Ricky Davis Celebrates 50 Years of Batesville Sonic Drive-In as a Legacy of Family, Faith and Community Continues
Few people can say they have spent their entire adult life building one company. Ricky Davis can.
As the Batesville Sonic Drive-In celebrates 50 years of serving Independence County, Davis is celebrating something even more remarkable—a lifetime devoted to Sonic Drive-In, his employees, and the communities he proudly serves.
The milestone was celebrated Saturday, July 4, 2026, during a LIVE ArkansasRadio.com Radio Stations broadcast commemorating both America’s 250th Birthday and 50 years of Sonic in Batesville.
For Davis, the story began in 1976.
After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Arkansas College, now Lyon College, in Batesville. While earning his degree, he worked all 4 years at the Batesville Sonic Drive-In, unknowingly beginning what would become a career spanning 5 decades.
Following graduation, Davis became the Managing Partner of the Sonic Drive-In in Heber Springs, then located on South 7th Street.
That restaurant would become life changing in more ways than one.
It was there he met Cindy, the woman who would become his wife and lifelong business partner.
Together, Ricky and Cindy Davis built not only a successful business but a family legacy. Ricky helped pioneer several innovations inside the Sonic system, including early children’s meals and expanded ice cream menu concepts years before many became corporate standards. Today, their children continue working alongside them, helping lead one of the nation’s premier Sonic organizations into the future.
Their company has grown because of one simple philosophy—provide exceptional customer service every single day.
“From order to delivery, you can expect to have your food in your hands in 3 to 4 minutes,” Davis said.
That commitment to speed, quality and consistency has helped place many of their restaurants among the top-performing Sonic Drive-Ins in the United States.
Davis credits much of his success to the great Gene Longworth, the legendary Sonic operator who first hired him after college.
Longworth’s own history reaches back to Sonic’s earliest beginnings.
In 1947, Longworth worked alongside Sonic founder Troy Smith Sr. in Shawnee, Oklahoma, before Smith opened the Top Hat Root Beer Stand. That business evolved into Sonic Drive-In in 1959.
Longworth later managed the historic Stillwater, Oklahoma, restaurant—the first location to officially carry the Sonic name—and personally selected the Harrison Street property where the Batesville Sonic opened on May 28, 1976.
Ricky and Cindy later relocated the original Sonic from that Harrison Street location to Saint Louis Street, then opened a second location on Harrison Street toward Wal-Mart. After years of serving the community at both restaurants, they closed those locations to build and open what is now known locally as the Super Sonic at the corner of Saint Louis and Lawrence Street, where it continues serving customers today.
In 2001, Ricky Davis partnered with David Hull and Greg Rowden, forming a relationship that eventually became Davis, Hull & Rowden (DHR). Today, the company operates 36 Sonic Drive-In restaurants throughout Arkansas, Tennessee and Oklahoma and has become one of Sonic’s premier franchise organizations.
The company’s growth extends beyond Sonic. Under the leadership of Scott Davis, Cody Davis, Josh Rowden and Trey Harris, DHR has expanded into Slim Chickens with multiple restaurants across Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee and plans for continued growth.
Yet those who know Ricky Davis say his greatest accomplishment isn’t measured by the number of restaurants he owns.
It is measured by the people he serves.
Known throughout Arkansas as a tremendous corporate citizen, Davis believes every Sonic should be actively involved in the community it serves. From sponsoring youth sports and schools to supporting churches, charitable organizations, local festivals and community events, giving back has become part of the company’s culture.
His philosophy mirrors the company’s cornerstone belief:
“Our People Make the Difference.”
That belief extends not only to employees but also to every customer who has supported Batesville Sonic over the past 50 years.
During Saturday’s celebration, Sonic’s Batesville Area Supervisor Jeremy Adams announced the winner of the Grand Prize E-Bike giveaway as a way of thanking the community for five decades of loyalty.
ArkansasRadio.com owner Bob Connell joined his longtime friend Ricky Davis during the historic broadcast alongside Ben Johnson, Greg Geary and Todd Scott as folks gathered to celebrate one of Batesville’s most recognizable businesses.
From working behind the counter as a college student to leading one of the nation’s premier Sonic franchise groups, Ricky Davis has built far more than restaurants.
He has built careers.
He has built communities.
He has built friendships.
And after 50 years, the New Sonic drive-in at Saint Louis and Lawrence Street remains a symbol of what faith, family, hard work and serving others can accomplish.
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