The 2 Classic Chains We Had No Idea Were Sister Restaurants

Oh, the tangled webs that corporate businesses weave. From McDonald's brief rendezvous with pizza in the 1990s, to the odd but delicious Taco Bell/KFC combo restaurants peppered across this great nation, it is clear that the world of fast food is very intermingled, often by virtue of ownership. This streamlined fast food industry creates a diverse landscape of oddly coupled corporate bedfellows. This is all to say, your favorite fast food restaurants might just be tied together by a private-equity-backed company.

Such is the case with two really very dissimilar restaurant chains: Sonic Drive-In and Buffalo Wild Wings. One might not guess that a retro-feeling drive-in style burger joint and a wing-focused sports bar were sister companies, but thanks to Inspire Brands, they are. Both Buffalo Wild Wings and Sonic are owned by the Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, a corporation that buys and builds up restaurant chains with the goal of expansion and growth. But these two restaurants aren't the only chains owned by the brand. Inspire Brands is quite the world-beater when it comes to acquiring fast food chains and optimizing them.

So, how did Sonic Drive-In and Buffalo Wild Wings became sister brands? It all starts with Arby's. Yes, Arby's, the roast beef-based fast food chain revered by celebrity chefs Kristen Kish and Justin Sutherland. Inspire Brands was first established in February 2018, when Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc. acquired Buffalo Wild Wings. This new brand serves as an umbrella company that helps redirect restaurant and food brands.

Shortly after Inspire's founding in 2018, the brand acquired Sonic Drive-In in December 2018 for $2.3 billion. Inspire didn't stop with its acquisition of Sonic, however. In 2019, the brand took ownership of Jimmy John's, a beloved sandwich chain. Then, in 2020, the brand acquired Boston's favorite coffee chain, Dunkin', and its long-standing sister company, Baskin-Robbins. As of May 2026, Inspire Brands has started the process of going public by filing an initial public offering, which could potentially help expand the brand's reach. Though, as with most things business, the future is fluid and often unpredictable, so who knows how long Buffalo Wild Wings and Sonic will be called sisters.