Crestview Sonic workers deliver for incapacitated senior couple

CRESTVIEW — A local couple praises a North Ferdon Boulevard fast-food restaurant that helped in their time of need.

As Donna Medlock recovers from a lengthy illness, a daily highlight is a chocolate shake and occasional hamburger, which her husband, Ron, fetches from the Sonic drive-in. But on Feb. 4, Ron had an accident that severely damaged his knee. “I tripped over the corner of the bed,” he said. “The first few weeks, it looked like I was hiding a volleyball under my knee.”

Ron could not drive for more than a month, which meant he couldn’t bring Donna her daily shake, he said.

But he shortly discovered courtesy pays dividends.

GRANDFATHERLY WAYS

From his regular visits, younger Sonic workers came to love Ron’s grandfatherly kindness, general manager Heath Gilbert said.

“My kids love him,” Gilbert said. “They go out and talk to him. Every time he’s had something to thank us for, he sends us a card, which is very uplifting because we live in a society that just wants to complain. To get thank yous is something the kids really enjoy.”

Ron called the restaurant and asked if someone could deliver a chocolate shake to the couple’s Old Bethel Road home. Though Sonic doesn’t offer delivery service, this technicality didn’t deter workers from making sure Donna got her daily treat.

Many times, the delivery person wasn’t even on the clock. “The kids said, ‘I’m going home, I’ll take it,’” Sonic supervising partner Kathy Bonner said, crediting Gilbert. “If you have a kind leader, you have kind employees.”

FAITH-BASED HELP

Sonic’s local workers try to live up to Bible verses referenced on the bottom of each customer receipt, Bonner said.

“We are definitely a faith-based organization,” Bonner said. “It is just something the partners feel strongly about. We try to keep things positive and inspirational.”

“Crestview is a lovely place,” Medlock said. “New people coming into the town should know how nice people here are if you take the time to know them. I like to do business at the same places, like Sonic, and get to know the people who work there."

Medlock’s young friends at Sonic noticed that, Gilbert said.

“We have such a great core group of people,” he said. “It’s not me. It’s the kids. They deserve the recognition for helping the Medlocks.”