Lines Out the Door for Nation’s First Major Organic Drive-Thru Fast Food Restaurant
Breaking the paradigm of the unhealthy fast-food restaurant, Amy’s Kitchen, known for its organic, non-GMO and vegetarian/vegan frozen food options, has opened a game-changing drive through restaurant in California.
We believe in better alternatives to current #fastfood choices. We offer vegetarian, organic, & non-GMO options for cleaner eating on-the-go
— Amy’s Drive Thru (@amysdrivethru) July 26, 2015
Amy’s Kitchen began a line of healthy frozen meals in the late 1980s as an alternative to the extremely over-processed foods that dominated the frozen food market.
By the year 2000, Amy’s frozen products began to appear in supermarkets across the U.S., with over 250 varieties being sold worldwide today.
The new Amy’s Organic Drive-Thru restaurant, located in Rohnert Park, California, features an entirely vegetarian menu.
“We feel it is important to know where our food comes from,” Amy’s website states. “We have earned a reputation in the farming community as the company with the most rigid standards for quality and consistency. This is as it should be.”
According to a report by KOIN-6:
The restaurant provides non-GMO, organic, gluten free and vegan options for those looking to grab a bite on the go, but don’t want the typical fast food experience. Menu items are cooked with organic vegetables, beans, grains and dairy sourced “from the farm around the corner.”
“So many (have) showed up and it’s given us a lot of hope that this is a concept that works,” Amy’s Restaurant Manager Paul Schiefer said.
Customers are never left wondering what mystery meat is in their food at Amy’s Drive Thru. The restaurant offers a wide selection of meat-free burgers, burritos, macaroni and cheese, pizza, salad, and chili, as well as milkshakes and vegan non-dairy shakes.
All items can be ordered as vegan or gluten-free, all ingredients are non-GMO. More than 95 percent of the products are organic, and much of the ingredients will be locally sourced, according to the company. In addition, the menu is peanut- and egg-free.
While traditional fast-food restaurants get their produce factory farming operations, Amy’s actually grows produce on site thanks to its roof-bound garden. The establishment also has an on-site water tower that collects rain to water the roof-top garden.
In addition to having great food grown sustainably, the company also reportedly pays workers a living wage with health benefits.
While most fast food joints seem content to serve pink slime and unhealthy processed foods, Amy’s has set the bar for quality fast food. In addition to serving healthy locally grown food, the restaurant has also provided an example of how a fast-food company can pay a living wage to its employees.
