Alcohol Coming to Sonic, Burger King, Starbucks?

Not everywhere, but the trend of combining alcohol with fast food is on a steady increase.

Some locations of Sonic, Burger King and even Starbucks are getting in on the concept, shilling beer and wine alongside their value combos, coffees and lattes. One restaurant consultant familiar with dining trends and patterns says the push helps fast food joints compete with the “casual dining” sector that is becoming rapidly popular:

In a tough economy, the move towards alcohol is a way to compete with casual dining — and can help boost typically slow evening business, says Ron Paul, president at Technomic, a restaurant consulting firm. “For consumers, it’s basically about having it your way — even if it’s having a beer with your burger.”

Two locations of Sonic in Florida- Miami and Fort Lauderdale- are adding extensive beer options to their menu. Burger King’s Whopper Bar locations serve beer as well, and four Seattle locations of Starbucks offer beer and wine with a fifth being added soon.

Do you think this trend should be adopted nationwide? Would you like beer with that?