Sonic's Shaking Up Its Menu With A New Peanut Butter Bacon Burger

It can be hard for fast food chains to stand out in America, considering there are so many. This is even more true for those specializing in burgers, where it seems like everything has already been done. There are still some frontiers left unexplored, though, and now Sonic is leading the way for one ingredient in particular: Peanut butter. Starting January 8 and running until February 4, Sonic locations nationwide will feature the Peanut Butter Bacon SuperSONIC® Double Cheeseburger for $6.39, a combination of flavors some may find unusual. The burger features two beef patties, bacon, peanut butter, melted cheese, and grilled onions.

It's important to note, though, that peanut butter and bacon is a surprisingly classic combo. Elvis famously loved foods that combined bacon and peanut butter, and the iconic sandwich called "The Elvis" involves that combo along with banana slices. So while the addition of grilled beef, onions, and cheese might be new, the base flavors at play here go well together.

The peanut butter bacon burger isn't the only new item Sonic is unveiling. The chain is also offering the peanut butter bacon shake at $3.99 for a medium, which is, well, exactly what it sounds like. A peanut butter milkshake is nothing new — it's pretty much become one of the standard flavors at this point — but bacon in a dessert might make some pause. However, bacon and ice cream together are not new to the fast food sphere: In 2012, Burger King released a bacon sundae nationwide, and frankly, it was delicious.

A peanut butter and bacon creation is also not nearly the weirdest thing Sonic has released. In 2018, the company dropped the pickle juice slushie on an unsuspecting American public, a menu addition that proved divisive, to say the least. At that time, reactions online ranged from surprisingly compelled, to repulsion. The company has to be hoping both its new burger and shake offerings will be met with a more unified enthusiastic reception.