Behind Closed Doors at Sonic, It's a Blast

By Darren Brown, News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Lemon-Berry Slush.  The Jr. Candy Bar Sundae.  Menu items that have come out of obscurity to become fan favorites at Sonic Drive-Ins across the country. 

But where do new ideas like that come from?  Well, there's a whole team of professionals behind closed doors working to make it happen.

"It's something that's really cool," said Matt Schein, Schein is Sonic's Product Innovation Team Leader.  "There's not many jobs out there that people get to eat food for a living basically."

Sometimes the job can be tough.

Real tough.  Like tasting new Sonic Blast flavors like S'mores, Raspberry Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Covered Pretzel, Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecake, and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

The team even let me in on the tasting action.

It was fun I'll admit, but Sonic's Product Innovation Team is serious when it comes to potential new menu items.  Consistency, presentation, and ease of production were all discussed at length in addition to flavor.

"Each one of our menu items really has its own personality," said Lori Abou Habib, brand manager for Sonic's fountain, frozen and snacks.  "Especially those signature Sonic items."

The S'mores Blast was the clear winner in my taste test experience.  And the team wasted no time in testing it in the "real world."  They packed up, headed to a local drive-in, made the new frozen treat, and handed out free samples.

Now it's a little difficult to gauge the Campfire Blast's early success, since most customers don't turn down free ice cream, but I heard plenty of positive comments.

"I just love anything that has ice cream in it," said one customer.  "That's delicious," said another.

If you're lucky, the Campfire Blast may be making an appearance near you.