UPDATE: The restaurant is now slated for a late July 2015 opening.
How long does it take to develop a veggie burger that could go toe-to-toe with In-N-Out? Roughly two years. Or, at least that’s how long the R&D team at Amy’s Kitchen has been working on the double-stack burger for their forthcoming fast-food eatery.
Amy’s Drive Thru is slated for a May-ish late June opening in Rohnert Park. It will be a fast-food concept restaurant developed by healthy frozen-food pioneer Amy’s Kitchen. BiteClub got a sneak preview of what’s going on the menu — and hold onto your greasy little steering wheel, ‘cause your meals-on-the-go are about to get a whole lot better.
Piled with sweet pickles, lettuce, brilliant red tomato slices, cheese, “special sauce” and a soft bun, the “Amy’s Burger” is a beefy mouth-stretcher (without the beef, of course) that can satisfy the most devout carnivore. And that’s a good thing, considering that In-N-Out and McDonald’s will be within spitting distance of their Redwood Drive location.
But getting that fast-food experience with the meat-free philosophy of Amy’s Kitchen hasn’t been, well, a picnic.
“We’ve grilled enough burgers (in the R&D lab) to run the restaurant for a month and a half. Multiple times,” said head food developer Fred Scarpulla. Trial and error can be delicious, but not necessarily easy. Not to mention that everything on the menu comes in vegan and gluten-free versions. So that’s another whole set of recipe testing.
But as of late February, 2015 the opening menu will include not just the burgers, but meatless chili cheese fries, milkshakes, mac and cheese, personal pizzas, burritos, salads and natural sodas made with GMO-free, organic ingredients, many of which are sourced locally. More than rehashed versions of their frozen meals, these are dishes that have been entirely created for a fast-food experience.
“We make it all, and we make it from scratch, said Scarpulla. That also includes the potatoes, which are specially grown for the company. “We’ve tasted every kind of potato to find the perfect potato,” said co-owner Rachel Berliner, who with husband Andy were at the tasting.
“I’m super excited to pull up and just get this food to go,” said Rachel. “I’m that person.”
If all goes well, much of Sonoma County will be those people, too. How many times have you asked yourself why someone can’t come up with a healthier version of fast food? Amy’s may have just cracked the code.
Expect to pay under $10 for a double cheeseburger, fries and a shake, and less than $5 for a burrito.
More details as the opening gets closer.
This is really embarrassing !
After seeing this images, my mouth is just full of water 🙂
Awesome delicious article.
Loved the whole idea of it. Thanks for sharing those ideas and keep up the good work!
Monsanto’s only study on health was done by them and lasted only 3 months, a professor at a university found that it took four months for the rats to get tumors, lets make some changes. gmofilm.com
Really excited to finally see a vegetarian drive thru come to So. Co. And I love sweet pickles, so don’t change a thing
🙂
Totally agreed!!!
Ha Ha Ha
Sure sounds good to us. We’ve been eating Amy’s foods for a long time and we like them all (especially the enchiladas and the tamales ). Our only complaint, at this time, is that you’re using sweet pickles instead of dill or better yet, kosher dill.
The time has come for organic, non-GMO fast food, and Amy’s is the perfect choice to bring it to us! I can’t wait for there to be an Amy’s Kitchen near me in Thousand Oaks, CA! I would like to see dill pickles rather than sweet pickles though. Kudos to Amy’s!
Oh man, I hope one of these get opened u near Sapulpa/Tulsa Oklahoma!
Its so hard to find enough vegetarian options around here!
Hey There, Hi There ! Here’s hoping that Amy’s Drive Thru comes to Orem, Utah quickly. She will have a regular customer with me ! I love the way this company “thinks” and is up-grading the fast food drive thru’s with GMO FREE, no additives quality food.
Amen & amen !
I am sure that the offerings may not be as healthy as a non-fat, low sodium home cooked vegan meal. But I don’t care — I eat that every day. Give me a fast food no-animal burger and fries for a change, please! Hope they open up in the East Bay and Central Valley.
No thanks.
I love Amy’s frozen meals and am looking forward to trying the drive-in to discover the differences in the food. My only hesitation is that the veggie burger comes with sweet pickles which I detest, so I’ll be asking for that to be left off. I love dill pickles, so maybe they should give a choice of relish.
Really hoping the menu will contain at least some foods that do not contain a ton of sodium, as most of Amy’s frozen foods do.
If Amy’s really wants to offer a healthy alternative, then serve food that is good for the body, not just what might appeal to some folks palates who are not knowledgeable about what eating a ton of sodium can do to your health.
I used to live in Sevastopol. Hope to eat at an Amy’s Drive Thru here in Ventura/Oxnard, CA, ASAP.
I hope they nail it by boldly publishing their nutritional information and menu online to make it easy to compare against the chains – and challenging the chains to top them! How wonderful to see such creativity right here at home!
Alas the idea of a tasty vegan burger .. is compelling, but seems self defeating to challenge In and Out with sweet pickles. I don’t think Sodas will challenge the good shakes at In & Out or be healthy if like other soft drinks. Where are the salads Vs fries?
All the fat calories of fast food, without the pesky beef.
Technically, the feds could take the case over. The punishment varies on a few things: the number of stolen numbers (each one is a separate count) and the offender’s record (e.g. if he’s done it or other crimes before, he can go away for a longer time).
Is the food healthy or just vegetarian?! Gluten-free/ dairy-free options? I know it’s organic but are all the oils used healthy? Isn’t it still “processed by products of soy?
Yes, it is still the original owners. Their daughter, Amy, is getting married this spring.
When are you opening? We can’t wait to visit!
Who owns Amy ‘s Kitchen these days? Original owner ?
I’m really looking forward to trying it. But there is one _fairly_ healthy fast food option already found in CA mini-malls. Panda Express is pretty tasty, and if you stay away from the fried dishes and sweet sauces, it’s fairly healthy — at least more so than a double-double and fries.
I am willing to try their drive thru food, but what I have tried of their frozen food over the years I have found to be inedible muck.
For those of us who enjoy sweet pickles/relish I’m happy with the burger. It would be nice to have sweet potato fries, too.
Will they be paying a livable wage and providing healthcare and benefits for there employees? Also giving them enough hours to earn a living wage and qualify for benefits?
Those two items to me or much more important than GMO free, organic or gluten free.
I can’t wait to try this place. I hope it is so successful that they open another location in Santa Rosa.
So excited! How amazing that we’re getting a bonafide Vegetarian restaurant to open! This happens so rarely, which is shocking for the SF Bay Area! We have to keep up with LA and NYC who are way ahead of the game with vegan/veg restaurants. Woo Hoo! Cannot wait to support them! LOVE their packaged food and bet it will be AMAZING fresh!!!
Oh man that burger looks so good! Can wait to try it.
Wow. Someone is actually doing this! And wow, it’s in my county!
Can’t wait. We love Amy’s kitchen. They have come to our preschool and presented about organic food. The children were able to sample several dishes and loved them all. Kid approved!
This is directed to Robin Hobbins’ comment. Robin, you must have eaten at Amy’s Chinese Kitchen. This is NOT Amy’s Kitchen. Amy’s Kitchen does not have an eatery in Cotati. Please do not confuse the two. Amy’s Kitchen is a quality class act. When it opens, give it a try.
This sounds great! I have both worked for and eaten fast food for years, but avoid eating it often because I feel better eating less grease and more fruits and vegetables. I wonder how long it will take for one to open in Boise Idaho?
Looking forward to it. More choices is good. Those who don’t like it can eat elsewhere, grow fat and die.
Well Robbin Hobbins, the “Amy’s Kitchen” you speak of in Cotati is not “Amy’s Kitchen.” It’s “Amy”s Chinese Kitchen” which has no relation at all to “Amy’s Kitchen.” So if you’re going to dog a place in the media, make sure you get the right place.
I can’t wait for this place to open. Although, I question the location…directly next to the casino seems a little odd to me. I can’t imagine that the mentality of “gambling addicts” will feel compelled to feast on a vegetarian based menu.
I have to chime in. Recently my family and friends went to eat at the Amy’s kitchen in Cotai. I never do this but here goes. It was TERRIBLE!! It was almost a joke.
What makes this healthy? It sounds like standard fast food but without meat.
I can’t wait. I eat lots of fast food unfortunately, but maybe with a healthy alternative now it won’t be unfortunate. That burger looks great…but I echo the sweet pickle sentiment, I hate them on burgers. They take over the taste and end up tasting like relish. Dill pickles only please.
Hopefully they will offer dill pickles for the burger. Sweet pickles ruin everything. I’ll definitely drive thru though, to avoid hearing convos about people’s dietary restrictions.
Can’t wait to try something new and different.
Oh ya!!!!! Can’t wait. RP needs to peel off of chain restaurants. Great start!
Well this is great news indeed! I’m hoping to see the addition of vegan cheese. LOVE Amy’s California Burger but looking forward to whatever they’re cooking up.
Well, this is exciting. Do they share what their “burgers” are made from? I look forward to trying some of the new healthier fare, although I have to admit, In & Out will be hard to beat!