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Team logo on burger bun is huge success

Gary Wilkerson loved it the minute he saw it: A logo on a pizza.

So the president of Kergan Brothers Sonic, the largest Sonic franchise in Louisiana, chased down an edible printer to make a logo of the local University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns.

"I thought if we put it on a hamburger bun, it would be so unique that we could sell a lot of them," said Wilkerson, a graduate.

He soon struck a deal with the school to use its trademark and agreed to be the presenting sponsor of the season opener and the Oct. 16 homecoming game.

"I knew that people would buy it once, but I had to make them buy it over and over again," he said.

So the company, which sells the burger at 25 of its 54 locations, dreamed up a new creation between the buns.

The Ragin’ Cajun burger is topped with Tabasco mayo, pepper jack cheese, fried crispy onions and a packet of the local favorite Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning on the side.

The burger sells for $3.49, compared to other limited edition burgers Sonic produces at a price point of $2.99.

"On a limited time offer item, we usually sell 15 to 20 of them per day per store," Wilkerson said. "We're selling 50 to 80 of these per day, which is incredible."

Wilkerson said he is in talks with LSU and the New Orleans Saints to do a similar logo burger, and predicts other Sonic franchisees might follow with sports logo buns of their local sports teams.