Sonic Is Celebrating Back-To-School Week With Free Food For Teachers

As back-to-school week rolls around the corner, parents are stocking up on nutritious snacks and brainstorming lunchbox-friendly recipe ideas for the kids. But, this week is just as eventful (if not even more so) for educators — who also have food on their minds. Enter, Sonic. Every day next week, teachers and faculty at any K-12 school or degree-granting university can swing by Sonic for free food.

To snag the deal, eligible foodies should download the Sonic mobile app to sign up for Sonic's Teachers Circle. Daily rewards and promos will be sent via the app. From August 21 to August 25, Sonic will be giving away a series of free menu items to thank educators. On August 21, the daily freebie will be a large slush or drink. On August 22, it's a free breakfast entrée. Teachers can swing by over the following days for a free small cold brew on the 23rd, free medium tots or fries on the 24th, and (the grand finale) a free cheeseburger from the fast food chain on the 25th. The promo is only redeemable with a qualifying purchase.

Sonic has been a longtime champion for local public education. Philanthropic enterprise the Sonic Foundation donated $3.4 million to schools in 2022 alone. Sonic has also launched the "Limeades for Learning" initiative in which the fast food chain donates a portion of every beverage purchase to the Sonic Foundation.

Folks have been celebrating National Teacher Day since former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt first pitched it to Congress in 1953. It wasn't until 1984 that the National Parent Teacher Association finally designated the first full week in May as Teacher Appreciation Week. Earlier this year, foodie freebies flooded in from Whataburger, Perkins, McDonald's, Sonic (again), and more. But, for inflation-weary educators, that week of thrifty promos in May might feel as far away as 1984, as far as their wallets are concerned. Now, Sonic is bringing the gratitude again to August just as teachers face their priciest time of year. During the 2022-2023 school year, teachers spent an average of $860 out-of-pocket on classroom supplies, more money than in any school year prior and demonstrative of a 14% increase since 2021.

This new promo is a continuation of Sonic's support of education and the teachers who make it possible. As Vice President of Brand Experience Kim Lewis shared in a statement, via People, "Providing teachers and faculty with a week of special Sonic rewards is our small way of saying thanks as they start a new school year."