By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — The last remaining Sonic Drive-In in the Rockford area has closed.
The fast food chain quietly closed its doors at 1602 E. Riverside Blvd. a few weeks ago. Messages left with Sonic, as well as the franchisee who opened the location 13 years ago and property owner were not returned. We’ll provide an update if we hear back from them. The restaurant was removed from Sonic’s list of locations on its website.
City officials said they haven’t been given any indication of the plans for the property.
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The Loves Park location had opened in November 2010, and at one time there were three Sonic Drive-In restaurants in the Rockford area.
The Sonic at 2195 N. State St. in Belvidere closed in 2015, and the space is now home to Lucky Mustangs Bar & Slots. The location at 2137 S. Perryville Road in Cherry Valley closed in winter 2021, initially saying it would reopen in summer 2022 after remodeling. However, the drive-thru never reopened and all signage was removed. It remains vacant.
The closest Sonic to Rockford is now roughly 40 miles away, at 1115 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas