Sonic
Contents7
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 18 June 1953 |
| Legal Structure | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Food |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | http://sonicdrivein.com/ |
Sonic is a fast food company founded in 1953.
Consumer impact summary
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):
- User Freedom
- User Privacy
- Business Model
- Market Control
Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace.
Incidents
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Sonic category.
Malware attack (2017)
- Main article: link to the main CR Wiki article
On September 16, KrebonSecurity disclosed that Sonic suffered a data breach on its Point of sales systems, exposing an estimate 5 millions of customers financial information are being sold on a website called Joker’s Stash.[1] A few days later, the blog got traction on social media, with major new outlets covering the leak.[2] The company issued a public response on its website on October 4, acknowledging the breach and offering affected customers 24 months fraud protection until December 24, 2017.[3]
The company faced 12 lawsuits from customers because of this incident, alleging the company's failure to implement up to date security practices and disclosing the incidents to customers.[4][5][6][7][8] On October 2018, a $4.3 million settlement was reached.[9] In May 2022, a $5.4 settlement was reached, requiring Sonic pay $3 million to reimburse financial institutions, and $1 or $1.50 for each payment card reissued or involved.[10]
Sonic Spam Messages
2020 Lawsuit
On October 21, Plaintiff Danny Collins filed a class action lawsuit against Sonic, alleging the company repeatedly sent her advertising messages even after opting out by replying "Stop". The Plantiff seeks $500 or $1500 for each unsolicited marketing messages sent to consumers.[11][12] As of March 2026, the case is still in progress.
2023 Lawsuit
On January 11, a customer from Florida filed a class action lawsuit over unsolicited marketing text sent by the company. Since July 1, 2021 till December 2022, the plaintiff received marketing messages without prior consent, with one of the messages reading;[13]
Today only at SONIC: $0.99 Small Mozzarella Sticks! Deal
auto-applies in the app & at participating drive-ins 12/15. Lmt
5. +tax. Txt STOP to end
As of May 2026, the case is still in progress.
2025 Lawsuit
On March 4, a lawsuit was filed against Sonic for sending marketing text to customers without consent. The plaintiff claimed he was on the registry to not receive marketing text, however on March 6, 11, 13, 15, and 20, the company sent him marketing messages. Additionally, the plaintiff claims to have never had any business relationships with them.[14] The lawsuit was dismissed on September 29, 2025.
Products
This is a list of the company's product lines with articles on this wiki.
- Example product line one (release date): Short summary of the product's incidents.
- Example product line two (release date):
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See also
References
- ↑ "Breach at Sonic Drive-In May Have Impacted Millions of Credit, Debit Cards". KrebsOnSecurity. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Data breach at Sonic restaurants could affect millions of customers". Youtube. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "SONIC Drive-In: Notice of Payment Card Breach". Sonic Drive In. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO EASTERN DIVISION AT CLEVELAND" (PDF). ohnd.uscourts.gov. 12 February 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ Rizzi, Corrado (29 September 2017). "Sonic Hit with Class Action Almost Immediately After Data Breach Announcement". ClassAction. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Shaak, Erin (15 November 2017). "Sonic Facing Another Class Action in the Wake of Data Breach". ClassAction. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Shaak, Erin (5 October 2017). "Sonic Corp. Facing Third Lawsuit Over Recent Data Breach". ClassAction. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Shaak, Erin (19 December 2017). "Sonic Data Breach Sparks Another Class Action". ClassAction. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Spicer, Christina (15 October 2018). "$4.3M Sonic Data Breach Class Action Settlement Reached". Top Class Action. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Heisig, Eric (7 October 2022). "Judge Signals Approval For Sonic's Data Breach Settlement" (PDF). Law360. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Rizzi, Corrado (22 October 2020). "Sonic Drive-In Hit with Class Action in Oklahoma Over Alleged Spam Texts". ClassAction. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Sonic TCPA Lawsuit & Fast Food Telemarketing Violations". The Lyon Firm. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Mehorter, Kelly (13 January 2023). "Class Action Alleges Sonic Drive-In Sent Illegal Spam Texts". ClassAction. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Landis, Blake (6 March 2025). "FROM CORN DOGS TO COURTROOMS: Sonic's Texts Might Cost More Than a Combo Meal". The National Law Review. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)