I Don't Understand Virginia Sometimes

I generally like living in Virginia, and more specifically, Northern Virginia. I live in an area with good schools and libraries. I love the fact that Wegmans is only a few miles away though a local Sonic would be nice. Plus, I rely on public transportation and that usually works well for me. (I now fully expect to experience an hour-long Metro delay tomorrow.) Now to the things that bother me. Virginia will be one of the last states to approve gay marriage though marrying your first cousin will likely stay legal forever. I can't say that I'm thrilled to be in a right-to-work state where I could get fired at any time. I also don't understand why there is a one-term limit for Governor when there are no term limits for state senators or delegates. I guess the legislature wants to make sure that they have the power.



Here's something else that bothers me. While this isn't new, I'm only getting around to writing about this now since Virginia Lt. Bill Bolling announced Tuesday that he would not run for governor as an independent. You see, there is not a statewide Republican primary for Governor, Lt. Governor or Attorney General. Instead, the candidates are selected at a party convention which essentially handed the Republican nomination to Ken Cuccinelli. This seems undemocratic! Why not let the people choose instead of the party elite? Anyone have a good explanation for this?

On a related topic, the Virginia Governor race is going to be brutal, and I'm not looking forward to the campaign and especially the ads.

Sonic To Northern Virginia Update

Remember in December when I shared my quest to bring Sonic to Northern Virginia? Thanks to your help, we received over 10 signatures (there are currently 11 signatures) on this Change.org petition! Based on these results, I contacted Lori Osley, the Sr. Director Franchise Sales & Credit at Sonic:

Dear Ms. Osley,

I am a big fan of Sonic, but don't understand why there are none in Fairfax County, Virginia, just outside Washington DC, home of over 1 million residents. I wrote more about this on my blog and also created a petition to hopefully make this happen. There are now 10 signatures to get Sonic here, and I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Hopefully, this will help encourage Sonic to open in Northern Virginia.

Thank you for your time, and please let me know when you plan on opening in Northern Virginia.

Sean

Lori was gracious enough to reply:

What a nice compliment!

I currently have several existing and new franchisees looking at the market for development. Because of the cost and timeframe involved in developing the market it has produced some challenges. If you know of anyone who would be interested in becoming a franchisee, please share my information with them.

Hang in there; we will be there soon!

I think we can count this petition a success. Of course, Sonic isn't actually in Fairfax County yet, but that's just a minor detail.

Help Bring Sonic To Northern Virginia

I like Sonic. They have solid food at very reasonable prices. I particularly like the milkshakes and the Sonic Blasts. Unfortunately, living in Northern Virginia, I need to drive more than 40 miles to either Fredericksburg or Winchester if I ever get a Sonic craving. This is unacceptable! Why isn't there a Sonic in Fairfax, Chantilly, Burke, Arlington, Alexandria, Centreville, Herndon, Reston, or even Springfield?

Therefore, I decided to look into franchise opportunities. Here's the basic information:

•The term of a SONIC franchise is 20 years, plus a 10-year renewal.
•The franchise fee is $45,000, and the total initial investment ranges from $710,000 to $3 million.
•You must have prior or current successful restaurant experience and/or strong entrepreneurial skills.
•Royalty fees are 4 to 5 percent; advertising fees are 5.9 percent.

I definitely don't have this type of disposal income or have prior or current successful restaurant experience unless you count earning free burritos for a year at California Tortilla.

Since I'm not going to open a Sonic franchise myself, I thought the least I could do is start a petition for a Sonic in Northern Virginia. If there is a petition for the Steelers to "throw away" their throwback uniforms, why not this?

Therefore, I encourage you to join this petition on Change.org and help bring Sonic to Northern VA. Thank you!

UPDATE Please click here see Sonic's reply to the petition.