FILLMORE SONIC ON TRACK FOR NOVEMBER OPENING

The Sonic restaurant logo is up and all signs point to a fall opening in Fillmore.

The national fast-food chain, which features drive-in and drive-thru options, is on track for a November opening, said Rajpal Behniwal, a franchisee and property owner, on Tuesday.

Set to open at the northwest corner of Highway 126 — also called Ventura Street — and Orange Grove Avenue, the burger joint also features Coney Island-style chili cheese dogs, limeades and tots. The address is 655 Ventura St.

“They have erected some of the framework and there is a logo on the screening for the site,” said Fillmore City Manager David Rowlands on Tuesday.

The site has a long canopy in place and the building should go up by the middle of August, Behniwal said, adding 90% of the underground work has been completed.

It will be the first Sonic location in Ventura County.

The chain recently enjoyed high-profile visuals as the main sponsor of the X Games held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in late June. The Sonic logo and slogans adorned the skate park, BMX tracks, entry gates and other areas.

The Fillmore project has been delayed and taken five years to open in part because of issues with a contractor, Behniwal said. COVID-19 also played a major factor in slowing things down, city officials said.

Fillmore was selected because it checked a lot of boxes, Behniwal said.

“We were looking at quite a few other locations like Oxnard and Ventura, but we just couldn’t find a site that would fit,” Behniwal said.

Traditionally, Sonic encourages franchisees to purchase the land and construct the buildings rather than lease, he added.

The restaurant will total 2,370 square feet and include nine drive-in parking stalls and 19 parking spaces, Behniwal said.

Behniwal already has experience with restaurants. He’s a franchisee for WaBa Grill in Fillmore and Simi Valley and he owns Best BBQ in Santa Paula and Santa Barbara.

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at [email protected], 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Fillmore Sonic on track for November opening

2024-07-24T21:25:50Z dg43tfdfdgfd