By: Liz Farmer

We’re all quite atwitter here in The Daily Record newsroom. Sonic, the drive-in home of shakes, foot-long hot dogs and waitresses on roller skates, is coming to the Baltimore area.

The Oklahoma-based fast food chain has plans to open up its second Maryland location on Liberty Road just outside the Baltimore Beltway. (It also has a drive-in in Easton.)

According to a Baltimore County news release, Sonic plans to hire 120 employees for its new location, which will open Aug. 13. The County Department of Economic Development also assisted the local franchise owners with a $60,000 Building Investment Loan.

It’s noteworthy that Sonic’s first Baltimore-Washington location is outside of Charm City.

For one, it seems like a better fit for this region. I live in the D.C. suburbs and it seems like what a lot of the population there (meaning Montgomery County) gets excited about is the newest fru-fru grocery store or the latest boutique shop.

(Not yours truly, of course. I’d rather waste my money on sports jerseys. Or on discovering hole-in-the-wall establishments that have authentic food on the cheap.)

Plus, as I wrote about recently, they’re trying to get people in D.C. to stop using their cars so much. A drive-in sort of doesn’t quite fit with that theme.

Anyway, my point is, half the fun of Sonic is its charm. And what better place to go than Charm City?

And I bet the county financial assistance didn’t hurt — Baltimore County has been successful in wooing businesses and development here with business loans and this is just another example.