The SONIC Way: Custom Drinks, Drive-Ins and Doing It Their Way

0:00Hey everybody, I gotta tell you, we're gonna talk about Built. Built Hospitality. Millions of people use Built every day, that's right, every day to earn rewards on housing and in their neighborhood. But now, now it extends to your restaurant. That's where Built Hospitality comes in. Built Hospitality shapes how guests are recognized and taken care of. Built's restaurant-facing platform is designed specifically for dining operators to drive loyalty with their guests. It combines reservations, guest preferences, VIP management, and payments all into one platform alongside an agentic concierge. That's right, an AI concierge that thoughtfully designs and executes experiences around your guest tastes.

0:47Using the latest and greatest in AI technology. When a guest walks in, your team already knows what they like without digging through notes. Built Hospitality works across the entire guest journey. That's right, the entire guest journey from delivering a complimentary course at the right moment, just the right moment, sending a personalized offer that brings them coming back again and again and again. That's right. That's what Built Hospitality is doing. It is allowing you to communicate with your guests and keep them coming back over and over. Make every guest feel like a regular every time, not just their first time, every time.

1:24They're a regular. Built Hospitality is available now for restaurant groups everywhere. Learn more at BuiltDining.com backslash hangout. That's BuiltDining.com backslash hangout. And check out what Built Hospitality is going to do for you and your restaurant. Sonic is going to show up next week. What's the temperature here now? It was 9. It was 9. 150 degrees. Yes. when everybody else is talking about their pumpkin hot whatever. Oh, spice. Yep. We are going to zig where they zagged, and Sonic is going to show up in a really fun way.

2:02Hospitality Hangout is live from Prosper, and we are wrapping things up here. It's been an unbelievable, unbelievable, like 12 hours here of podcasting. Jimmy, we are on podcast number 864, and we're wrapping up with Mr. John Kelly. You know what they say, Jessica? You never forget number 864. No, 864. You never forget 864. Those are my lottery numbers. Those are my lottery numbers. President of Sonic Drive-In, Inspire Brands, big deal. He's been in all the biggest brands, and we'll get into it. But I got to say, we are lucky to have him here at the Olo Studios here, the Hospitality Hangout. Jimmy, let's jump into it.

2:39Thanks for having me, guys. Absolutely. I'm Jimmy Fishling. I'm the finance guy. And our next guest has spent nearly three decades building restaurant careers, starting as an operations consultant at McDonald's, then more than two decades at Arby's. Shanti, we actually just met the person who came up with the phrase, we've got the meats. We have the meats. We have the meats. I booktured it. Sorry, we have the meats. We like the meats. You can put anything in there. We enjoy the meats. Inspire brands, and as of this past December, is now leading one of the most nostalgic, most recognizable brands in America.

3:13We got roller skates. We got red buttons. We got cherry limeades. Please welcome President of Sonic Drive and Mr. John Kelly. Thank you, Jimmy. Great introduction. Did I already introduce him? A couple times. Well, it's 864. 864. So we want to make sure people knew. So you went to a Bachelor of Science in Communications at Northern Illinois University. Illinois. Illinois. Illinois, right? You started a food service chapter as an operations consultant at McDonald's Corporation. Whatever that is, it sounds important. I have no idea what that is. Well, honestly. So I'm happy to have it. I've got to tell you, it's great that you did that.

3:50Okay. It's amazing. And I've got to tell you, I don't just thank you. The entire community thanks you for that. The entire industry. Yeah, the entire industry really appreciates for being the operation consultant of something. But all kidding aside, 25 years with Inspire. Yeah. Is that accurate? Is anything accurate I'm saying? No, absolutely not. Do I have anything right? No, but I'm just enjoying being here. But yeah, that's all completely fucked. You did work at Arby's at some point. I absolutely did have a storied career at Arby's, a number of different owners at that time, but inspired and wasn't formed, wasn't founded until 2018.

4:25Right. So this is just mostly wrong. What was your first job? I can fill in the blanks a little bit. What was your first job you ever had? My first job I ever had, and it's a fun story because I actually don't have a record. A lot of people are going to listen to this, right? What kind of record? A criminal record? No taxes paid until I was 21 years old. So I paid cash Since I was 12 years old Statute of limitations I'm good So that was a real blow when you got your first paycheck It was tough Who's this FICA guy You're taking half my money Who's Suey I know no Sueys I had no real job but I had a friend Whose dad owned an indoor soccer facility And I did every job imaginable there I laid roof shingles I worked in the kitchen I learned how to not properly find a breaker in a breaker panel by arcing two wires together to have them blow up in your face.

5:19Don't do that, kids. It's not good. Listen, don't do that, kids. You can't be President Sonic if you do that. Yeah, we did construction there. We did everything and did that, went to college, played soccer in college, and found a job at McDonald's out of school. What kind of soccer did you play? Is that like D1, D2? D1. Jimmy played D1 baseball. No, I played D3. I thought it was one. No, D3. Wesleyan University. Didn't it used to be D1? No, it was never D1. Always D3. My career in baseball ended a little prematurely, in my opinion. I had a disagreement with a coach. Oh, you can never disagree with a coach.

5:55I thought I was pretty good. And he goes, no. You're really not. Most people, an injury. You know, time runs out. No, just coach said, you're not that good. So were you a good soccer player? I did okay. I did okay. I played most of my life. Got to play in Europe for a little bit on a traveling team. That was pretty exciting. So with the World Cup just happening here, what was your take on it? It's amazing. I mean, yeah, it was great. I think, you know, the attention that it brings soccer in the U.S. is amazing. And I think, you know, the fans coming in were incredible. We had a lot of fun at Sonic with a lot of the fans that came in.

6:29They played in the Mercedes-Benz. I think we had eight or nine games in Atlanta. Because I think they couldn't show one side of the statement. They couldn't figure out how to block their logo. Yeah. And they weren't allowed to show logos. No logos. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They had a problem with that. They're the only one that got to keep the roof, because the roof makes a Mercedes logo. The only one that got to keep that. So they got that. But yeah, we had a lot of fans from Europe and other countries that came in and found Sonic in America. And love in Sonic, right? Are you outside of America or no?

6:59No, completely in the U.S. We have plans. Right now with the World Cup, I imagine people were like, holy s***, this is unbelievable. Yeah. It's an incredible brand that I think has opportunities outside the U.S. It may not show up exactly the same way, just like other American brands do, but it's obviously very fun, irreverent. You can have a lot of customization at the brand, and I think the rest of the world is happy with that too. Did you see an uptick due to the World Cup? In the cities where they were hosts, for sure. We have a heavy population of Sonics in Dallas, Kansas City, where they host the games.

7:31We saw Houston. We saw a bump there, for sure. I loved it a lot. I got to tell you, I loved, especially early on, anytime I got home and, you know, in restaurants, you know, I get working late usually. And to be games on like 10 o 'clock at night. So it was always something going on in weird hours. It was kind of fun. I dug it a lot. Anyway. All right. So Sonic, 25, you become president, right? So what is that, a year ago? So it's a year. Yeah, just coming up. And so how's it going? It's going really well. I mean, I've been on a little bit of a listening tour at the beginning of the year, spent time with the franchisees.

8:04I mean, just to go back a little bit, I did have some Sonic experience from 22 to 25. I ran our company portfolio, Arby's, B-Dubes, Duncan, JJ, Sonic, yeah, just at the company. So I was able to understand the Sonic brand a little bit. So unlike a brand president that may come in, not really understand how the restaurant functions, how the operating model works. I had a leg up there. And so it was a little bit easier getting to talk with the franchisees and spend some time with them about, you know, what our plans were to build for what's next. So what are the plans? What is next? Well, Sonic, you know, 75 years old in 2028.

8:37Right. America's drive-in. Obviously, there aren't a lot of other drive-ins in America. Maybe a reason for that. And I think it's an opportunity for us to lean in even harder in what differentiates us from average QSR. You know, we're the only QSR where you are going to interact with one of our team members at every single order. I feel like people like that. You're not picking up a bag off the shelf. Right. You're not going to not talk to anybody. And you have the option to spend time with the people that you came there with in your car. You got 3 ,500 stores? Yes. I mean, it's a lot of stores.

9:05A lot of stores. You know? So how much work can you grow? Well, there's a lot of white space in the north. Really? We're very, we've got 1 ,800 restaurants in seven. Why are you not up there? But I saw one. I was out. I was out. I don't know. You got some in your neck of the woods. In Long Island somewhere, I had to get gas, and I saw a whole sauna with all the drugs. Yeah, yeah. And I don't know. Some really good sonics up in Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn. It has to be, right? Yeah, for sure. Now, what about New York City? Is New York City in the sonic future? Yeah, we've got some in Brooklyn, Queens now.

9:32We've got one up in the Bronx that does really well, a franchisee up there. You know, one of the things that really helps us in those really dense urban markets is we've got full food menu. Our Smasher is the best burger in QSR, made to order every time, not held in a cabinet. And then the customization and the quickness of our drinks just isn't matched up there. Right. And so to find an opportunity to be able to grow in those bigger urban markets is really something we're excited about. Yeah, drinks are hot. Yeah. Everybody loves the crazy drinks though, right? Yeah, I mean, over a million different combinations at Sonic.

10:05Jimmy? I want to ask you about, because I appreciate, I was going to ask you about how nostalgia and how it's lasted for, and it's continued for seven decades to be loved. You guys did a collaboration, not a collaboration, in honor of America's 250th, you introduced red, white, and blue swash floats. Yeah. And that was kind of a comeback, Because I guess at some point that had been done, but now you brought it back. Talk about that. How did your guests enjoy it? How did people respond to it? My sense is that was a nice moment for America's birthday and Sonic. It's still the birthday, Jimmy. Yes, the whole year.

10:45The whole year, Jimmy. The whole year. We all pin it to a day. Well, Jimmy's a leap your baby, so he doesn't really have all that many. You're 22. Yeah, so he doesn't have a whole lot of birthdays. 14 and a half. 14 and a half. 14 and a half. Exactly. Yeah, I think Sonic has a unique opportunity because of the customization, because of the emotional ties that this brand has. And all restaurants do. I mean, we think about restaurants. We might remember the food, but we remember the people we were with, the emotions we felt. And I think that's deeply rooted at Sonic. You know, you're in your car.

11:16You're playing your music. You're with your friends. Think about high school football on Friday nights. And the red, white, and blue slush, along with the hot dog, certainly our onion rings. to be able to bring those back. I think it's a little bit of, you know, not a simpler time, but a time that just made you happy. I dig it. I always liked the bomb pop. Remember the bomb pop? That was red, white, and blue. It looked like it. Half of it was basically down my sleeve, you know. So it was LTOs. This is easier. You don't have to put the phone on the sleeve. You got a straw. You got a straw. You can handle it.

11:44This is shatzy proof. Yeah. The red, white, and blue float. We'll put a lid on this. We'll put a lid on this. A hundred percent. Are LTOs, is that a big part of the value profit, Sonic, Is that like you're into the LTOs? I think it's a part of it. I think we've, you know, had a core menu. We continue to refine, continue to innovate against, because that's what our customers are asking for. Right. I think the LTOs are really moments in time, cultural relevance, and something that we think is a craveable opportunity for our guests that only Sonic can do. Doing something that everybody else has done is not that interesting to me.

12:17Doing something that's intentionally Sonic makes a ton of sense. So the Tropical Heat Sonic Smasher, Tropical Cream Slush. Yeah. These are LTOs. So what's the Tropical Cream Slush? Is that like a... It's kind of a pina colada without the alcohol. What was the... Oh, you see? Now with Sonic, can you throw a little... Sonic can do this. What do you do? So Sonic can do this, Jimmy? You know, some people will say leave a little room at the top at a coffee place. We say, just take a sip. Take a sip. Take a sip. Leave a little room. We don't leave it over. I may put a little milk in that. We give you all of the beverage, but you can take a little sip.

12:55Right. I got it. And what you do after that is on you. So you don't like my Sonic after dark idea? I like that. You know, the lights go down. Jazzy, I think that should be a collaboration between us and Sonic. Yeah. Sonic should power. A little rooftop bar in Manhattan. Sonic should power our Sonic after dark. Well, something after dark. Yes. Yes. We should be. Definitely. We're in. Jimmy, I like you. Give me a date. There we go. What was the thing with the orange, the creamsicle? Yeah, orange creamsicle. Is that still popular? I never really liked the creamsicle. You know, I think, again, I think it goes back to we put something on that's going to remind somebody of something that really made them happy, and they're going to come get it.

13:33Yeah, so that's what Sonic's all about, right? It's the nostalgia. What's the best-selling thing at Sonic? I mean, we're mainly a beverage brand. We're a beverage-forward burger brand, so our beverages sell the most. certainly all the things you can put them from nerds to jalapenos to we've got a banana dirty dr pepper that's coming out but we sell 40 we sell 45 million smashers last year our smasher cheeseburger made to order which think about that in qsr traditional burger qsr it's right it's usually held this is a made to order burger it is phenomenal yeah you love this you love a bunch of Yeah, I would imagine.

14:10But a lot of people just going in there and they're just getting a drink? Yeah. Really? Yeah. A lot of beverage. You know, this brand really shows up when it brings convenience, brings variety, and brings flexibility to people's menu. And to be able to get a 44-ounce peach tea with our iconic Sonic Ice in that Styrofoam cup at 110-degree Texas, yeah, we sell a lot of those. Yeah, tell me about the ice story. What's the story with the ice? So the heritage of the ice I have no idea Okay excellent I think somebody brought the wrong ice maker With the wrong thing And they're like you idiot People love it I'm determined to look that up And send you an email to tell you what I can find out Yeah because it's very different ice It's like the hospital ice Well I don't like to think of it that way I mean that's what it is I'm no marketing genius but let's not link it to hospitals.

15:07We're not going to use that. When I'm in the ICU, that's the ICU. You can keep that trademark. I don't need it. We sell bags of this ice. You do? Bags of this ice. What do you mean? People buy just the ice? People buy the ice. Just the ice? Yeah. What do you call it? Ice? Give me a bag of ice. We make you a bag of ice. I'm going to go find that vlog. I got to tell you, I like that. Now, what about collaborations? Like, I see you got the Oreo waffle cone collaboration, right? Yeah, I mean, name recognition. We had Frito-Lay chili pies. We had the Oreo. We certainly, you know, where it makes sense.

15:42And I think, you know, if it elevates our product, we'll certainly have conversations about that. You get big lifts when you do that, when you do collabs over your own stuff? You know, I think big lifts probably depend a little bit more on the cultural moment that it brings. So if we can bring something forward either socially, it's not going to be anything we're going to put on mass television or, you know, mass communication. But we'll see a little bit of bump. I like it. Now, what else is coming? Give me breaking news. Breaking news. Give me something that no one knows about. But I can't give you enough of it.

16:12It's going to be a big teaser. Give me something. Sonic is going to show up next week when it's still, what's the temperature here now? It was 90-something. Yeah, 150 degrees. Yes. When everybody else is talking about their pumpkin hot whatever. Oh, spice? Yep. Okay. We are going to zig where they've zagged, and Sonic's going to show up in a really fun way. Oh, I like it. I like it. Because I think I'm getting sick of pumpkin spice. Am I sick of that? Yes. Are you sick of that? In August? Yes. Maybe in the third week of November, you could maybe put it under my nose. But in August... Because everyone keeps trying to get ahead.

16:49So it's like Christmas starts in September. I was in a department store on Saturday. Don't tell me it was Christmas. And there was pumpkin, orangey, black Halloween stuff. And I'm like, how is this possible? I know. I was insulted. And you walk outside, and it's summer. I don't like it. It's not right. It's not right. We think the same at Sonic, and you're going to see on August 24th what we're coming out with. But I think, to Jimmy's point, it's insulting because you know why? It's the summer, and I want to enjoy my summer. I don't want to think about Halloween. Yeah. I like Halloween during Halloween.

17:26Yeah. And you guys are up north, so weather changes for you. Yeah, I got to tell you. Jimmy, let's jump into a little loyalty conversation. Because that's always a big one, right? Sonic Rewards, you have baked that right into the app. And guests get bonus points for limited LTOs, limited time offer purchases. They get early access to new things that are coming when they go nationwide. It is a big part of Sonic's marketing strategy. How important is it for Sonic to kind of building strong loyalty through the app? I mean, how important is it for Sonic today? I mean, the app, off-prem, these are things that you've been around for seven decades.

18:07What my sense is, these are things that you're leaning into just to keep the brand fresh and really stay connected to your guests. Yeah, for sure. And, Jimmy, since you're the finance guy, financially, this is a big opportunity for Sonic. I mean, I think when you think about lifelong value of a guest, having something there for them is critically important. Everybody else is trying to do that as well. and the operator in me tells me that the way to build the most loyal guests is to have incredible operations incredible guest service making an exceptional experience those are the people that are going to spend the most time in the app and then as we create value in there for them a frictionless experience a better order ahead experience in all of qsr because we have mobile order ahead parking stalls that are specifically designed for that so you pull in you know which one to go to?

18:54Well, you immediately tell us I'm in stall four. We immediately can get it out to you. Does it, you know, pull in? Do I park here? Do I have to go in the restaurant? You know, a frictionless order experience that builds that loyalty over time, along with, of course, having offers and rewards that keeps them coming back. So we're really excited about it. Sonic is, you know, one of the most digitally forward QSRs in the business, 34 % digital, you know, Ten of that's coming from 3PD. And so we're actually outpacing most of QSR. 3PD? You're going like third-party delivery? You're going 3PD? I'm a 3PD guy.

19:30Am I still out? Do I have to start using that now? I'm a 3PD. You can use whatever you want after that last trademark, whatever that was. The ice in the ICU? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can keep that. 3PD? Jimmy, you've never used 3PD. I've used 3PD plenty. I've never heard you say 3PD. Go check my old newsletters. 3PD, baby. Really? As the 864th guest today, to give you something new, I'm going to take it. I'm going to take it. One PD, two PD, three PD. We got both. We got them all. What else in the tech stack? What's in the lineup for you guys? So Sonic is a digitally forward company, so we have the stalls.

20:05Right. So we have digital out there. And then leaning into how do we improve the digital tech stack for our team members. Right. I think a lot of the businesses and really everybody now is AI's come on, tech's gotten better. We haven't kept up with creating a better team member experience. So one of the things that I've been really focused on is how do we improve the team member experience so that that can in turn improve the guest experience. So bringing more tech inside the restaurants, smarter KDSs. Think about our drink only customer. They don't want to be waiting behind somebody that just ordered$30 worth of food.

20:36Exactly. So we have the ability to pivot that inside the restaurant to move that drink order, drink only customer up to the front of the line. And where do you see AI? I mean, everyone, AI, AI, AI, I'm changing my name to AI, my next kid's going to be AI. Where's AI play a role in Sonic? Yeah, I think the disruption from AI, let's put robots aside. Yep, no robots. Just keep that out. Like thinking about where you're going to place your bets on that and then how that's going to change over time, I think has probably got everybody a little back-footed because is that tech stack you're going to build with the AI integration going to be the next AI integration?

21:09Do you have to rebuild the tech stack? Right. What I really want to see is how do we improve the lives of our general managers through AI first? Like the guest facing stuff and digital tech and things like that I think is there. But I think about when I ran a restaurant, I didn't start as an ops consultant. I started as an assistant manager at McDonald's, you know, worked my way up through the restaurant before I got out. And the biggest opportunity our managers have today is they have to remember to do everything. Remember to do the schedule. Remember to do your ops checklist. Remember to do your hourly round.

21:37Remember to order your truck. Remember that Michael's always late when he comes in, so we're going to have to put someone else in his spot. AI to enable that general manager to give them predictive information that we already have the data for that says, your drive-through is 15 seconds slower the last five minutes. Put someone on Fry Station. Your schedule is going to be written for you. Your truck order is going to be done for you. Those are things that enable then the general manager to really go out and run their business, own their local communities, that I think can be game-changing. So are you guys already doing that kind of stuff?

22:08Yeah, we have some of that stuff now. I'm not happy with where it's at because I think it's still creating just an extra step for the GM to kind of validate it. Right, right, right. And get people to believe in it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so that'll take a little bit of time. You got to get buy-in. If you don't get buy-in from the team, then you're just wasting your money, right? Yep. I got to tell you, what about this to the two guys in the car, the whole commercial? Yeah, I get that a lot. That's been around a long time, right? It was. It hasn't been around, I think, since 2020 or 2019. Are they going to bring that back?

22:36Because I feel like everyone likes that. You know, I'm going to have to keep that one on wraps again there, Shafty. Oh, so it's coming back. Well, I think there is. I'm trying to break news here. There's a little bit of a movement. You know, this whole, I don't know, I think I've coined the phrase, but new-stalgia. Yes. And so how can they play in a new-stalgia type of way with Sonic? There is certainly a lot of love for those two guys. I've never met those two guys. I was going to say, there was emphasis on the new-stalgia. Yeah. I like that. Jimmy likes that. He's stealing that this weekend.

23:02With attribution. With attribution. I thought what John just said about AI was one of the more clear and understandable explanations of how our industry will embrace AI. But I do love now the new stulture. Yeah, we're going to use that. That would be done with attribution. All right, Jimmy, I've got to take a quick break. Cheers to yous. I've got to take a quick break. We'll be right back, okay? We've got some Hot or Not. We've got some Branded Quickfire. The hospitality hangout presented by our friends at Olo. Jimmy, what does Olo stand for? On. Line. Ordering. That's right, Jimmy. And what's the name of your dog?

23:39Olo. Right. Exactly. All right. Be right back. Hey, everybody. I got to tell you. We're going to talk about BILT. BILT hospitality. Millions of people use BILT every day. That's right. Every day to earn rewards on housing and in their neighborhood. But now, now it extends to your restroom. That's where BILT hospitality comes in. Built Hospitality shapes how guests are recognized and taken care of. Built's restaurant-facing platform is designed specifically for dining operators to drive loyalty with their guests. It combines reservations, guest preferences, VIP management, and payments all into one platform alongside an agentic concierge.

24:22That's right, an AI concierge that thoughtfully designs and executes experiences around your guest tastes, using the latest and greatest in AI technology. When a guest walks in, your team already knows what they like without digging through notes. Built Hospitality works across the entire guest journey. That's right, the entire guest journey from delivering a complimentary course at the right moment, just the right moment, sending a personalized offer that brings them coming back again and again and again. That's right. That's what Built Hospitality is doing. It is allowing you to communicate with your guests and keep them coming back over and over.

25:02Make every guest feel like a regular every time, not just their first time, every time they're a regular. Built Hospitality is available now for restaurant groups everywhere. Learn more at BuiltDining.com backslash hangout. That's builtdining.com backslash hangout. And check out what Built Hospitality is going to do for you and your restaurant. All right, we are back. We are back. John just had a break. Jimmy had a break. Shatsy had a break. We are feeling refreshed. Are you ready? Here it is. I'm going to read you three headlines. Two are real. One is fake. If you want to go with that, you can go with that.

25:41All right, Jimmy, you will chime in and you will play this. Mexican restaurant launched a margarita IV bag designed to keep drinks flowing without interrupting dinner. This is a headline. Chipotle created a car napkin holder for customers who hoard restaurant napkins in their vehicles. What does that mean? Jimmy, sometimes you have to explain things to me. Yeah, it means Chipotle created a car napkin holder for customers who hoard restaurant napkins in their vehicles. Basically, a lot of people stuff napkins. So they created something like you had to hold your phone. I would like that because I always take them and they're just sitting in some little thing in the car.

26:19Okay. A Wisconsin man celebrated 50 years of eating a Big Mac nearly every day. So we got this Mexican restaurant with his margarita bag IV. Yep. We got Chipotle with a car napkin thingamajiggy. And we got this Wisconsin man celebrated 50 years of eating a Big Mac. What is the fake story? I want to make a prediction. Okay, go ahead. I believe two things. Let me hear it. I believe John and I are going to agree, and I believe John and I are going to be correct on this one. I'm going to agree as well. I haven't said that once today. Do we need to hide it? I believe we are going to agree. What are you eliminating?

26:59What's real? Well, let John go first. I believe. What are you eliminating? I'm going to believe that number two is real. Number two is real. Chipotle is real. Chipotle did create that. You've seen that. Yeah, well, I know that guy. We work together. He's kind of fun. So he's been working together for 15 years. So he told you about this thing? He knows the guy. Okay. And I also believe that number three is real. And what about the children of the future? Because they have a lot of cheese in Wisconsin. Right. The reason number one wouldn't work is because four guys showing up at a Mexican restaurant would try to share that needle.

27:36I was going to say, an IV bag just doesn't sound... I mean, you know, it definitely would do functionally what you said it could do. Right. But you just couldn't... People get crazy. Wait, you could take an IV and stick a margarita, and that would work? I think it would. It would. I predicted that we would agree, and we would be right. And I'm going to say I agree with John. But the first one's a very bad idea. The first one's a fake one. And I was in the back. That's a bad idea. And also, like, impossible. Like, no one's going to a restaurant. Give me two burritos and I'll take the IV, please.

28:12A Pedro will be around to win. He's certified. He's certified. Don't worry about it. By the way, if you told me that they were bringing a bag of margarita up on one of those stands and letting you sip out of it, then I'm like, all right, I get that. You know, an IV-like? That I can see. But it doesn't even say what Mexican restaurant. It's just any Mexican. Yeah, well, that's good. That was to keep your lawyers happy. Yeah, you didn't want to name up. Yes, you were both correct. That's what gave away number two is you're not going to name a brand. All right, that was easy. So let's get a little more challenging here.

28:44Let's go hot or not. All right, John Kelly, president, CEO, COO, CMO, CTO of Sonic. John works the most. He works. I actually have an incredible team. All right, here we go. Hot or not, John Kelly style, Sonic. Ghost kitchens, are they hot? Not. Jimmy's going to be upset. Sorry, you said not. Not. Mocktails. Are mocktails hot? Hot. Hot. Hot. Ice that looks like it came from a hospital ICU. Hot or not? Ice that came from Sonic that's incredibly chewable and amazing is hot. Ice pellets. I don't know about ice. Ice pellets are hot. Those are ice chips. Oh, you're right. Those are ice chips. So what are Sonic?

29:28Ice. Pellet ice. Pellet who? Pellet ice. Pellet ice, hot or not? Hot. Very hot. Okay. Breakfast for dinner, hot or not? Not. My mom tried to pull that on me every once in a while. I thought it was lazy. I just thought it was definitely lazy. You're shipping it in, Mom. You're shipping it in. Come on, Mom. Two eggos? Where's the roast beef? She's like, John, dinner. By the way, the reason why John felt she was shipping it is she poured a bowl of Fruit Loops. Yeah. Like, wasn't it like, maybe? Yeah, this wasn't like. Yes. Like, here's a bowl of cereal. It's breakfast for dinner. Drive through at restaurants, hot or not?

30:09It's hot. Protein every. Drive-ins at restaurants. I meant drive-ins. On fire. Drive in at restaurant. Hot. Protein everything, hot or not? I'm going not. Not. Get a burger if you want protein. I don't need to pour it in your refresher. GLPs combined with beverages. Like, beverage-infused... Beverages infused with GLPs. I'm going to say not. But coming. I mean, that's probably more likely in the IV than what you had, so maybe... Mocktails with GLPs, hot or not? Not. Is there anything with a GLP that's hot? No, just go for a walk. Just go for a walk. He's drone delivery hot. Yeah, I believe drone delivery is hot.

30:59I think anywhere you can meet the guests where they want to be is a good idea. Yoga. Not Peloton. Not. All right, Jimmy, you can opine that. I want to go back to the protein because I feel like John and I are on the same page here that we're seeing. It was top-ish. It's been climbing up, climbing, climbing, climbing. I think it has reached its peak. You're saying we're at peak protein? Yes, I think we're at peak protein. From the standpoint of protein everything, to John's point, you want some protein? Get a burger. You can have your protein. Get a double smasher. 39 grams of protein. I'm a little tired.

31:43So are you promoting that? Double smasher? That it has 39 grams of protein. 39 grams of protein. Are you promoting that? I think that's what it is. But I know what I mean. Shazzy. On the menu. Shazzy, yeah. He's on our podcast. Right. He's talking about 39 grams of protein in the double smasher. I think we're promoting it. No, what I'm saying is like on the menu. With an asterisk that it may be 38. He didn't say like, you know, start with 39 grams of protein. And our menu, no. I think we should. Yeah. No, we've discussed it. We have to make some choices. Should we get Debra back? We have to make some choices.

32:14Should we get Debra back from the smoothie? We take Debra. We have to put a lot of things on the menu. We got to put the band back together. and the cost, and, you know, there are ways to show up. All right, Jimmy, I'm jumping into the branded quick fire. This is the longest segment in all of podcasts. What is John Kelly's order? We have a massive menu with a lot of variety. But that has to be something you love the best. I do in the food. Okay. OG Smasher. Right, and you've been talking about that a lot. It's incredible. Right, so what is the Smasher? The Smasher is two Angus Blend patties, hand smashed, two order.

32:47Right. Hot off the grill, two slices of cheese, our burger sauce, onions, pickle, on a brioche grill. That sounds absolutely delicious. It's incredible. Is that a sandwich? It's a burger. Yeah, it's a sandwich. Is a sandwich a burger? Yes, a sandwich is a burger. Hold on, don't burger is a sandwich. Burger sandwich? Is a burger a sandwich? Your order, it's on. OG Smasher. Tots. Tots. Love our tots. Anything on the tots or no? You know, yeah, we could. Jalapenos and cheese. Yeah, yeah. Little onions on there. I love tater tots. You know, one of our earliest restaurants, we didn't have French toast, just tater tots.

33:21By the way, I thought you were going to say, when he said nothing on your tots, I thought you were going to say, yeah, salt. That would have been better. Let's recut that. Yeah, we can cut that. We cook them just five seconds extra. Right. A little crispy. A little crisp. Just a little crisp. And then I like to switch up the beverage. Right now, I've been drinking a lot of our refreshers. Berry citrus, sparkling, real fruit, a little lemon in there. Delicious. It's amazing. I love it. By the way, I know this is a quick fire, and I usually make fun of you, Shatz, when the quick fire turns into the long fire.

33:52I'll just say I have a nine-year-old daughter. I have a daughter that's not Shatzie. When she was like three or four, we were down in Miami, and this hotel had like a mini bowling alley. Like mini. And when she knocked all the pins down, I would say she had a strike. And she would call the strike a smasher. All right. And as you were describing the Smasher and Sonic, and this is why I'm the finance guy, not the marketing officer, I was thinking, like, you could have a bit where people are calling the Smasher, and the dad's like, yeah, and off to Sonic. I'm saying. Oh, yeah, that's the influencer I want right there.

34:30That's the offensive. I'm hearing Smasher, my daughter. So take your team down to that bowling alley. Let's bowl a strike. Bowl a strike. The kids say Smasher. And we're Smasher. Yes, let's go. You're driving into Brooklyn. Do it. Boom. Kelly, we need Sonic swag at the office. Can you send us some Sonic swag? You definitely need a Sonic hat for Jimmy. We can do it. We can make it happen. I know what your order is. Now, I've never been to Sonic before. What do you tell somebody? I tell you. You want to have fun? I always want to have fun. You want to have great food? Of course I want to have great food.

35:01You want to have incredible drinks that you can customize any way you want? Yes, and I want to have a little room left over for tequila. Okay. Take a sip. Okay. But I was going to say something else. You can leave a little bit of room for some incredible sweets and desserts. Okay. That's the cherry on top for sauna. Oh, so you're saying desserts is so, so you're like, look, just get the, you get the smasher, you get any drink, but what's the dessert? What's the go-to? We have a blast. Frozen candy inclusions in it. We've got soft serve. We've got incredible shakes. Is that like another collab with like, I don't want to say the candy and tell me who it's with.

35:35Could be any of those candies. We got them all. You got them all. You got them all. I love it. So wait, do you do soft serve? Yes. You do? Hot fudge? Yeah, we have a hot fudge sundae. Jimmy, to do a hot fudge sundae. And our$7 big deal meal. What's the big deal meal? Big deal meal. Sonic cheeseburger, a side, a sundae, and a beverage of your choice. For how much? Seven bucks. That sounds like a lot of food for seven bucks. It is a lot of food. He must be losing a fortune. He must be losing a fortune on this. You know what they do, Shazzy? They make it up. In volume? Volume. They make it up in volume?

36:05We make it up in volume. That's why he's the president. We lose money on every order. Hey, hey, hey. How do you stay big? This is volume. All right, listen. Finance guy. Who brought the finance guy? Sean, what is your Uber rating right now? 4.9. Is it really? It's actually, I think, 4.92, but fun story. Who was in the – who threw up in the Uber? You want to know? Who threw up in the Uber? Are we going to name names? Yes, name names. It happened in Boston on a wintry night after a Bruins game. Who were you with? And it was our buddy that runs that restaurant that we talked about. That Mexican place?

36:39Yeah. That son of a – It was him being loud in the back seat. What was he doing? Nothing rude, just loud. Hey, change the radio. Yeah. I love that song. He can be in your face a little bit. He's a big guy, too. I love him, but he hurt my rating. It's been stuck there ever since. That's why I don't travel. I don't go to it from the airport with Shatzi anymore. Because I tell him how to drive. I tell him we're going the wrong way. I think that's what it was. I would pick Shatzi up, and then coming back, I would drop him off, and Shatzi would want to explain to the driver at a level of volume that might have been...

37:11Yeah. Jimmy, he was taking the 59th Street Bridge. Perceived as yelling. Yeah. And I would get tattooed. I'm on the Upper East Side. You don't tell him. Hey, same exact situation, except this person also talks very loud and has no idea how to get... What does he know about Boston? No idea how to get around Boston. None. He'd see the Sitco sign, and he'd be like, I think we're over there. Oh, he just sees the Sitco sign. Yeah, and then he's like... It's like, you know, back to home for him. Yeah, but he didn't even go to school there. No. I went to school there, He's probably been there for less than 24 hours his entire life.

37:40All right, well, there you go. It doesn't matter. So high Uber rating. High. And what about bagel? How do you take a bagel? You know, I don't eat a lot of bagels. I'm an everything bagel guy. Probably a little bit of whatever they put on it. A little tomato on it, a little salt on it, pepper, and that's it. What do you mean no bagel? I mean a little cream cheese. So are you a no-carb guy? No, I just, I don't, I guess I don't go anywhere. You never have a... You know, I'm in Atlanta. There's not a lot of bagel shit. We do have a few now. Do they have bagels? I don't know. I didn't grow up in New York, so I don't know great bagels.

38:10Like, I can get in a fight about some pizza being from Chicago. You got good pizza? No, in Chicago we do. Yes, in Chicago, good pizza. Right. No, I get it when I go home. Well, you're from Chicago. From Chicago. So you understand good pizza. Yes. So I'm going to ask you a question. But I'll have an everything bagel with some cream cheese and a tomato. New York pizza, Chicago pizza. Chicago pizza. Not deep dish. Deep dish is good for holidays and, you know, people that come around town. Tavern style thin. Yep. Are you a Disney or Universal guy? Disney. What's the last thing you Googled? Who is Shatzy?

38:42Exactly. Why am I doing this? What is a Shatzy? What is a Shatzy? And then the final question, because this is important. Now, we may have touched on it a little bit. We didn't do it on the quick fire. It's a hot dog a sandwich. Yes. I got to tell you, Jimmy, I didn't even see hesitation from this gentleman. It's between two pieces of bread. What's a gyro? It's the same. So I'll just say this, John. You and I have agreed on a lot of things today. I want to talk to the viewers. I want to talk to the listeners out there. I want to talk to you. Thank you. It's been decided. We can agree to disagree.

39:19It's okay. I literally, there were so many things John said. I'm like, it's like I'm with my twin here. That one was not one. I feel like I let you down. No, it's okay. I feel like I let you down. It makes it an interesting sport. Very knowledgeable. Very experienced. And you said it was, by the way, conviction. It wasn't like you're awful. You didn't even think about it. Didn't think about it. And by the way, that's the beauty of that question. Because people on the other side of the coin have said with the same conviction, no. And John went, yes. There you go. That was great from Gregor's coffee.

39:45What the hell does he know about hot dogs? He's a coffee guy. I mean, that's the other thing in Chicago. You know about hot dogs. Oh, yeah, right. What's your favorite hot dog in Chicago? Chicago dog. Oh, which place? Yeah. It doesn't matter. I mean, I'm kind of Portillo's. They are Portillo's? Yeah, yeah. Is it still as good? Yeah. I mean, I love it in Chicago. I haven't been to one in a long time that they built outside of Chicago. And a Chicago dog is the pickle. Yeah, it's pickle, celery salt, tomatoes, mustard, neon green chili, sport pepper. And the bun is poppy seed. Poppy seed bun. Yeah, Jimmy.

40:16So I want my Chicago dog without the pickle. Gene and George Eddie is amazing. Super dog is amazing. There's actually a place that was there, Belmont and Pulaski. I think it was called Jimmy's. Was it really making that up? It was Jimmy's. and on the wall it says don't even effing ask for ketchup. I was about to say you put ketchup on your hot dog. No. Jimmy? No. No. No. You put ketchup on your hot dog. No. I know you guys can say on the podcast I can't, but it says the word right there. Right there. Right there. You want it on your fries? No. You get thrown out. So is it mustard or nothing? Yeah, mustard.

40:54It is mustard. I mean, if you're under 12, you can put ketchup on your hot dog. See, I think that's what it is. I think generationally, I think when you're young, mustard is like just disgusting to you. And then, so you want ketchup because it's sweet, but then you kind of find your way. Yeah. So in Chicago, if you're under 12, it is legal. I think you're fine. You still can't get it at Jimmy's. Like they're not, they have no ketchup packets. They have no F's left to give on that question. No F's to give. I got to tell you, John Kelly, there's nothing more that you can say. You have given us knowledge.

41:23You have given us insights. You have given us, really, I got to tell you, we've learned a lot today. I think 13 minutes is some really good work by me, and, you know, 27 of, let's edit that up a bit. No, I think we'll get three good minutes out of this. Yeah, exactly. I think, Jimmy, I think you can take this baby home. I think it's time to wrap this baby up. This has been great and great fun, okay? Nearly three decades of restaurant career from McDonald's, now leading one of the most iconic, nostalgic brands in the country, okay? Love it. I'm sticking with nostalgic. And if you use nostalgia in your newsletter this week, Jimmy.

41:56With attribution. I'm a big attributor Just want to make sure Bring us home there You want to get in touch with John directly You email the podcast team At podcast at branded.nyc Happy to make introductions We want to thank our friends at Olo For creating this studio for us here at Bospor And the URL for Sonic Is Sonic.com Sonic drive in Sonic drive in Sonic drive in Sonic drive in And by the way, if you use the code JOHNKELLY, you get 25 % off right now for all your orders through the rest. So, through Labor Day, actually. Actually, until 8-24. Until August 24th. Oh, right. August 24th. And this airs August 25th?

42:45Yes. That's when the magic happens. That's when the magic happens. So, August 24th. We don't know what it is. Free beer tomorrow. And you heard it here live on the hospitality hangout. Cheers, everybody. Cheers, everyone. Thanks, guys. We'll see you next time.