Reba McEntire and Rex Linn’s Valentine’s Day “Ritual” Involves a Specific Fast Food

The Happy’s Place co-stars, a.k.a. “The Tots,” return to the same drive-in restaurant every Valentine’s Day.

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Reba McEntire & Rex Linn Celebrate Halloween With Kelly Clarkson

Reba McEntire and her boyfriend, Rex Linn, have their Valentine’s Day plans set. No, they don’t have a reservation at a swanky restaurant with martinis and oysters. The Happy’s Place co-stars head to their favorite drive-in fast food joint and don’t even get out of their cars for dinner.

Reba McEntire and Rex Linn have a sweet and casual Valentine’s Day “ritual”

McEntire revealed to TODAY that she and Linn head to Sonic every Valentine’s Day to eat what they ate on their first date — tater tots. “It’s a ritual,” she said in 2024. “Every year, it’s an ongoing thing with us: The Tots go to Sonic.”

Tater tots hold a special place in McEntire’s heart. Not only are tater tots one of her favorite foods, it’s the nickname Linn gave her when they first started dating in 2020. “I got the name Tater Tot from my boyfriend, Rex Linn … I think it was our first date,” McEntire recalled to TODAY. “I said that I want some Tater Tots, and Rex looked at me and said, ‘That is officially now your nickname.’”

 

“That was the perfect moment,” Linn told TODAY in 2021 of their first date. “You ordered tater tots, you delved into them like a great white shark with ketchup. And I just thought, that’s it. It’s ‘Tater Tot.’” Complimenting her nickname, McEntire sweetly calls Linn “Sugar Tot” and, as a couple, they go by “The Tots.”

As for who foots the Valentine’s Day bill, McEntire confirmed in a TikTok that “Rex bought” the meal. “We love Sonic tater tots, they’re absolutely wonderful,” she said. “And to go in there and get a #1 cheeseburger with everything on it and tater tots? Man, that’s a great Valentine’s dinner. We loved it, sat right there in the car and ate it.”

Reba McEntire says the “perfect date” must include tater tots

McEntire has said that the “perfect date must include tater tots,” but don’t try to make them yourself. Despite authoring a cookbook that’s full of delicious recipes for things like beer cheese and burgers, McEntire leaves tater tots to the experts, as she explained on Late Night with Seth Meyers in October 2023.

“You get in your car, and you put it in reverse. Get out of the garage and drive down the road, and you find your nearest Sonic,” McEntire said when asked to explain her tater tot recipe. “Pull in the entrance, not the exit. You pull in one of them little slots and you push that red button and you say, ‘Can I have me some tater tots?’ And I hope they don’t say, ‘We’re out.’”

Rex Linn and Reba McEntire at the Super Bowl LVIII Pregame

Rex Linn and Reba McEntire attend the Super Bowl LVIII Pregame at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation

Reba McEntire says Rex Linn is the “love of my life”

McEntire and Linn aren’t just “The Tots,” they’re also best friends. In an interview with Us Weekly, McEntire described Linn as the “love of my life” who she loves to spend time with, whether it’s filming Happy’s Place or just hanging out at home together.

“Rex and I are best friends,” McEntire told the magazine. “We have the same likes and dislikes. We’re foodies. We love to cook. We each wanted to be a cowboy and a cowgirl. Then we got into the entertainment business instead. Our dynamic works on and off-screen … We just love to be together.”