Amy's Kitchen starts construction on Marin County restaurant, plans San Francisco airport opening

Amy's Kitchen has begun site work on its forthcoming Amy's Drive Thru in Corte Madera, marking the official start to what will become the Petaluma-based company's third restaurant.

Located at 5839 Paradise Drive, Amy's Drive Thru will be situated on the Corte Madera site formerly occupied by Denny's, which was razed earlier this month.

'We began site grading on Monday, April 8,' said Dave Wolfgram, president, Amy's Drive Thru. 'Site work will continue throughout the next two months, and building framing will begin in late June.'

On July 23, Amy's will open a 1,600-square-foot restaurant at in Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport, as previously reported by the Business Journal. The SFO location marks Amy's second restaurant and its first that isn't also a drive-thru.

The 4,125-square-foot Amy's Drive Thru in Corte Madera will include an approximately 2,500-square-foot outdoor-patio seating area, Wolfgram said. Initially projected to open in the fourth quarter 2019, the timeline has been updated to a late March 2020 opening, he said.

The company made its first foray outside the supermarket aisles in 2015, when it opened Amy's Drive Thru in Rohnert Park.

While the two drive-through eateries will have the same menu and be similarly laid out, Amy's Drive Thru in Corte Madera will have a few design modifications from Rohnert Park.

'In particular, our Corte Madera (restaurant) won't feature a water tower, but it will include a few location-based features, including a tailored sign with a subtle nod to Mount Tamalpais,' Wolfgram said, adding what won't change is 'our commitment to sustainability, including 100% compostable packaging, electric vehicle charging, and a living roof.'

The company has employed Stevens-Hemingway-Stevens Construction to work on Amy's Drive Thru in Corte Madera — the same general contractor used for Rohnert Park, Wolfgram said.

'We continue to work on further expanding our Drive Thru locations,' he said, adding that details can't yet be shared.

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.

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