The Sonic Drive-In at 3250 Olentangy River Road has sat dark since an overnight kitchen fire tore through the building in May, but new city paperwork shows the restaurant is finally being pieced back together. Two building permits approved by the City of Columbus in August lay out a rebuild that stretches from gutted ceilings to a rebuilt drive-thru roof, though no one has said when customers can pull up to an order speaker again.
What the Permits Reveal
The first permit authorizes interior demolition, including removal of drop ceilings, HVAC ductwork, and kitchen hoods damaged in the blaze, according to 614NOW. That kind of interior gutting is standard after a commercial kitchen fire, meant to clear smoke and grease residue from structural framing before new utilities go in. A second permit covers the exterior drive-thru, calling for structural replacement of fire-damaged roof framing, exterior wall reconstruction, and code-mandated safety upgrades, the outlet reports.
As WhatNow Columbus reported, the restoration project also includes new plumbing, lighting, electrical devices, wiring, and related components, along with reconstructing one kitchen wall and restoring the roof assembly. Damaged or outdated equipment will be replaced, while undamaged equipment will be reinstalled, per the same account. WhatNow says it reached out to KBP Brands for details on the restoration and an anticipated reopening timeline but has not received a response.
A Fresh Owner, Then a Fire
The timing stings. The Columbus Sonic returned to franchise ownership under KBP Brands as part of a 78-restaurant acquisition from corporate owner Inspire Brands in February, a deal that pushed KBP's Sonic portfolio to 164 units and made it the chain's fourth-largest franchisee, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Just months later, an overnight kitchen fire damaged portions of the building, forcing the location to close.
KBP Brands, based in Leawood, Kansas, operates more than 1,100 restaurants across 32 states, per WhatNow's report. The February acquisition added roughly 1,600 employees to the company, with oversight of the Sonic division falling to KBP Executive Vice President Mark Everett and Chief Operating Officer Matt Hansen, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The chain first built its Sonic footprint in August 2024 by acquiring 85 drive-in units from franchisee Boom Inc., before adding the corporate-owned stores in 2026.
A Site With Staying Power
This isn't the first time the Olentangy River Road location has weathered upheaval. Back in February 2019, Sonic corporate affiliate SRI Holding Company took over eight Central Ohio locations, including this one, from a franchisee, while permanently closing two other area stores on South Hamilton Road and in Whitehall, according to the Scioto Post. Central Ohio's Sonic footprint shrank from as many as 10 locations to seven around that time, and Sonic still operates six other restaurants in the region, in Polaris, on East Broad Street, on Stelzer Road, in Grove City, in Heath, and in Lancaster.
Part of what has kept this particular Sonic alive through multiple shakeups is its location. The restaurant sits along a high-density commercial corridor serving Ohio State University and OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, surrounded by major fast-food competitors including Raising Cane's, McDonald's, Denny's, and Rooster's, according to The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center. That proximity to campus and a major hospital tends to generate heavy late-night traffic, the kind of steady demand that has made the site worth rebuilding rather than abandoning. Hoodline has previously covered new apartment growth nearby along the same stretch of Olentangy River Road.
Why Kitchen Fires Happen
Restaurant fires like the one that shut down this Sonic are far from rare in the industry. Cooking equipment is the leading cause of restaurant fires nationally, accounting for 61% of all structure fires in eating and drinking establishments and 38% of direct property damage, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Deep fryers alone cause 21% of kitchen blazes, followed by ranges or cooktops at 14%, per NFPA data. Failure to properly clean kitchen equipment and exhaust systems is cited as a contributing factor in 22% of U.S. restaurant structure fires, the organization reports, underscoring why grease hood and duct maintenance carries such weight in commercial kitchens.
Sonic itself traces back to 1953, when it began as a Top Hat root beer stand in Oklahoma before adopting the Sonic name in 1959. The chain entered the Central Ohio market in 2007, with the Olentangy River Road location originally run by a local franchisee before shifting to corporate ownership and, most recently, to KBP Brands. Sonic operates under Inspire Brands, which also owns Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John's, Baskin-Robbins, and Dunkin'.
For now, the twin permits are the clearest sign yet that repairs are moving forward, even without a firm date for when the drive-in will welcome customers back. WhatNow Columbus says KBP Brands has not yet responded to questions about the restoration timeline, leaving neighbors near Ohio State and Riverside Methodist to watch the construction and wait.
