Rohnert Park has a new drive thru restaurant, and it’s the first vegetarian drive thru ever. Amy’s Drive-Thru serves all organic, vegetarian food. The restaurant opened July 20 and while it’s a drive through, customers also have the choice to dine in.

Sonoma StateUniversity students now have access to vegetarian meals on the go.

Amy’s Front of House Manager said the owners of Amy’s Kitchen  are very interested in health all the way around, which is why they have a fully organic menu.

Amy’s mission is to serve nourishing health food as well as give more options to vegetarians, vegans, and those with gluten allergies.

Amy’s sells many frozen foods in stores locally and across the nation but the drive thru menu is different.

Austen Noelle, a Sonoma County resident, is a vegetarian and really enjoys the drive thru because there are very limited vegetarian options on the go, and the options she has are usually tasteless and bland.

Her experience eating out is that many restaurants’ vegetarian dishes are salads or sides, not full meals, although Noelle has been able to find some.

“Eating all organic is very important when your diet consists of mostly vegetables,” said Noelle. “As many toxins we take in from the world, we need to be mindful of what we are fueling our bodies with. Eating all organic can be expensive, especially for students but Amy’s has some pretty reasonable prices.

Sonoma County has a scarce amount of entirely vegetarian restaurants according to VegGuide.org. Many places have options for vegetarians and some are vegetarian and vegan friendly but not many dining options have a menu for those appetites.

According to the Raw Food World, roughly 16 million Americans consider themselves vegetarian as of 2015, a figure that has more than doubled in the last seven years.

Amy’s establishment also has a live roof, which is commonly referred to as a green roof, or rooftop garden.

The manager at Amy’s Kitchen said the living roof, equipped with drought resilient plants, helps keep the restaurant cooler during summer, warmer in the winter and fuels the energy needs of the restaurant.

Elizabeth Bissiri, a Sonoma State student, has had difficulty finding healthy food on a college student budget and believes Amy’s Drive-Thru will benefit the college community.

“It is difficult finding healthy food on a tight budget, especially organic. Around here organic options are scarce, which is disappointing as a vegetarian,” said Bissiri.

“Veggies and rice are an easy vegetarian meal but the same exact foods gets old. Having a healthy, vegetarian restaurant is great, and the drive thru is a plus.”

Amy’s Drive Thru is located at 58 Golf Course Drive West in Rohnert Park. For more information, visit amysdrivethru.com