The Dr Pepper Sonic Games are an intense competition among almost 3,000 Sonic Drive-In restaurant crews. The final 12 were just announced and Tennessee claims three of those spots. Two of them are from Knoxville.
One is the Mountain Grove Drive store off Chapman Highway. The other is the defending national champs on North Broadway.
Those are team awards based on practical restaurant skills. One Sonic carhop is also up for an individual award.
Sonic calls itself America's Drive-In. Customers arrive in cars to order curbside. And sometimes the carhops arrive on wheels, too.
"Hi, my name is James. I'll be your car hop today."
James Moffet started roller skating at the Sonic on Broadway about three years ago with his general manager's encouragement.
Broadway Sonic General Manager "It makes the customers more excited. It makes a more memorable experience for everyone. And usually at the end of the day it helps the food get out faster and makes a better experience for the guest," General Manager Jonathan Brown said.
Not every guest gets the same show.
"It depends on what they actually have on what I can put on the tray and stuff like that because sometimes I spin the tray around and do little things like that and it depends on where they actually park too," James Moffet said.
James says he's had just a few spectacular wipe outs on the job but he's never spilled anything on a customer.
"I was delivering some sundaes and I fell backwards and hurt my tailbone really bad," he recalled. "When I stepped down my right foot kind of just went out from under me. I fell backwards, slug the tray backwards, and ice cream went everywhere."
His moves are mostly smooth as a peanut butter shake. In fact, he's one of five finalists in the national Sonic skate-off competition.
"You have to do an obstacle course where you have to weave in and out through cones, one legged lanes where you have to go around corners and stuff like that, up and down stairs through doors, over puddles or through them, all while delivering multiple orders," he explained.
Plus a 90-second freestyle skate.
"I do not expect to go there and win anything. I am expecting to go there and learn a lot of tricks, moves and what it is to be a skater," he said.
Jonathan Brown said, "He is very talented as far as skating. He is very dedicated. Honestly, he has been doing it for years. I just hope that he goes there and wins the gold."
He will go for the gold next week in Oklahoma City. Even if he doesn't bring home a medal he has achieved a winning attitude.
"If you want to get better you have to keep at it."
James will also travel to Washington DC next month with the crew at the North Broadway store that is a top 12 team finalist.