Troy Nuel Smith, Sr. (May 26, 1922 – October 26, 2009)www.findagrave.com /ref> was an American
businessman
A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for th ...
who founded
Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Corporation, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic (stylized as SONIC), or "The Drive-In," is an American drive-in fast food restaurant Chain store, chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's and Buf ...
, a
fast-food restaurant
A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...
chain based in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
that recreates the drive-in diner feel of the 1950s, complete with carhops who usually wear roller skates. By the time of Smith's death in 2009, the chain had 3,600 restaurants in 42
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
s.
Background
Smith was born on May 26, 1922 in Oilton, Creek County, Oklahoma, to Leslie and Myrtle Smith. His father was an oil field worker and moved his family to Econtucka, Seminole County, where he worked the Deep Rock Oil Co. Troy graduated Seminole High School in 1940, married Dollie Twiggs March 18, 1941, and in December 1942 enlisted in the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
The Edmond Sun
The ''Edmond Sun'' was a daily newspaper serving the Edmond and Deer Creek communities."Edmond Sun", Finder Binder: Oklahoma's Update Media Directory, 2009 Winter Issue. The ''Edmond Sun'' was owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc."Troy Smith, Founder of Sonic, Dies at 87" ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', November 2, 2009. Accessed November 3, 2009.
He partnered with Joe McKimmey and the two owned the Top Hat hamburger drive-in and the Log House steak restaurant, a restaurant in the rear. While driving near the
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
–
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
border, he pulled into a fast food restaurant that used a series of intercoms at each parking spot to allow customers to place orders directly from their cars. Smith obtained the design of the communication system and upon returning to Shawnee he sold his interest in the Top Hat and Log House to McKimmey in 1959. He moved about a mile south on Harrison Street and built a new drive-up which allowed customers to place orders and have them delivered to their car within three minutes by
carhop
A carhop is a waiter or waitress who brings fast food to people in their cars at drive-in restaurants. Carhops usually work on foot but sometimes use roller skates, as depicted in movies such as ''American Graffiti'' and television shows such as ...
s on roller skates.
In Smith's version of the
drive-in
A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...
, parking was angled to afford greater privacy, and the speakers would play popular music for patrons while dining. He also put his design in a drive-in in Stillwater and renamed the restaurants as Sonic, with the slogan "Service with the Speed of Sound". In an effort to expand the number of locations and bring in new talent, Sonic pursued a franchise-based model which had a new location opening daily, on average, in the late 1970s, though an economic turndown saw the closure of 300 of the chain's 1,300 restaurants in the early 1980s.
He stepped down from operating the firm in 1983 but retained a seat on the company's board. By the time of his death, the chain operated in 42 states at some 3,600 locations.
In January 2007 Smith and his wife donated Sonic stock valued at $3 million to the
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...
, the largest unrestricted cash gift in UCO's history. The couple also donated funds for the new YMCA complex in Shawnee and it bears their name, Troy and Dollie Smith.
Death
Smith died at age 87 on October 26, 2009, in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
after two decades of Alzheimer's disease. He was survived by his wife Dollie, as well as by a daughter, a son, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.