What's Going Up

What: Sonic Drive-In

Where: 63076 N. Business 97, Bend

Owner: Richard Ervin, Dallas

Architect: Sonic Corp.

General contractor: Wayne Anderson Construction Inc.

Details: Oregon’s first Sonic Drive-In restaurant east of the Cascades is set to open mid-May, according to its Dallas-based franchisee, Richard Ervin.

The fast-food restaurant, which serves burgers and shakes and is known for its roller-skating carhops, will feature 21 stalls for drive-up customers as well as a drive-through window. There also will be a covered, outdoor patio. The 1,650-square-foot building being erected on the site will house only a kitchen, Ervin said.

The location will be the first of six Sonic Drive-Ins that Ervin has agreed to build in Eastern Oregon for the Oklahoma City-based Sonic Corp. Ervin, who owns eight Sonic Drive-Ins around Dallas, said he first came to Bend a few years ago to play golf at Sunriver Resort. He noticed there weren’t any Sonic Drive-Ins in the area and successfully contracted with Sonic Corp. to build some, he said.

Other Sonic restaurants are planned for Redmond, Prineville, Madras and The Dalles, as well as a second location in Bend, Ervin said. He hopes to break ground on the Redmond restaurant — to be located in a retail mall south of Odem Medo Road — in several weeks. Sites for the other locations have yet to be identified, he said.

Sonic Corp. operates 3,350 drive-ins across the country, of which 80 percent are franchised, according to the company’s Web site.

Ervin estimates he will hire 80 to 90 people to work at the Bend restaurant. Individuals interested in employment are encouraged to e-mail local manager Lance Morgan at lmorgan@sonicpartnernet.com.

— Andrew Moore