Food

Amy’s Kitchen Tries Organic Fast Food

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By Ali Golden June 8, 2015

Frozen food is just the beginning: Amy’s Kitchen will be serving up fresh fare at a new fast food joint.

When I reach the frozen food aisle at the supermarket, I immediately look for Amy’s Kitchen products. So I was ecstatic to hear the good news: The food producer famous for its homemade, organic, and (mostly) kosher products will be opening Amy’s Drive Thru, a fast food restaurant.

Fast food is universally recognized as being artificial and unhealthy. But Amy’s Kitchen is trying something different: All at the new fast food joint will be vegetarian and GMO-free, and 95% of ingredients will be certified organic. And, if you desire, each item can be made gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan.

The company earned kosher certification in 2003 and has since become a favorite with Jews looking for a yummy, easy-to-make meal. Perhaps future Amy’s restaurants will be kosher too?

All meals will be fresh and made-to-order, but Amy’s expects to produce the food at the speedy rate typical of fast food restaurants. This labor-intensive challenge means slightly higher prices — a typical meal will be $9 and under, according to the Civil Eats blog.

The restaurant will open in Rohnert Park, California (50 miles north of San Francisco), in late June.

Amy’s plans for the restaurant’s construction show that the company’s sustainable sourcing extends beyond food ingredients. The furniture will be made from discarded wood and scrap metal, and any new wood purchased will be certified as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council. The restaurant will collect and reuse rainwater, and solar panels will cover its roof. Not bad for a fast food spot, huh?

Amy’s is setting the bar high for fast food industry practices. Hopefully other chains will follow its lead.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Amy’s sets up shop on the East Coast so I can taste an organic, vegan, fast-food burrito sometime soon!

Ali Golden is a climate activist, an intern at Hazon and a former trail worker in Yellowstone National Park.

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