6 Sonic Menu Items You're Better Off Avoiding, According To Reviews

Ask any Oklahoman, and they'll tell you that nothing says "summer" like Sonic Drive-In. The fast food chain with the unique drive-up concept started in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1953 (previously named Top Hat Drive-in), and is now a staple not only in small towns across the state but also all over the country.

Everyone who knows Sonic has their favorite go-to, whether it's a Route 44 Cherry Limeade or a piping hot order of chili cheese tots. Most customers comment that the best things on the menu are the slushes and limeades. (I concur — my favorite is a large cherry limeade, and I get it every single time I go to Sonic.) The chain is also known for coming up with fun menu concepts, such as the new Grillo's Pickles collab. But like any restaurant chain, there are also some menu items that fall flat.

We searched forums and watched many online reviews to find out which menu items you're better off avoiding on your next trip to Sonic. These are items that don't pass the quality test or have gone downhill in recent years. Some have customers saying they just aren't worth whatever money you pay for them. Either way, read on to find out which menu items you should give a pass.

Sonic is well-known for its tots, so much so that you can pick up frozen Sonic tots at select grocery stores and cook them at home. Most people don't even think about ordering Sonic's fries — McDonald's fries can't be beat in a ranking anyway. That all changed when Sonic decided to replace its regular straight-cut fries with Groovy Fries. The switch came out of nowhere in June 2024, leaving some customers and even employees confused about why it had happened, according to Reddit forums.

Groovy Fries are essentially crinkle-cut fries with Groovy Sauce (described as creamy ranch with herbs and sriracha). Many have posted in online forums that they prefer the old fries, adding that there was nothing wrong with them. A few have complained about the Groovy Fries' size, saying every order is mostly a collection of small bits. Another common refrain is that Groovy Fries are too greasy. There have been complaints about the flavor, too, saying they are too bland. One Redditor said they tasted like the frozen crinkle-cut fries from the grocery store. Some said they weren't worth the price. That said, there are some people who actually like Groovy Fries, and others who acknowledge that they're better than the old fries. At least Groovy fries are crispy, unlike the previous variety, some say.

The bottom line: It's best to pass on Groovy Fries. Sonic is not known for creating the best of the best fries. Stick with the tater tots, and you can't go wrong.

Another menu item that Sonic is not typically well-known for is chicken. The fast food chain has had popcorn chicken off and on (and under various names and versions) since around 2012. Currently, it offers Premium Chicken Bites, a name change that happened several months ago. A major difference that customers noted was the shift from using chunks of chicken meat to a more processed minced chicken (or so they believed). This was reportedly done so they would cook more consistently.

The consensus is that Sonic's Premium Chicken Bites aren't the greatest. On our own ranking of fast food chicken nuggets and tenders, Sonic's chicken bites came in second to last. Our reviewer noted that the chicken was bland, while the breading had an overly crispy shell with a mealy interior. However, they did enjoy the amount of salt on them. One Redditor compared the bites to nuggets, saying they prefer chicken from other fast food brands. Other common complaints are about the texture. More than one Redditor commented that chewing the bites was not particularly enjoyable. Some complained about getting air pockets or too much gristle. The flavor has been described as bland more often than not. Some commenters expressed disappointment that Sonic switched from using chunks of breast meat to processed minced chicken meat.

While some customers have said they think the chicken bites are better than the previous popcorn chicken, they're still not impressed. We have to agree.

The next entry on our list is one of Sonic's newest menu additions — the Cheesy Garlic Pepperoni Bites. It's a limited item launched in late May. Sonic describes it as "melty mozzarella and provolone, pepperoni, and pizza sauce fried in a crispy, golden-brown wrapper." Reviews and customers describe it as a disappointment.

There were comments about the price being too high for what you get — a three-piece order is $2.99, a five-piece one is $4.29, and seven pieces are $5.79. Customers on Reddit said there was not enough filling, noting that their bites had more air than pepperoni. More than one compared them to frozen pizza rolls that you can buy at the grocery store for less money.

Several other customers said the flavor was bland and that you couldn't taste much of the garlic or cheese. One said that while they weren't bad, they certainly weren't good.

We mentioned earlier that Sonic is not really the place to go if you're looking for good chicken, and that applies to its Chicken Tenders too. These come in a three-piece and a five-piece order. However, not long ago, Sonic had a Chicken Strip Dinner that included Texas toast, gravy, fries, and an onion ring. It's definitely not chicken strips from Zaxby's, which we picked as being the best fast food chicken tenders.

Some customers complained when Sonic dropped the dinner, and it had actually been somewhat popular. However, customers haven't been as big fans of the Chicken Tenders. They have complained (a lot) about the size of the strips, with many saying they are too small. One reviewer said they weren't too impressive on their own without any sauce. They've been called too bland, too dry, and in need of sauce, so it's probably a good thing Sonic has some good options like its Jalapeño Ranch, which did well in our fast food sauce ranking.

Some have complained that the strips are too thin. One reviewer also commented that the breading was a bit on the thin side. While they may not be the absolute worst chicken tenders out there, you would do well to get your chicken elsewhere.

While no one can do corn dogs quite like Korea (I can personally vouch for this after nearly 15 years of living in the country), you might think that a fast food chain as seeped in Americana as Sonic would be able to corner the market on them. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case, and they're yet another menu item that you're better off avoiding.

The biggest complaint seems to be consistency. Commenters on Reddit have griped that they're either overcooked and burned beyond recognition or undercooked. While that's not necessarily a dangerous thing (Sonic corn dogs are pre-cooked and just heated at the restaurant, so you're generally safe there), it doesn't make for a great eating experience. Some commented they didn't like the texture of the undercooked dogs.

The other biggest objection is the changes made to the corn dog specials. Previously, when Sonic offered its special Corn Dog Day, you could order multiple corn dogs for $1 each, but that's now changed to only the first dog is $1. One commenter said it isn't worth it, considering you could pick up a box of 16 frozen corn dogs at the grocery store for $10.

Everyone has their particular thoughts when it comes to hamburgers and what makes them good. You can go through our list of the best burgers in every state and find a variety. However, burgers are supposed to be one of the things that Sonic Drive-In gets right. When it comes to the Bacon Double Cheeseburger, well, it misses the mark.

Many customers have said that the quality of Sonic burgers in general has gone downhill over the years, though they're particularly critical of the Bacon Double Cheeseburger. It also takes the win as one of the unhealthiest burgers on Sonic's menu. Commenters have said that the patty tastes weird, and the texture is odd. Others have said it's too salty. (it has 2,000 milligrams of sodium). Still more have complained about the small size of the burger patties.

The Bacon Double Cheeseburger sits at around 1,130 calories, which is a lot. Depending on your daily calorie intake, that's easily half or almost half of what you should eat in a single day.

To determine which Sonic menu items made this list, we went straight to the reviews online and examined what people were complaining about, which helped establish the criteria. We wanted something more than "this tastes bad," which can be incredibly subjective. We needed details. We also wanted to avoid issues that could have been isolated to specific Sonic locations. If a decent number of people from various parts of the country were complaining about the same thing, then it was considered a broader issue.

The main areas that we looked at were quality, price or value, and portion size, which all appeared as common complaints for the items on this list. Of course, if a broad spectrum of reviews also mentioned that the item tasted bad, we included that. At the end of the day, we wanted to include menu items that just aren't worth ordering.

To collect reviews and opinions, we mostly looked at the Sonic Drive-In forums on Reddit as well as individual reviews of items on social media, such as YouTube and TikTok. We also looked at a few of our own reviews and rankings previously done on Sonic items.