Sonny's, 103 N. 7th Street, McBee: August 2019 (NOT closed)
My wife was in McBee recently and noticed that Sonny's appeared to be closed down, pointing out that the sign was gone. Looking at their Facebook page, Sonny's has not made a post since July 22, and they had been posting pretty regularly every other week or so. Also according to Sonny's Facebook page, they were no longer opening on Saturdays as of June 22, and shortening hours tends to be a big sign that a restaurant is not doing well.
I don't think it would be an incorrect assumption that Sonny's was a bit of an institution in McBee given how long they had been in McBee and that there has never been a lot of restaurants there. I remember passing by Sonny's for many years going back to my childhood when going out of town. It was hard not to notice the place, not just because it was right on Highway 1 but mainly because of the clown on the sign. Unfortunately, the clown sign was missing when I was over there to take pictures. I also recall Sonny's being painted bright blue for many years, which was also an eye-catcher.
It appears that Google is confusing this restaurant with the Sonny's barbecue chain because Google Maps shows that Sonny's was a "Fast-food chain for slow-smoked meats." That would be a swing and a miss, Google. Reading their menu on their Facebook page, Sonny's offered a variety of both cold and hot sandwiches, burgers, and dinner plates. Sonny's was definitely more of a sit-down restaurant than a fast food place, based on that menu.
Darn. Now I'll never get to take my coulrophobic brother-in-law to the clown restaurant!
UPDATE 09/18/2019: Well, folks, I jumped the gun on this one, for Sonny's is still open for business. On their Facebook page, I found a recent review from September 16 and a post from when Hurricane Dorian was skimming the coast. Fret not, Sonny's fans; you can still eat at your favorite clown-themed restaurant!