Royal Oak's closed Sonic restaurant could be replaced with a Chipotle

The shuttered Sonic drive-in restaurant near 11 Mile Road and Washington Avenue in Royal Oak could soon be transformed into a Chipotle Mexican Grill.

The Sonic closed more than four months ago at the outset of the coronavirus crisis, after more than a decade there. Developer Alrig USA got approval to build a Chipotle in the space last week from the city Planning Commission, as well as a conditional rezoning of the Sonic site from central business district to neighborhood business.

The development would expand the buidling by 600 feet, and include an outdoor patio. The extra space will speed orders up, the company says.

“With our indoor seating we like to target a 30-minute or less turnaround,” design manager Julie Koratich told the Royal Oak Tribune.

It would be the second Chipotle store in the city; the other is located on Woodward Avenue near 14 Mile Road. Another Chipotle could be heading to Detroit's east side.

After bombarding us with commercials for years, the first Sonic restaurants opened in metro Detroit more than a decade ago. The chain has other metro Detroit locations in Troy, Livonia, Southgate, Westland, Shelby Township, Sterling Heights, Lincoln Park, Dearborn, and Commerce.

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