Food For Thought

Sonic Franchisee Association President, Marvin Jirous

Marvin Jirous knows the issues from both the corporate side as well as the franchisee side, having served as president of Sonic Industries from 1973 to 1981 and of Sonic Supply from 1967 to 1972.

"I'm thankful for what the Sonic Franchisee Association has accomplished since it began over ten years ago. Working together, we have been able to provide a unified voice to protect our investments. The association played a major role in the most recent franchise agreement contract negotiations, and it was instrumental in putting together a competitive health insurance program for a group of franchisees when it seemed no one could. There's so much we can do through the Sonic Franchisee Association."

Marvin hopes to expand the association's members to 2,000 franchisees. More than 100 stores joined in 2003 in order to take advantage of the association’s health insurance program. Marvin feels many more franchisee managing partners and owners will join once they know about the association and the services it provides.

You could also add advice as an unofficial benefit to membership in the Sonic Franchisee Association. Marvin and others who have built successful enterprises have learned a lot of lessons along the way.

"A couple of keys to Sonic franchisee success are the partnerships and ownership of managing partners who own part of the business and work harder and smarter because they have a stake in it. And it works well in the community when folks see it as 'Bill's Sonic' or someone else they know," Marvin said.

"Pride of ownership has always been a great incentive, so that's how our business has evolved."

Most of his group's managing partners own between 10 percent and 25 percent of a store, and all are eligible for substantial bonuses.

"A lot of it is just attitude. If you like what you are doing, it doesn't seem like work. You can spend 10 to 14 hours a day doing something you love, and it doesn't seem hard, but spend seven hours a day doing something you dislike, and it seems like an eternity."

Another bit of Marvin's advice: "Don't spend everything you make - put something back."

His penchant for saving also includes "stuff." Over forty years, Marvin and his wife, Barbara, have amassed an amazing collection of Sonic memorabilia, so much that their Oklahoma City home includes a room that houses the unofficial Sonic Museum.

The collection includes the first toy included in a kid's meal. It is a plush coney dog that unzips to reveal a small stuffed dog inside. The collection also includes glasses, pins, uniforms, a small Sonic riding car and one-gallon glass Coke syrup jugs that you don't see around anymore.

Marvin's prized keepsake in the collection is Charlie Pappe's and Troy Smith's (Sonic co-founders) business card that shows the locations of the first 13 stores and the slogan "We bag 'em. You wag 'em home." That advertising slogan was on the cutting-edge when Sonic Drive-Ins were on the fast food frontier 40 years ago.

Forty years have brought many changes in the fast-food industry and with America's Drive-In.

"I think most of the changes have been good. But even when changes are good, most people don't like them at first. As the company grew, it lost some of the personal contact, just because of its size," he said.

Marvin Jirous is one of the Sonic Drive-In pioneers who opened the company's eighth store in Alva, Oklahoma.

Prior to that, Marvin and his wife, Barbara, operated a Dairy Boy in Fairview, Oklahoma. They were making more money than they had ever seen as a result of offering a 40-cent malt and burger combo that helped net them $17,000 in 1960.

Marvin and Barbara frequently had a visitor at the Dairy Boy. Charlie Pappe, co-founder of Sonic, would stop in on his way to Oklahoma City from Woodward, Oklahoma. During each visit, he'd tell them about the bright future he envisioned in Sonic Drive-Ins.

"Charlie was a dynamic salesman. He was the one who got most of us early guys into the business. I remember his black suit and black felt hat. He wore a long gold key chain, which hooked at the waist and looped on the outside of his trousers to his pocket. You don't see many of them anymore, but that gold key chain was kind of his trademark," said Marvin.

The young couple listened carefully to Charlie's sales pitches. Marvin was convinced that investing in a franchise operation was a good idea, but he didn't sign on with Sonic immediately. Instead, he checked out a now defunct chain called Disc Jockey Drive-Ins of America. The prospectus said franchisees would have an excellent chance at success if they followed the company's marketing plan.

Though the Disc Jockey's marketing was slick and the restaurant was decked out in décor resembling 45-rpm records, Marvin took one look at the layout and spotted a design flaw. There was no way a manager could supervise what was going on out front from the back office. Marvin kept going back to Charlie's Sonic proposal.

Finally, Marvin paid Charlie $1,500 and opened that first Sonic in Alva in 1961.

Today, M & D Industries, which includes partners Marvin Jirous, Dan Winters, Jack Winters, Chris Winters and Jay Jirous, operates more than 62 stores in four states.

Marvin says flexibility and a willingness to change are keys to business success and says Sonic Drive-Ins continue to be excellent investments for honest people who are willing to work hard.

"You could start today with a new store or with a group and if you really put out the effort, you could end up with a nice percentage of ownership in that group. It works that way in our company," he said.

Marvin also says the Sonic Franchisee Association exists to help franchisees be successful and wants the association to continue providing and expanding upon those services.

"The best tool the association offers," Marvin said, "is a unified voice for independent franchisees to communicate with the corporation and to protect the franchisees' substantial investment in their businesses."

"We (franchisees) have to compete more and more with Sonic Industries in the same trade areas, and that's a big issue. But the Sonic Franchisee Association and SI essentially have the same goal - to be successful and provide good service and food."

"The larger you get, the more shots people take at you, so now Sonic has to cross the "t's" and dot every "i." There's a lot more detail in the contracts these days, but that's probably just to protect everyone and prevent misunderstanding."

Marvin re-emphasizes that the Sonic Franchisee Association is a valuable tool for franchisees as they build their businesses. He invites all Sonic Drive-Ins to joins the franchisee association and to participate in its activities.

"The Sonic Franchisee Association website, along with other communication, is really helpful to all of us."

You can contact Marvin through the Sonic Franchisee Association office at 405.879.0104. For membership information, contact Richard Hess or Jennifer Little at the association headquarters: National Association of Sonic Drive-In Franchisees, 6412 N. Santa Fe, Suite C, Oklahoma City, OK 73116-9111.

A membership application and the association's bylaws are also available on this website.

"Thank you to all of our current members. Welcome to all of our new and future members. We appreciate the chance to work with you," said Marvin.