Franchisee adding Sonic eatery in Ozark

A new Sonic Drive-In restaurant is coming to Ozark.

John Friend, a partner with franchisee Apex Restaurant Group, said an early 2024 opening is targeted at 1195 Highway NN. The currently vacant lot is adjacent to a Dollar General store, about a mile east of the U.S. Highway 65 interchange.

"This is a new Sonic building design, which includes a smaller footprint building with 18 car stalls, a drive-thru and patio ordering all on roughly 1 acre," Friend said via email, noting he and the franchise group wanted to capitalize on development activity on that side of town.

He said the project cost is roughly $2.5 million. Inola, Kansas-based DE Construction is the general contractor.

Apex Restaurant Group has 19 Sonic restaurants in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, including a location in Rogersville, Friend said. An existing Sonic in Ozark is operated by a separate franchise group, he said.