SONIC REPORTS SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 23, 2009) – Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC), the nation's largest chain
of drive-in restaurants, today announced results for the second fiscal quarter of 2009, which ended on
February 28, 2009. Key aspects of the company's second quarter performance included:
• Net income per diluted share for the quarter totaled $0.14, including a $0.06 gain from the
purchase of debt at a discount, versus net income per diluted share of $0.15 in the same quarter
last year;
• System-wide same-store sales declined 3.6% for the second quarter; same-store sales at partner
drive-ins (those in which the company owns a majority interest) declined 6.0% in the quarter,
with approximately one percent attributable to one less day in February 2009 due to the leap year
in 2008;
• System-wide new drive-in openings totaled 27, and 12 relocations or rebuilds were completed
versus 34 and 16, respectively, in the second quarter last year, reflecting ongoing investment by
franchisees in the Sonic system despite difficult credit markets; and
• The company recently signed agreements to refranchise 90 additional partner drive-ins in nine
markets; including four drive-ins refranchised subsequent to the end of the quarter, the total
number of partner drive-ins that have been refranchised or are under agreement to be
refranchised in the current fiscal year is now 111.