Sonic Secret Menu: The Drive-In Menu That’ll Change Your Life

Updated November 15, 2023 by Kyle

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My wife turned me onto Sonic Drive-In a few years ago as she absolutely loves their drinks, especially their slushes. In particular, she’s a big fan of their Happy Hour where from 2-4 pm all drinks are 50% off. So it just made sense that I add the Sonic secret menu to my ever growing list. I think you’ll find the secret menu at Sonic to be socked full of fun new drinks, burgers, and treats. Hopefully you’ll find your favorite item from the secret menu below and order it the next time you pull your car in.

The Sonic Secret Menu:

Dr. Pepper Orgasm

A very strange name to a popular Sonic secret menu drink.

The Dr. Pepper Orgasm consists of Dr. Pepper (obviously), lemonade, and Powerade.

The color won’t be pretty but the taste will be divine.

Extreme Popcorn Chicken

This is the regular popcorn chicken with chili and cheese on it.

Apparently, according to a reader, if you dip it in some ranch sauce, heaven awaits.

Extreme Tots

Who doesn’t love the tots at Sonic Drive-In? Bueller. Bueller.

Take it up a notch and try the “Extreme Tots” from the secret menu and get tots topped with chili, cheese, jalapenos, onions, and some ranch dressing for good measure.

Anyone have any Pepto-Bismol?

Frito Pie

As the name implies, Frito Pie is Frito chips topped with chili and melted cheddar cheese.

Makes for a tasty alternative to standard nachos I suppose. The salt and Fritos crunch make for a party in your mouth.

Note: Not all Sonic locations have Fritos on hand.

Grilled Ham & Cheese

If you ever get tired of a plain ol’ grilled cheese sandwich, try ordering it with yummy sliced ham added.

I make the “Grilled Ham & Cheese” at home all the time with sliced fresh tomatoes and now I can do it at my local Sonic too. Winning.

Heart Attack

Thanks to employee Jasmine for this one.

It’s an order of large chili cheese tots with 5 chicken strips on top. Then add ranch, bacon, and some jalapenos if you’re feeling crazy.

Hickory Burger

This one is pretty simple as it’s just a regular burger but with Hickory Smoked BBQ sauce instead of your standard condiments.

If you’re a big fan of the Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger, have Sonic throw on some onion rings as well.

Pickle O’s

I’m the dude who’ll eat just about anything if it’s fried.

So when I heard about deep-fried sliced pickles at Sonic I was intrigued.

Most Sonic enthusiasts call them “Pickle O’s”.

But if the Sonic employee gives you a blank stare when you order them, just tell them to deep fry some pickles in their yummy batter.

Most will happily oblige if the batter is still available for frying.

Pink Flamingo

The Pink Flamingo is a drink that has become quite popular in recent years.

Order it and you’ll get a Sprite with the following added: pineapple, orange, and some cherry juice.

Pink Lady

Sticking with the pink theme, order a Pink Lady and you’ll essentially get a Sprite with cherry juice and vanilla cream added.

This drink was on the regular menu at Sonic so many employees are still versed in how to make this tasty concoction.

Purple Sprite Attack

Order a “Purple Sprite” and get a Sprite with some Powerade, cranberry juice, and lemonade added.

It’s a highly refreshing drink on a hot summer day…trust me on that one as I order it all the time.

Some employees might not know it by name so you’ll want to order by ingredients.

Ring Leader Loaded Burger

Perhaps the Sonic secret menu item with the most flavor, this burger is loaded with yummy goodness.

Order the “Ring Leader” and you’ll get a burger topped with onion rings, grilled onions, and of course BACON.

Have the defibrillator at the ready.

Sonic Sunrise

The Sonic Sunrise is kind of like a Tequila Sunrise without the tequila.

It consists of a Cherry Limeade with some orange juice added which gives the drink a “Sunrise” effect.

Note: Also known as the Cherry Lime Mimosa.

Sunshine Smoothie

Order this secret menu item and score a yummy smoothie made with strawberry, banana, and orange cream slush.

The Sunshine Smoothie use to be on the regular menu so many Sonic employees still know how to whip one up in a jiffy.

Vanilla Cream Dr. Pepper

This really yummy drink tastes like a Dr. Pepper float but with no ice cream added.

Ask the Reader: Have you ever been brave enough to order something from the Sonic secret menu? How did it go and more importantly, how did it taste?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Michael Coté.

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Megan Merritt

6 years ago

My mom worked at sonic in Oklahoma back when they still had pickle o’s and Pink ladies, so it’s stuff we order ALL the time. I’m drinking a pink lady as we speak.

Make sure you ask for REAL cream or it’s just gonna be all sorts of wrong.

I think i might try the sonic sunrise next time!

Chay

5 years ago

The kids working at the Sonic on Maynardville Hwy in Knoxville, REFUSE to make drinks that are not on the menus. If you ask for something not already listed, you will not get it. They will tell you “We don’t know what that is”. They also DO NOT offer the many flavors of available drinks now – like the other Sonic Drive In’s do.

-1

Morgan J.

Reply to Chay

5 years ago

Technically they don’t have to make anything that’s not on the menu. I work at a Sonic & most of the time they try to order something off the secret menu & we either don’t know what it is or don’t have the ingredients to actually make it. Plus you have to ask for a flavor(s), we don’t usually ask if you want one. Some places might but most don’t.

-4

allie

Reply to Morgan J.

4 years ago

dude you’re a dick 😂

sonic worker

Reply to Chay

4 years ago

if they don’t know by name, tell them the ingredients needed to make it and they probably can if they have said ingredients. we make pink ladies all the time, just ask for cherry vanilla cream sprite. we make extreme tots all the time, just ask for chili cheese tots with jalapenos, ranch and onions. if its not on the menu, don’t expect people to know how to make it unless you describe it to them.

Caitlan

4 years ago

I don’t have a name for it, but I love ordering their popcorn chicken with chili and cheese. It’s even better dipped in ranch.

Nelly

Reply to Caitlan

4 years ago

Extreme popcorn chicken

Edan

4 years ago

I work at Sonic and know most of these, but a few are new to me. The Sonic Sunrise is actually known as a Cherry Lime Mimosa now.

Will

Reply to Edan

3 years ago

Lol nah I’m our micros system is still listed as as sonic sunrise when ordering through a combo

Ash

4 years ago

As a sonic employee, some of the stuff you have on here such as smoothies, pickle os and grilled cheese with ham are local itemz and there for not offered nation wide. I have been with my local sonic 5 years and have never seen picklos on our menu. Nor have we had ham or smoothies.

Ashlie

Reply to Ash

4 years ago

The smoothie is not made the way this forum lists it. There was never frozen yogurt in it. It was a menu item years ago that is basically a strawberry, banana, orange juice cream slush. It’s really good but no one really orders them anymore.

Bennett Conn

4 years ago

Sonic in Easley, South Carolina does NOT honor the Secret Menu!

-4

Zion

4 years ago

I tried to order purple sprite attack and they gave me a grape sprite lol

Slbno1

Reply to Zion

1 year ago

When I worked at Sonic, everyone wanted to call this drink a “Purple Orgasm..” my GM was not happy about that, I suppose for a credited reason. I changed the name to ” Purple Elephant” in a couple days, everyone was coming in ordering a ” purple elephant.” Not everybody, but you get it. The people who wanted this drink.

MICKI FERGUSON

4 years ago

Tip, dont ask by name. Instead if ordering purple o ask for sprite with cranberry, lemonade, vanilla.. And so on.. As alot of the sonic workers are newer younger kids. They arent trained in knowing the drinks.. So if you are for a pink lady just be ready to tell them what is in it or just simply order it by flavoring.. Cause you can get whatever drink with whatever flavoring and as many flavors as you want.. I used to make my own drink its half lemonade/ Powerade ( hulk) or sweet tea with caramel.. Or sweet tea with strawberry & pineapples.. You can come up with some many different drinks!!

Jasmine

3 years ago

As an employee at a Sonic where we experiment a lot and have quite a few of our own secret menu items, might I recommend…
Sonic’s Baja Blast: A Sprite base with easy shots of Powerade, lemon syrup, and lime syrup
Cold brew shake: Essentially Arby’s Jamocha shake, it’s best made as a medium size and you’ll have to ask for a single pump of the cold brew concentrate and then have it mixed into a shake. Don’t let them put straight cold brew in unless you want a very diluted coffee flavor!
Heart Attack: This is an order of large chili cheese tots with 5 chicken strips, ranch on top, bacon of course, and optional jalapeños. This one is basically just a coworker’s spin on the extreme tots 🙂
Cherry/Blue Raspberry Sprite: I never came up with a cool name for this one and I wasn’t here while it was a special, but one customer informed me of its existence and I’ve been in love ever since.

Chelsea

2 years ago

Omg thank you for the sunshine smoothie recipe! That and tater tots was my breakfast of choice when I was little XD I was so sad when they stopped making JT

Mitts

2 years ago

Well, here in Great Bend, Kansas we have Good ol’ Roger as the helm. I say that because Roger has been taking our orders since I was a kid, you think you are at the wrong place if it isn’t him, and I’m 43 now!! I just went 20 minutes ago and ordered a pink flamingo and said he doesn’t know what that it is so I told him but silly me forgot the pineapple, delicious anyway but come on Roger, I know you are just messing with people. Love ya anyway😄😄

Alan Hill

1 year ago

I just went to Sonic and tried to order the Ring Leader Loaded Burger. They acted like I was crazy. That’s in eastern Kansas. I kinda figured that to.