Owner Mike Alizedeh, with an un-named hottie in the foreground.

Fast-Food lovers, rejoice. Sonic Burger has started cookin'.

We've been waiting a long time for Sonic. Back in September of 2004 there was a sign promising that they would be opened by December 2004. Well, December rolled around and we still had no Sonic. They finally broke ground early in 2005, and to many of us, it just seemed like they weren't moving very fast. Were they really interested in building it? Was it ever going to happen?

Is it an Improvement?

Is Sonic good for our community? I'll be honest with you, this was a question that has been floating around in my head for months. Will Woodland really benefit from a Sonic Burger? Will it be an asset to our community? On a previous story run here on InsideWoodland, many people said that they would prefer another 'local' restaurant over a Sonic. I think that many of us would agree that some local 'Mom n Pop' hamburger joint would be great. They would use all fresh ingredients, the burgers would be great, the owners would be good friends, and we would just feel good being there. Kind of like 'Arnold's Drive-In' from Happy Days. You know, like Judy's Grinders. (Have you been there lately? I think the Fonz has left the building permanently.) Well, take an honest look around Woodland. Go look at Al's Drive-In over by Morrisons. Is it open this week? Look at the vacancies in downtown and wonder why it isn't full. What the heck happened to Hometown Chinese? That only lasted a few months- and the Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant that closed recently, was anyone surprised by that one?

Well my point is this: Yes, Sonic is an improvement. A huge improvement. For all of those out there who may still resent a big national chain coming in- I have a picture to remind you of the reality before Sonic came in.

That was then...

This is now

I really would rather have a giant cup than an abandoned building.

I want to say that I was one of those people who complained about big chains taking over town, until I went back and saw that picture of the old Burger King building. That abandoned building really brought down the whole area, and it was like a magnet to transients coming off of I-5. I walked by there a lot, and I saw people passed out in the bushes, pissing on the wall, or just begging for money 'I need gas to make it back to Oregon to see my grandmother.' There must be an epidemic of broken gas gauges or something, these guys always need gas just to meet up with their family...riiiiigggghhhhttt...

Yes, of course Burger King was also a chain, and they abandoned the building in the first place. But in the past 5 years nobody else has stepped up to take the building over and do something else with it. What were we hoping for, a nice french bakery to locate next to a gas-station and a Denny's? So, I will stop complaining about this, and I'll start complaining about other big chains we don't have. Like maybe a COSTCO would be nice....

What was I doing there?

So on a Saturday when I drove by Sonic and saw a big giant cup, and balloons, and people eating at Sonic, I had to stop. I drove around the back (where the transients used to sleep) and I was greeted by a guy who told me that they were having a private party for people from corporate, and VIPs. VIP? Yeah- you know me! Well, evidently, they didn't know me- but they gave me a few coupons for free cherry lime-ades when the place opened on Monday, and sent me packing.

But I went back anyway. I got my camera, and started walking around the outside of the property taking pictures. I felt like some sleazy paparazzi, and it was fun. I walked around the building twice, being as obviously nonchalant as possible (yes, that makes sense- just imagine someone who is purposely doing a really bad job of looking like they don't want to be seen- while taking pictures.) And of course I ended up attracting attention. Eventually the owner, Mike Alizedeh, came out to talk to me. (The first picture, up on top, was one of my paparazzi pics, and that point I am about 100 feet away, and he is looking at me, probably thinking, "who is this ass?")

So Mike came out to talk to me- he invited me into the party, "do you want a drink? How about a cherry lime-ade?"
Score! I was in!

Mark was pretty quiet, but his wife volunteered him to be in pictures..

One of the things I did was sit down and talk to a lot of people at the party. Everyone was nice, which I am sure had something to do with them not knowing me. But, I sat down at just about every table and talked to the people. The general consensus was, "wow, we're glad this project is done. It looks good, and Mike (the owner) really put his heart into the project." In fact, Mike's wife told me that he works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during every restaurant opening.

I harassed Michael here (eating the chili-cheese dog) a few of times. I think he may have been shy, but I just kept coming around every time he would get something new to eat. I would wait for him to take a bite, and ask him how it was. His wife appreciated it though, and she had a few good laughs at his expense while he tried to avoid answering my questions.

Probably the signature piece of the Sonic business is the 'waitresses.' These are girls on rollerskates who cruise around and bring your food out to your car, or to your table. It really does make it a lot more interesting to be there when there are girls going by on skates, carrying trays of food. I asked one of the girls if she had fallen yet. She just started laughing, and said 'oh yeah, I've fallen.' It sounded like it has happened a few times.

This is Debra, one of the roller girls. She goes to Pioneer High. I noticed that her skates were different from the other girls. She said something about the other ones not fitting her very well. I also asked about the Merry Christmas socks she was wearing in July. I think she said something about the colors matching her shirt... She also told me that they had been training for 3 hours a day in the week prior to the opening. And surprisingly, she said that she wasn't a very good roller-skater prior to working at Sonic. I guess that will change after doing this for 4 hours a day.

Daisy goes to Woodland High. They had a DJ at the opening, and the music
was loud, and I'm deaf anyway. So I couldn't understand anything else she said...

Michael's dad ordering from the walk-up order thingy.

As far as I could tell, you don't actually go IN to Sonic to order your food. The idea is that you order from your car, or if you walked up, you go to this menu board, push some buttons and place your order. It sounds retarded, but I was a little intimidated by the process.

All of the food and drinks were free during the party, but since I crashed the party, I didn't know if I should order any food. I eventually asked Mike if I could order something; to review the food a bit. He introduced me to Joe, who is the General Manager, and he told Joe, "Get him a little bit of everything." Double Score! Not only did I get invited in, and get a cherry lime-ade, but now they were going to bring me food!

Marissa skated around calling my name. I went over to her and said, "I think that is mine." She said, "Did you have: a double cheeseburger, chicken club, extra long chili-cheese dog, chili cheese tater tots, cherry lime-ade, a cookie dough blast and onion rings?" I said, "I guess so..."

Along with Marissa was Kate, carrying the 'Smile Tray.' Basically this was a tray full of condiments. But they go way beyond ketchup and mustard. They had marinara sauce, 'french fry sauce' and tons of other stuff. Once again, the music was loud, I'm deaf, and I had no idea what she was telling me. So I grabbed some stuff and sat down. I never did figure out if the sundae on the tray is real or not. Or, what is in the 'Smile Tray' book.

The first thing I opened up was the chicken club. This was the best looking item, but not my favorite.
If I ever get this again, I'll have to think about what kind of sauce to put on it.
Maybe some marinara, or some BBQ. Not bad, just a little plain.

Next I opened up my chili-cheese tater-tots.
Exactly what you would expect. If you like chili, and you like cheese, and you like tater-tots, these are for you.
I like them.

This was my double-cheeseburger. It was my favorite item. The gooey-cheesey thing they had going on was
pretty good. This tasted good, but did I mention that I am actually trying to lose weight?
Oh by the way- my second favorite item was the chili-cheese dog. But I forgot to take a picture.

The onion rings were solid. They were crispy, and they had real onions inside. Not like those abominations from Burger King which use like cornstarch and onion powder on the inside. If I didn't have so much food I would have been very happy to finish these off.

I think this is called a 'Blast.' It was soft-serve ice cream with little chunks of cookie dough on top.
Also on top was whipped cream, which really scared me. I took the first bite and thought, "that was the worst
ice cream I have ever tasted." But no- it was just the whipped cream. So once I got down to the ice cream
everything was fine. The whipped cream wasn't bad, it was just a shock when I was expecting the real stuff.

And finally, the mints. You know, it is just a tiny little thing, but I think it adds. They bring out mints with every item.

So there you have it Woodland- your newest restaurant. Sonic came in and tore down the old Burger King building, and put something new in. It's fast food without excuses. It's a drive-in, with burgers, ice cream, girls on rollerskates and doesn't pretend to be anything more.

	From:  jodi - Date: 24-Jul-05
	Im so jealous you got to go before me. I cant wait to eat there.My kids have been driving me nuts wanting to go.I cant believe I still have wait another day,why cant they open today being sunday.Well Ill see everyone there for dinner on monday...let's say around 6:pm...see ya there
	From:  Jim Urchison - Date: 24-Jul-05
	We stopped by Sunday and were suprised it was open. As it turned out we were test patrons and every thing was half off. The food was great but my truck was a little too big for their parking spots.
	From:  Theresa - Date: 25-Jul-05
	While it definitely is an improvement from the eyesore of the abandoned Burger King, I have to say it was one of the nastiest fast food I've ever had. "Nasty" may sound good to some people, but not to me. I'd rather eat fair food. No wonder America is getting fat(ter)!
	From:  M.e. - Date: 25-Jul-05
	I really appreciate the determination and perseverance of the InsideWoodland staff on this one. Food quality and roller skates were the two biggest question-marks I had since the sign went up. Another head nailed on the hitter... or something like that. Bravo InsideWoodland!
	From:  Seester - Date: 27-Jul-05
	I'm starving. I want a chili cheese dog. No, make it three. I want one of those cherry-lime aides of which you speak. I want a Sonic Burger in MY town. I want two orders of the chili cheese tater tots. I want to move to Woodland and frequent 'calorie joints' with my brother. ANOTHER GREAT REPORT, MR. WOODLAND!! :-)
	From:  El Diablo - Date: 28-Jul-05
	So what are the prices like? Any menus available online?
	From:  Phoebe is my dog - Date: 30-Jul-05
	I didn't like it.
	From:  Rommel - Date: 31-Jul-05
	dude... I leave for Afghanistan... and Sonic opens up!?!?
	From:  Rima Fuller - Date: 04-Aug-05
	I am excited about this new spot in Woodland,and the food is GREAT, however I have to make a comment on the choice of words in your article, below the picture of the Owner, "Owner Mike Alizedeh, with an un-named hottie in the foreground". In this day and age, to refer to a woman as an "un-named hottie" is appalling. I would suggest more tact in your future writings.
	From:  Danell - Date: 05-Aug-05
	The strawberry milk shakes are to die for, really really delicious!!!
	From:  Katie - Date: 08-Aug-05
	I love your stories! Everytime I've gone by there it has been packed, with a line winding around the building. My husband says we'll have to wait a couple of months before it dies down. He actually did some work on the building before it opened and he brought me home some ice cream, it was yummy!
	From:  Shanda - Date: 20-Aug-05
	It took me a while to eat there because the lines were so long and I didnt want to wait. But when I finaly did I found it would have been well worth it if I had waited before. The food is amazing and the atmosphere is fun. There's nothing else like it in Woodland. I would definately recommend it!
	From:  woodlander - Date:
	The food is great, and the party never ends! I agree with Rima, though, don't be callin people "unnamed hotties."
	From:  Mr. InsideWoodland - Date:
	You're right - I really blew it there, I'm sorry. The 'un-named' part was really bad. I should have at LEAST gotten her name. Preferably her phone number, or even better - her address. Because, DAMN! she was a hottie!
	From:  Sharon Hemmerly - Date:
	I had a fruit slushee in Panama City, Florida on a business trip. I want Sonic in Columbus, Ohio. How do we get one?????
	From:  Sandy - Date:
	We enjoyed the food but the flies were terrible. How about a few bug zappers!!!!!
	From:  Dan - Date: 17-Oct-05
	where is this located?
	From:  soniclover - Date: 18-Oct-05
	Dan, it's right on Main St. next to Denny's by the 113.
	From:  G~Money - Date: 23-Oct-05
	Sonic is an excellent addition to the gajillion mexican restaurants and taco trucks here in Woodland. As for using the un-named hottie....You call it as we all see it :-) hopefully those two don't look at woodland car show story. Excellent web page, great pictures can't wait for your next story.
	From:  aurynjaye - Date: 02-Dec-05
	it would be cool if you made the address easily visible, like at the top of the page. my friends in fairfield told me about sonic and the only thing i know about it is that it's really good and that there's one in woodland. no idea what street or anything. the pix look tasty!
	From:  I would like that - Date: 02-Dec-05
	You should tell Sonic they should advertise on this website. If they want people to find them, it is a good way to do it.
	From:  Angel - Date: 18-Dec-05
	hey you all need to come up to lynnwood, Wash state. I lived in Texas for awhile and loved your burgers. So did my fiance. Please someone open one up here. i guareentee you would be making bucks up here. if i had bucks i would open one here. please please come to my city
	From:  Shari - Date: 11-Jan-06
	My son and I ate there only once. He got food poisoning from the chili cheese tater tots. He now cringes every time we drive by. Not good!
	From:  Critical Phil - Date: 03-Feb-06
	unless you live near an in-n-out burger, you've got no reason to categorize sonic's food as anything but outstanding for a fast food joint. suck it beyonces!
	From:  terry - Date: 18-Apr-06
	grease, grease and more grease. No WONDER America has obesity problems!!!!!
	From:  another hottie - Date: 29-Apr-06
	She was really hot...if it was me I'd take it as a compliment...wonder how long it will take till one of those "roller girls" hurts themselves..
	From:  Melissa - Date: 11-May-06
	What is the address to sonic burger?
	From:  A student that was looking for food on google. - Date: 15-May-06
	I really like the food that you put up, and your right! That girl in the top picture really is hot!
	From:  Fong - Date: 02-Jun-06
	It's cool we have larger chain like establishments coming into Woodland to draw attention, but pretty soon all you will have is cookie cutter places to go. I miss downtown, in a sense it is the mom and pop places that define woodland, not Sonic or Walmart. Call me crazy, but I appreciate what little charm we have left here.
	From:   - Date: 15-Jun-06
	it wuold be nice if you had the address or a mapquest loction for every body can find you from out of towners?
	From:  in-n-out - Date: 19-Jun-06
	It would be nice if you could grammmar from sentence structure?
	From:  andrew vargas - Date: 19-Jun-06
	are you hiring soon?
	From:  Seth Graybeal - Date: 28-Jun-06
	WOW...is this ya'lls first experience with SONIC...i feel sorry for you guys...i have been eating at sonic as long as i can remember...i can not imagine life without SONIC...Wish ya'll the best!
	From:  jose - Date: 30-Jun-06
	where are you guys located at i'm in east palo alto CA
	From:  Jeremy - Date: 03-Jul-06
	For all those screaming where it is: 1580 EAST MAIN STREET WOODLAND, CA 95776 (530) 669-7200 Sonics food is pretty horrible lol. If I eat anything there, its usually their chilli coney. Everything else is really salty. Their real big hit is their flavored drinks and cream slushies. Its good to see one of these. I thought Sonics were only in the south
	From:   - Date: 05-Jul-06
	As someone who works at Sonic (no, I'm not in a picture/a 'roller girl' [and no, they don't get hurt b/c they have skill]), I'm gonna say if you wanna know how to get to Sonic, DON'T call. Seriously. We're pretty busy during the summer, and it sucks to answer the same phone call over and over. So just Mapquest it. It's easy. And yeah, the food is greasy-- it IS fast food. But compared to other fast food places, it's not too terrible for you. AND our drinks are pretty much delicious.
	From:  M Anderson - Date: 25-Aug-06
	Sonics onion rings will be the death of me...but thats ok, there are worse ways to go.
	From:  Lisa - Date: 07-Dec-06
	I think you guys should have a meun on the web page, so that everyone can see what great items you have. And also for those who never ate there!
	From:  Donna - Date: 07-Dec-06
	This is the strangest food website I have ever encountered. The food looks unusual and I'm actually pleased that we couldn't find one near L.A.!! Good luck with your dogs and your shakes or your shakin dogs.
	From:  Ashley - Date: 22-Jan-07
	Your food looks so damn good I could eat the whole tv screen. I eat sonic everyday and everynight.I LOVE SONIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
	From:  CALIFORNIA - Date: 31-Jan-07
	BUILD MORE IN CALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
	From:  Lorena - Date: 31-Jan-07
	Ordered a Sonic cheeseburger and onion rings from the drive through today (ticket # 171). The burger was good, but the onion rings were awful! They tasted like they were spinkled with sugar! Is this normal? I've never had sweet onion rings before...
	From:  Eric Torres - Date: 12-Feb-07
	I really want a Sonic in Rancho Cucamonga, California so that I wont have to drive all the way over to yours. Please build more in Southern California.
	From:  the Sonic Builder - Date: 28-Feb-07
	psssst... on monday 3/5 we start building a new Sonic in Visalia (CA)at W. Caldwell & Demoree. Come by the construction trailer & say "Hi"
	From:  California - Date: 05-Mar-07
	please open more in the LA area,
	From:  John Mobly - Date: 17-Mar-07
	Sure would like to have a Sonic in Elk Grove Ca. I love the Sonic Drive-In's. The first time I ate at a Sonic was in Claremore OK. So now ever time I pass one, I have to stop for a Burger & Shake.
	From:  MARIO A. - Date: 08-Apr-07
	I BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU SONIC PLEASE I NEED TO CONTAC YOU DIFERENT WAY BOSTON AREA LOOKING THAT SONIC IN THIS AREA PLEASE SEND ME AN REPLY
	From:  jose serje - Date: 21-Aug-07
	the only thing than i need to know is my closer location for sonic zip code 91606
	From:  ANTONIO - Date: 19-Sep-07
	It seems that peope in woodland never heard of the term google it? sonicdrivein.com/locator/viewSearch.do sonic store locator...
	From:  Earlene - Date: 20-Oct-07
	I live in Idaho close to Ontario Oregon, they built a Sonic in Ontario, a beautiful new building, it didn't last long, all at once they closed the doors and tore the building down. I don't know why it didn't succeed! Seems like such a waste.
	From:  Josh - Date: 27-Nov-07
	WHEN WILL SONIC OPEN UP IN CHICAGO?
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