Why Sonic Is Sweating Over A Viral Ice Cream Trend
While the likes of Baskin-Robbins, Cold Stone Creamery, and Häagen-Dazs may be duking it out for the title of most loved ice cream shop in the U.S., Sonic seems to be sitting happily as one of America's favorite places to grab a quick and easy frozen treat. The drive-in fast food chain isn't just a cheaper option, it also has plenty of unique flavors for ice cream fans to enjoy. Aside from its classic menu items, which include Blasts made of ice cream combined with candy like Snickers and M&Ms, Sonic also routinely releases new ice cream creations, like its recently launched churro milkshake. But, thanks to a recent TikTok trend, the well-known chain revealed its ice cream sales may be in trouble.
One of the most popular videos demonstrating this viral TikTok ice cream hack was filled with commenters expressing how enamored they were with this method of making homemade ice cream. A user on the app wrote in praise, "Thank you, Thank you, and the Oscar for the best dessert goes to @buttermilkbysam. I will neer buy ice cream 🍦 again." Another posted, "Did this just change the game." And, as a direct response to TikTokers' glee over the trend, the team behind Sonic's official TikTok account also took to the comment section. Their take on the topic? "This is gonna be bad for business."
TikTok's mason jar ice cream has Sonic concerned
@buttermilkbysam did more than bring joy to TikTok users by posting a mason jar ice cream hack – they also had Sonic feeling like its place in the ice cream world is now at stake. In the video, the creator and baker taught TikTokers that all they need to make homemade ice cream is brown sugar, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, heavy creamer, a mason jar, and a hand mixer.
If the easy-to-access ingredients and simple preparation didn't spell enough bad news for Sonic, Sam noted that this homemade ice cream isn't only convenient; it's also highly customizable. The TikToker even recommended adding M&M's to the mason jar ice cream mixture before placing it in the freezer — which sounds eerily familiar to one of Sonic's most beloved treats, the M&M Blast.
But there still may be hope for Sonic yet. While some serious ice cream lovers may want to commit to making the mason jar dessert for themselves, that's not the case for every ice cream fan. One commenter noted this in a reply to Sonic's comment, where they referenced the video's 938.9 thousand saves: "Dont worry, we all saved this but will still never make it."