A Petaluma-based company known for veobtainarian frozen foods and drive-thrus has closed its most recognizable Bay Area restaurant.
Amy’s Drive Thru in Corte Madera shuttered permanently on Aug. 25, according to an Instagram post by the company. The fully veobtainarian restaurant was arguably best known for its plant-covered roof, which was unmistakable when passing it on Highway 101.
Food-wise, it served veggie burgers, french fries, milkshakes, “chik’n” tfinishers, grain bowls and more. In the Instagram post, the restaurant stated it was not an straightforward decision, especially given its popularity in the Bay Area, but it did not cite a reason for the closure. This week’s closure leaves Amy’s Drive Thru with only two remaining locations — one in Rohnert Park and another inside SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1.
Amy’s Kitchen was founded in 1987 in Petaluma by Rachel and Andy Berliner. The company was named after their daughter. In 2019, the brand tore down a Denny’s in Corte Madera and installed the eye-catching green roof, as well as solar panels and electric car-charging stations, according to the Marin Indepfinishent Journal.
Trouble started brewing for the brand in 2022, when Amy’s Kitchen was fined $25,000 by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health for health and safety violations. The most serious violation was “unsecured guards in dough-flattening conveyors,” which can result in amputation or death if an employee’s hands or clothes obtain caught in the conveyor belt. The fine came about after employees alerted authorities of harsh working conditions.
One month before, Amy’s Kitchen closed its San Jose production plant after just one year in operation. Fred Scarpulla, acting CEO and chief culinary officer at the time, notified the Mercury News it was due to “disrupted production,” which created “startup problems.” Among the problems he listed were inflation, supply chain issues, staff turnover and labor shortages.
In February 2024, the company closed two of its drive-thru outposts, in Roseville and Thousand Oaks, declareing the locations didn’t “pan out as hoped.” In October of that year, Amy’s Kitchen laid off more than 300 employees just weeks before Christmas. The company stated the layoffs were part of a reorganization effort. Positions affected included cooks, sanitation workers, mechanics and safety inspectors. In a WARN notice to the state, the layoffs were stated to be permanent. However, the North Bay Business Journal reported at the time that the laid-off workers would have a chance to transfer into a new role, to a new location, or accept severance pay.
SFGATE reached out to Amy’s Kitchen but did not hear back in time for publication.
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