Sonic on health inspections, place by place
See how Sonic restaurants did on routine health inspections in each place we cover, next to every other restaurant in that same place. Every number comes from that government’s own records.
The short answer
Under the local rate in both places.
- 2under the local rate
- 0too close to call
- 0over the local rate
Sonic has enough routine inspections to chart in two of the 10 places we cover. Each place counts a different thing, so read each row against its own tall line and never against another row. Part of any gap is the menu: a chain that handles less raw food gives an inspector less to find.
Place by place
The tall line is the local rate for that place. The bar is the range the chain’s real rate probably falls in, and the short tick is the rate we measured. A bar to the left of the line means fewer inspections with a problem than is normal there.
Share of routine inspections that recorded at least one high-priority violation.
Share of routine inspections that scored under 90, below the city's top category.
Compare Sonic with another chain
The other eight places we cover
Too few inspections to chart (under 100): New York City (5), New York State (72), Chicago (2), Seattle and King County (4), Las Vegas and Clark County (60), Louisville (28), Raleigh and Wake County (47), Sacramento County (6).
What stands out
Charted in Florida and Austin, under the local rate in both. In Florida, 48.1% of 451 inspections, next to a local rate of 58.2% range 43.5–52.7%. In Austin, 22.9% of 109 inspections, next to a local rate of 33.6% range 16.0–31.7%.
Austin only just qualifies. With 109 inspections the range runs from 16.0% to 31.7%, and its top end is close to the city’s 33.6%. Austin’s comparison figure is also wider than restaurants: it covers every food establishment in the city’s file, grocery stores and school kitchens included.
One name, more than one business. The name pattern for Sonic is written to skip unrelated businesses that share the word, and the chain names page shows every spelling it matched. If one is wrong, tell us.
Part of the gap is the kind of kitchen. Not every kitchen gives an inspector the same amount to find. New York State’s health department sorts kitchens by how much preparation they do, and names “table-service restaurants, diners and school kitchens which prepare foods” as typical high risk, and kitchens that prepare food to order, “such as pizza, hamburgers and sandwiches,” as typical medium risk. Every local rate on this page includes those table-service restaurants. So part of any gap between a chain and the local rate is the kind of kitchen it is, before anyone’s management comes into it.
Written September 2026. The figures in it are read from the current records, so they move when the records do.
What this can’t tell you
- Who runs the better kitchen. Chains handle different food. A coffee counter deals with far less raw food than a kitchen that fries chicken, so part of any gap between a chain and the local rate is the menu. The local rate also includes full-service kitchens that do far more cooking than any chain here.
- How the brand does everywhere. These are Sonic locations in two places over a few years. The records say nothing about its locations anywhere else.
- Anything about one restaurant. A figure sums up many inspections at many locations. It is not a warning about, or a recommendation of, the one near you.
- Which place is stricter or cleaner. Each place counts a different thing under different rules, so the rows cannot be set against each other.
How we counted
- Sources. Florida: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation; Austin: Austin Public Health. Each place’s page says exactly which inspections are counted and why.
- The figure. In each place, the number of the chain’s counted routine inspections that recorded that place’s finding, divided by all of them. The local rate is the same sum over everything in that place’s file.
- The range. A 95% Wilson score interval. Fewer inspections means a wider range. A chain needs 100 counted inspections in a place to be charted there.
- Matching names. Restaurant names are matched to Sonic with a published table of name patterns, which also lists every spelling it matched. A location recorded under two chain names is counted for neither. If a match is wrong, write to hello@fastfoodfact.com.
- No combined figure. Nothing on this page adds, averages or orders rates from two places. The only number that spans places is a count of where the chain sits against each local rate.
The full method is on the methodology page.
New York State data: The analyses, interpretations and conclusions drawn from New York State data on this site were reached by FastFoodFact and not by the New York State Department of Health. The department states that this data was not collected for use as a restaurant grading system and does not support or endorse such a use; the figures here describe groups of inspections and are not a grade of any restaurant.
Chicago data: This site provides applications using data that has been modified for use from its original source, www.cityofchicago.org, the official website of the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site. The data provided at this site is subject to change at any time. It is understood that the data provided at this site is being used at one’s own risk.
Raleigh and Wake County data: Contains data from Wake County Government's open data portal, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). FastFoodFact grouped the county's inspection records by chain and counted them; the county did not make or review these figures. Wake County states that it shall not be held liable for any errors in these data, and that primary sources must be consulted for verification.
Informational only. These are public records, summarized; they are not a safety rating of any restaurant and not professional advice. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Quote or download these figures
You may quote any figure on this page. Please credit FastFoodFact with a link, keep the count and the range with the rate, and don’t set a figure from one place against a figure from another: each place counts a different thing.
FastFoodFact, "Sonic on health inspections." Counted from routine inspection records published by: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation; Austin Public Health. Records through October 1, 2026. https://www.fastfoodfact.com/sonic
The counts as a file: Florida CSV or JSON; Austin CSV or JSON. Each file covers one place and names its source.
Frequently asked questions
How does Sonic do on health inspections?
It depends on the place, and each place counts something different. Sonic has enough routine inspections to chart in two of the 10 places this site covers (Florida and Austin). Its restaurants came in clearly under the local rate in both. The figures describe those locations over those years, not the brand everywhere and not any one restaurant.
Can the Sonic figures be compared between places?
No. Florida counts inspections that recorded at least one high-priority violation, Austin counts inspections that scored under 90 and below the city's top category. Those are different events under different rules, so a lower number in one place does not mean cleaner restaurants there. The only fair reading is each figure against its own place's local rate.
Where do these figures come from?
From inspection records published by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Austin Public Health. We count routine inspections only, match restaurant names to chains with a published table of name patterns, and need 100 inspections in a place before charting a chain there.
Does this say anything about the Sonic near me?
No. A figure here sums up many inspections at many locations. For one restaurant's record, look it up with the health department that inspects it; each place page on this site links to its source.
Related tools
How often state inspectors recorded a high-priority violation at each chain's Florida restaurants, against the rate for all restaurants in the state.
Open tool →Fast food chains in AustinHow often routine city inspections scored under 90 at each chain's Austin restaurants, against the rate for all food establishments in the city.
Open tool →