Amy's Kitchen lands fast-food restaurant at San Francisco airport, plans Marin opening

As part of its ongoing growth strategy, Petaluma-based Amy's Kitchen plans to open a restaurant at San Francisco International Airport and aims for a second drive-through eatery, both set for 2019.|

As part of its ongoing growth strategy, Petaluma-based Amy's Kitchen has announced it will open a restaurant in July 2019 at San Francisco International Airport.

The 1,600-square-foot restaurant will be situated in Terminal 1, a few gates past security, before Gate 7, the company said. Terminal 1 is currently undergoing a $2.4 billion upgrade, according to previous reporting by the Press Democrat.

'As frequent travelers ourselves, we have been excited about the idea of a restaurant in SFO for the last couple of years,' said Paul Schiefer Sr., director of business development at Amy's Kitchen. 'This past June, we were fortunate to win a competitive RFP (request for proposal) to open a restaurant in Terminal 1.' The family-owned, privately held company declined to state its investment in the new site.

The SFO location will feature an organic, non-GMO, all-vegetarian menu like its Amy's Rohnert Park location, but with modified lunch and dinner options, and an expanded breakfast selection, according to the company. Ongoing menu items include The Amy (burger), fries, salads, shakes and soups. Everything on the menu can be made vegan or gluten-free, the company said.

The forthcoming Amy's at SFO marks its second restaurant and its first that isn't a drive-through. Amy's made its debut into the restaurant world in 2015, when it opened Amy's Drive Thru in Rohnert Park. A second Amy's Drive Thru is planned next year in Corte Madera, Schiefer said.

The company said the 4,125-square-foot Corte Madera eatery will include a 3,000-square-foot outdoor-patio seating area. Construction is expected to begin shortly, with a goal of opening next year in the fourth quarter, Schiefer said.

And there may be more Amy's restaurants to come.

'We are working on some great new sites, but nothing we can publicly speak about yet,' Schiefer said.

Andy and Rachel Berliner founded Amy's Kitchen in 1987 with four employees; today it reports employing more than 2,400 people. Amy's Kitchen makes more than 260 products — mostly organic —in the U.S., and continues to develop channels in over 23 international markets, according to the company. Its products are sold in retail outlets throughout the U.S. and abroad.

The company first released the news about its coming SFO restaurant late last week on its Instagram account: 'Get ready for next-level airport food for omnivores, vegans, vegetarians and gluten free eaters alike.'

Staff Writer Cheryl Sarfaty covers tourism, hospitality, health care and education. Reach her at cheryl.sarfaty@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4259.

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