Sonic Drive-In Fast Food Location. Photo: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock.com

Sonic Corp. has apologized for an alleged racial profiling incident that involved the teenage children of several black lawyers and a judge in Texas.

One of the parents, A. Shonn Brown, vice president and deputy general counsel at Kimberly-Clark Corp., described the incident in an interview with Corporate Counsel last week.

She said a Sonic employee threatened to call the police on her 17-year-old son and five of his friends, all of whom are black, because they were hanging out outside their cars at a Sonic drive-in restaurant in Dallas on the night of May 29.

"When you say, 'I'm going to call the police on you,' that feels like a threat on their lives," Brown said previously.  

After hearing about the incident, Brown returned to the restaurant and saw two other groups of young people, most of whom were white, standing around outside their vehicles. She said Sonic's regional director of operations later told her the company does not have a policy prohibiting customers from exiting their cars at the drive-in. 

The teens and their parents, which includes Tasha Grinell, assistant general counsel for the Neiman Marcus Group and Dallas County Associate Judge Monica Purdy, met with company representatives June 4. Sonic issued an apology June 7. 

"Unfortunately, a recent event at our Drive-In restaurant in Dallas, Texas, was handled inappropriately and did not live up to our standards," Sonic stated. "As soon as we were alerted to the situation by the families involved, we engaged in a valuable discussion on race, equality and a deeper understanding of social justice issues and ways we can improve.

"Sonic deeply and sincerely apologizes to the teenagers involved in the incident. We simply must do better going forward," the company added. "To that end, we are revising our policy to ensure the appropriate level of manager is involved in handling matters with our guests. We are also bolstering our training program to include consistent unconscious bias training, with a focus on the African American experience, as we foster a more inclusive environment for our team members and guests." 

Brown stated Monday in an email that she appreciated "Sonic acknowledging what happened and responding to the direct issue—that these teens were profiled and Sonic has a need to look at its policies particularly around training and the black customer experience." 

But she added that it's not over. Brown and the other parents are continuing to speak with Sonic representatives and want the company to take further action for "sustainable change," according to Brown. 

"When companies truly want to make change it is not just going to the singular issue that occurred. To that end we have inquired about their training specifically, their policies, their leadership, their true commitment—not just a one-off front line employee management issue but true sustainable change throughout the organization," Brown said. 

"Because we haven't spoken other than the initial conversation the discussions are formative so I'm not able to be more specific at this time," she added. 

A senior vice president at Sonic was involved in the meeting that led to the apology, but Brown said Nils Okeson, general counsel of Sonic parent company Inspire Brands Inc., did not attend and attempts to speak with him have been unsuccessful. 

Brown and her close friend and former law partner, Michael Hurst, had been disappointed with Okeson's initial, brief response to the incident. After Hurst sent Okeson a message asking that he "immediately take action and use your position and platform for righteousness," the GC stated: "Thank you for your concern. The Sonic team is in touch with the parents." 

"While they appear to have taken steps forward, in my humble opinion, they (and other companies in America) can and should be doing a lot more," Hurst wrote in an email. "I know Shonn and her family, the other families and I would all welcome the opportunity to help Sonic become part of a growing awareness and solution to racial intolerance." 

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