Lockport had no warning of Sonic closure

The city of Lockport isn’t certain why the Sonic Drive-In, previously located at 16031 Farrell Road in Lockport, has closed.

No advance notice was posted about the shutdown, which occurred before the beginning of the year.

“They don’t always tell us, unfortunately,” said Ben, Lockport city administrator.

“We still have plenty of demand for quick service restaurants.”

—  Ben Benson, Lockport city administrator

Ben Benson, Lockport city administrator, said Lockport received no notice – no phone call, email or letter – but added many companies are going through consolidations right now, with underperformance as the reason in some cases.

Benson isn’t certain that was the case for Sonic.

“We still have plenty of demand for quick service restaurants,” Benson said. “We just got a filling on Wendy’s at 159th and Adelman.”

Benson said perhaps Sonic “wasn’t as well known in the Midwest.” For instance, other franchises, such as Chipotle and Panera, “perform very well in Lockport.”

“A lot of people tell us these are the busiest stores in the district,” Benson said.

Sonic is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants, according to the Inspire Brands website.

Inspire acquired Sonic Drive-In, the largest national drive-in chain in the U.S., in Dec. 2018, according to the Inspire Brands website.

No information is currently available on what might be the next occupant of the former fast food restaurant site.