---
title: "KBP Brands Acquires 78 SONIC Locations Across Five States"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/1ff8dc3e-68c2-4103-a240-aa4528dcbd9a
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/kbp-brands-sonic-acquisition-2731529
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
topics: ["Finance & M&A"]
published: 2026-02-24T21:16:10.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T20:29:40.661Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/1771972647_2731529.png
---

# KBP Brands Acquires 78 SONIC Locations Across Five States

**TL;DR:** KBP Brands has acquired 78 additional SONIC locations across five states, expanding its footprint and operational efficiencies. This acquisition makes KBP the fourth-largest SONIC franchisee in the system with 164 total locations across eight states.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2026-02-24. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/kbp-brands-sonic-acquisition-2731529).*

## Story

KBP Brands, the multi-brand franchisee group with over 1,100 restaurants across 32 states, has announced its acquisition of 78 additional SONIC units. The new units are spread across Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

This is the second SONIC acquisition KBP has completed in less than two years, and it makes KBP the fourth-largest SONIC franchisee in the system with 164 total locations across eight states.

“We’ve had a successful five-year partnership with Inspire Brands and have seen strong results from our initial SONIC purchase,” KBP CEO Mike Kulp said in a statement. “We look forward to expanding that with a larger footprint and additional operational efficiencies.”

KBP is one of the country’s largest franchisee groups, reporting approximately $1.5 billion in annual sales across its portfolio, which includes KFC, Taco Bell and Arby’s, another Inspire Brands franchise.

"Our relationship with KBP Brands continues to grow due to their operational excellence and our shared commitment to guest satisfaction and a culture that champions innovation," said John Kelly, brand president at SONIC. "KBP's expansion with SONIC demonstrates their dedication to our vision and the brand's long-term growth."

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- unit expansion (topic)
- Taco Bell (company)
- Finance (sector)
- acquisition (topic)
- KFC (company)
- Arby's (company)
- Inspire Brands (company)
- franchisee growth (topic)
- Sonic (company)
- KBP Brands (company)
- multi brand franchisee (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/kbp-brands-sonic-acquisition-2731529). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/1ff8dc3e-68c2-4103-a240-aa4528dcbd9a).