FERNDALE, Wash. — The menu boards have been taken down, access to the property blocked by garbage cans and traffic cones and signs are posted around the SONIC Drive-In at 1851 Main Street in Ferndale stating the following.
Sonic Will be Closed Effective 8/31/2022 until Further notice. We are transitioning to new ownership. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding.
OCDI Management Sign posted at the SONIC Drive-In in Ferndale (September 12, 2022)
Whatcom News’ request for information from Poulsbo-based Olympic Cascade Drive-Ins LLC (OCDI) went unanswered. OCDI is listed as the current property owner in the Whatcom County Assessor’s property database.
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Click for more informationSONIC Drive-In locations are operated by franchisees.
While the OCDI website says that a “rebranding” is underway, the SONIC Drive-In corporate website says the Ferndale location is “temporarily closed.”
SONIC Drive-In locations in Ellensburg, Kennewick, Pasco, Yakima, Poulsbo, Wenatchee and in Renton along with 2 locations in Oregon also appear on the company’s website as “temporarily closed.”
A Tri-Cities news outlet reported that a Yelp reviewer had noted the Kennewick location also displayed a sign saying they were closed due to an ownership change.
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Click for more informationThe Bellingham Herald reported Tuesday, September 13th, that a spokesperson for SONIC Drive-In’s corporate office said the Ferndale location was permanently closed.
A City of Ferndale official posted the following on a social media platform, Reddit, in response to a post announcing that the SONIC Drive-In in Ferndale was closed.
When asked if there were applications for business license or tenant improvement permits from BurgerMaster, the official said they had not seen any yet.
Customers to the Ferndale location have taken to social media over the past months to report not being able to order many menu items and being informed by staff that was due to a lack of products in inventory.
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PacNW Ferndale Drive-In was issued a business license for the Ferndale location in 2007. OCDI was issued a Ferndale business license for the address in 2017.
The SONIC Drive-In opened in Ferndale in 2009 at approximately the same location where the former Jack’s Drive-In and Grant’s Drive-In had been in business since 1964. Owners Russ and Linda Grant lost their lease and closed in 2007 after the property was sold. The new owners leveled the drive-in and developed a retail center that included the SONIC Drive-In.
Grant’s Burgers reopened at 2254 Douglas Road in 2009 and has since expanded into Deming, Lynden and Bellingham and appears at fairs and festivals via the Grant’s Burgers food truck.