Veggie-loving, health-conscious moms get excited because the experts in healthy meals just made it a whole lot easier to feed your family. Amy's Kitchen announced that they would be taking their retail brand into the fast food arena with the same commitment of "selling great-tasting vegetarian food." The vegetarian drive-thru will prepare all of its non-GMO, egg and peanut-free products onsite whilst offering vegan and gluten-free options. The vast majority of the quick and healthy drive-thru options, like pizza, meat-free hamburgers and burritos, will be organic, locally sourced and competitively priced. This is an exciting step for the brand that started in 1987 when founders Andy and Rachel Berliner were searching for quick and natural meals to feed their young daughter, Amy, and others who appreciated good, homemade vegetarian food. Their first product, a vegetarian pot pie, was an immediate success and the retail brand grew from one frozen pie to 200 frozen meals and a line of canned goods. As modern consumer trends are increasingly shifting towards health-consciousness, fast food spots like McDonald's, Taco Bell and Wendy's have responded by offering a few healthy food items as a secondary part of their menu. Amy's Drive-Thru will effortlessly differentiate itself since healthy, convenient and organic food choices sit at the core of their business. Amy's Drive Thru also plans to center their infrastructure on a sustainable and environmentally healthy building. The restaurant will have a living roof with drought resistant, local plants, which will reduce energy needs and take in some of that extra CO2. The furnishings will also be constructed from recycled materials, adding to the appeal for a hungry vegetarian on the go. Several fast food chains have made the leap into retail, but Amy's Kitchen seems to be one of the first retail brands to take the leap into the fast food category, and they seem certain to shake up the traditional approach to eating on the go. We racked our brains and couldn't think of any other fast food restaurants that began in retail. Can you think of any? Tweet us @bluemarlin to let us know.
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