---
title: "Sonic CEO Cliff Hudson To Retire"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/c7b0a1a3-3d2c-4193-ae13-e49cabf466b0
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/sonic-ceo-cliff-hudson-to-retire-2708389
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2018-11-07T20:15:02.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:38:38.017Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/def71eacabbbdbe3a509238b2361991e12.jpg
---

# Sonic CEO Cliff Hudson To Retire

**TL;DR:** Sonic CEO Cliff Hudson will retire upon the completion of the company's sale to Inspire Brands. Hudson has been with the brand since 1984 and has served as CEO for 23 years.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-11-07. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/sonic-ceo-cliff-hudson-to-retire-2708389).*

## Story

After 23 years at the helm of the brand, Sonic announced CEO Cliff Hudson will retire upon the completion of the company’s sale to Inspire Brands .

A Restaurant Business article that detailed the leadership change noted that Sonic president Claudia San Pedro, who was promoted to the role in February , will take over as leader of the brand and report to Inspire Brands CEO Paul Brown.

Hudson has been with the brand since 1984, serving as assistant general counsel until being appointed as its CEO in 1995.

“Leading the company and brand Troy Smith founded 65 years ago has been the pleasure of a lifetime,” Hudson said in a statement. “I know he would be proud of the growth that both the company and our franchisees have achieved.”

Maddie has spent her career in the media industry, serving in various editorial roles before migrating into a hybrid content strategy and PR role with No Limit Agency. Her passion for storytelling and love of writing help her create meaningful content on behalf of her clients and fulfill No Limit Agency’s mission to tell people-driven stories. Maddie is a graduate of Saint Louis University, where she studied Communications with a focus in journalism and media studies as well as Sports Business.

In her spare time, Maddie can be found exploring Chicago’s food scene, watching an NBA game or lamenting over her middling fantasy baseball team.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- leadership change (topic)
- Inspire Brands (company)
- Sonic (company)
- Paul Brown (person)
- brand sale (topic)
- ceo retirement (topic)
- Inspire Brands acquisition of Sonic (deal)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/sonic-ceo-cliff-hudson-to-retire-2708389). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/c7b0a1a3-3d2c-4193-ae13-e49cabf466b0).