By BLAKE DESHAZO

The Selma Times-Journal

A revamped Sonic restaurant is coming to Selma in 2015. The old one is being torn down, and a new one is being built in its place.

“I have a special place in my heart for Selma, as it was the first restaurant I owned,” said Buddy McClain, the CEO of the MVP Sonic Group. “We want to thank the community and let them know that even though we are closing temporarily, we aren’t going anywhere. We are only getting better and look forward to customers returning in 2015.”

Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday, Dec. 8, and it is expected to be finished within a couple of months.

“The goal would be to have it open in early February, preferably the first week pending construction plans,” said Margie Jepson, the director of marketing and public relations for MVP Sonic Group. “When we say early 2015, we don’t mean March, April, or May. We’re looking at a late January and early February time frame.”

New technology will be one of the main upgrades to the new restaurant the MVP Sonic Group is building.

“There will be LED screens in the drive-in stalls,” Jepson said. “Sonic has been very progressive in keeping up with technology, so we are trying to keep up with the technology that our customers like and use.”

The upgrades will allow customers to pay with their credit card at the stalls among other conveniences.

“We are excited to be bringing a beautiful new structure to Selma that will have digital screens and improved technology to go along with the delicious food that Sonic has at our drive-in,” McClain said.

The Selma location has been in business for more than 30 years.

“The most important thing is that we have appreciated how long that we have successfully been in business in Selma,” Jepson said. “So we want to thank our customers for that by providing them with a newer Sonic.”