As Published in the Record Journal – Sunday July 18, 2010
Jason Zandri
I want to preface this installment of the From Wallingford column by saying: I’ve never eaten at a Sonic restaurant, even when traveling throughout the country for my employer over the years. Someday, I am sure I will do this with my kids, and I am sure it will be fun.
I’d like to also say that the Mesite family have been solid business owners and part of what is Wallingford for decades and the remainder of my writing is not aimed at them, either.
I started my Wednesday early, before 6 a.m., at the fitness place that I just joined. As I paced myself on the treadmill, I had the view of four large television screens to watch the local news. The broadcast affiliates ran the early morning news which repeats every half-hour until the broadcast networks take over. Because of this cycling over the four separate affiliates, I noticed that all the major news stories were on the screen at one time or another. The BP well bleeding oil into the Gulf of Mexico is one example; if I missed it on WTNH I only had to turn my head and . . . BAM! — there it was on WFSB.
I also noticed another major news story, of the week actually it seems, since it had been on the news and in the papers for that time span.
Every time I turned my head from one of those TVs to another, they were showing the news story of the planned Sonic opening here in Wallingford.
Again — more power to Sonic and the Mesite family for getting this kind of free coverage. I’m actually jealous — I wish I could have had half as much for the fireworks fundraising effort back in June. I am sure if it were paid commercial time, it would have been a staggering amount of money. But seriously, this was such a major news story that it had to be on each of these four affiliates for nearly the entire hour straight. I kid you not, I stopped counting at eight — eight times it was shown while I did my hour on the treadmill.
The story ran in the four major newspapers in the state, as well as the Record-Journal.
It was such a big deal that Governor Rell proclaimed today Sonic Day in Connecticut.
Seriously?
Was all this hoopla necessary for a fast-food restaurant (part of a chain) that is going to make buckets of money regardless? Where is all of the media attention when a new ice cream place opens in Simpson Court or a new consignment shop opens on Center Street? How about the new computer center that opened up on Route 5 across from the car dealer? Or the new Philly Cheese Steak place down the road?
(The Record-Journal gets a pass; they do have this type of coverage for local business when they first open.) I give anyone high marks for trying to break into business on their own at any given time, and I double up the credit when its tried in the worst recession since the Great Depression.
I wish this much media attention was paid to all the smaller business that have opened this year in Wallingford — or anywhere, for that matter. To all the consumers that were lined-up this morning for over an hour trying to get that “fast” lunch: the place will still be there in October, and there will be no lines. In the meantime, I have a suggestion. Instead of wasting all that time waiting for an open spot on opening day and burning up fuel idling your cars, why not head back toward the center of town (for a change) and patronize a local establishment along the way that doesn’t get a hundredth of the news airtime but is deserving of it, and your business, just the same?
