First Vegetarian Drive-Thru Opens In Northern CA- Welcome to Amy’s Drive-Thru

On first glance, menu items at the brand-new Amy’s Drive-Thru in Rohnert Park look like any other fast food restaurant: double cheeseburger, chili cheese fries, and a milkshake, all served with the quickest of ease. But at a closer look, you’ll soon discover that there’s not an ounce of meat on the grill. The cows the dot the Sonoma County hills are indeed celebrating today.

Photo Credit Amy’s Drive-Thru

The fresh concept, from Amy’s Kitchen founders Andy and Rachel Berliner, serves purely vegetarian burgers, burritos, and pizzas with vegan and gluten-free options; almost entirely organic ingredients; and no GMOs but wait, it gets even better! Everything here is made from scratch—from the tofu for the meatless chili to the pasta for the baked mac ‘n’ cheese-which gets a double thumbs up from the entire family and if that’s not quite what your tastebuds are hampering for, there are salads of every kind just for you.

Photo Credit Amy’s Drive-Thru

“I think people really do want to eat this way,” says Andy Berliner, nibbling a crisp french fry (quick fried in sunflower seed oil) made from potatoes grown on Amy’s own fields outside of Bakersfield. “You feel good after, not like a fast food coma.”   The bestseller? Amy’s Burger—two patties made of veggies, mushrooms and grains, topped with cheese, tomato, onion, Sonoma Brinery pickle, and Fred Sr.’s regular or spicy secret sauce, all on a toasted bun.

Photo Credit Amy’s Drive-Thru

 The Berliners spent nearly two years perfecting their recipes. The goal: a careful balance of health, flavor, and that good ole drive-thru satisfaction/guilt we all secretly crave. Core recipes draw from the Amy’s Kitchen’s international line of packaged and frozen vegetarian foods, but with fresh twists  and local ingredients from our own  Petaluma’s Clover Stornetta Farms sour cream and tomatoes in the burritos. Usually when you see the word healthy or organic, the term pricey comes to mind but not here as all of their prices remain fast food–friendly. A single burger can be had for $2.99, or $2.69 without cheese. A big mound of tofu-rich chili cheese fries rings up at $3.49; the amply sized burrito is $4.69; tomato-green onion  mac ‘n’ cheese is $4.89; and my personal favorite, the  spinach mozzarella personal pizza is only $6.50.

Photo Credit Amy’s Drive-Thru

The one thing I did miss with my filling meal was dessert but not to worry- the fresh squeezed lemonade provides a sweet jolt, and milkshakes, either non-dairy or made with Sonoma milk will make every sweet tooth happy.  Next time you’re in Sonoma County, make sure to stop in and visit Amy’s Drive-Thru,  located right off the freeway at  58 Golf Course Drive West, Rohnert Park about 50 miles north of San Francisco  Amy’s Drive-Thru is open daily from 10:30 am to 9:00 pm To learn more about Amy’s, check out their website AmysDriveThru– how real fast food should be.