.
Before opening, the contractor said Sonic’s crews will be in the building interviewing, hiring new employees and getting trained.
Sonic has long created social media buzz in North Kitsap. Sonic fans started a Facebook page back in 2011, lobbying for Sonic to locate here. Herald stories about the restaurant’s progress generated more reader comments than usual.
It also created buzz in the newsroom.
Specialty publications editor Leslie Kelly, a resident of Bainbridge Island, said she “grew up on Sonic.” What excites her most about the Sonic opening?
“Cherry limeaids, cherry limeaids, cherry limeaids,” said Kelly. “It’s the best drink in the summer.”
Kelly said on some weekends, she and her husband will drive to Tacoma just to get Sonic food.
Sonic first opened in Oklahoma the 1950s. By 1978, there were 1,000 franchise locations. In 2015, Poulsbo will be home to one of more than 3,500 locations nationwide.
As Sonic’s opening nears, you can taste the excitement. It tastes like a SuperSonic bacon double cheeseburger, onion rings and cherry limeaid.
