Sonic: America's Drive-In

I was faced with an interesting situation today, which sheds light on a very interesting marketing issue that we have been studying. The setting is Sonic, at the Pittsburgh Mills out on Rt. 28. Sonic is a reasonably good fast food restaurant, serving burgers, chicken sandwiches, and delicious drinks in a "drive-in" motif. I have been to Sonic restaurants all around the country, and truly, the biggest reason to go to Sonic is the drinks. They offer fantastic fountain drinks, including my personal favorite, cherry limeade.

So here's the situation. I'm at Sonic, and I have made my order - this time, it was a breakfast burrito, an order of tater tots, mozzarella sticks, and my favorite, a cherry limeade. After making the order, I sit down to eat and begin enjoying what is normally pretty good food and a delicious fountain drink. Everything was fine, more or less, aside from the jalepenos that they put on my breakfast burrito. I finished up my cherry limeade, and look to one of the servers at the restaurant, and tell them that I would like a refill. "We don't do refills," she exclaims. Now, this was a huge surprise to me. I have been to Sonics all around the country - I'd estimate this was my 15th visit to a Sonic restaurant - and the free refills on the drinks is one of the primary reasons I go there.

Anyways, I try asking a few other workers if they would get me a refill, to see if I can skirt the system a little bit, but it doesn't work. Eventually, without my asking, the manager comes out and says "someone was asking about our refill policy?" I speak up, and explain to him that in all of my visits to Sonic, I had never been to one that doesn't offer free refills, and was clearly a bit upset by this. He continues to explain their policy, and how they're not allowed to do it because of a rule from the Allegheny Health Department (which I found curious, considering I have received free refills many times in Allegheny County), and eventually gives in and gets me a free refill.

Thinking about this from a marketing perspective, though, it raises a very interesting issue. I came into Sonic on this fateful Sunday with a perception about the restaurant - that I would be able to get a free refill. Now, despite the fact that my perception was wrong, it was very important that Sonic could handle it. Sonic is, in this case, in the business of managing customers perceptions of their chain and what they offer. No matter what a customer is expecting, if their expectations are not met, it is unlikely that they will come back. Had the manager not refilled my drink at the end of our argument, there is absolutely no chance I ever would have eaten there again. In order to better handle the perceptions of the customers, Sonic should post their policy on refills, which is clearly not in line with other restaurants in the chain, for customers to see. That way, after customers order, they will not have a perception that is different from the reality of the real situation. By doing this, they will create happier customers, and customers who are more likely to come back.