Fortune Favors the Prepared: Sonic’s Billion-Dollar Timing

Former CEO Cliff Hudson and franchisee Buddy McClain unpack Sonic’s 20-year tech evolution—from skeptics to industry leaders. They reveal how early credit card readers boosted tickets by 40%, why legacy POS systems nearly crippled growth, and how integrating a proprietary mobile app unlocked a competitive advantage for the brand. The payoff? When COVID hit, Sonic’s pre-pandemic mobile investment turned Sonic’s drive-ins into profit engines, with app sales hitting 40% in some markets. Miller and McClain detail the operational drama, billion-dollar timing, and why "fortune favors the prepared." A masterclass in brick-and-mortar digital transformation.