Baby Greens, Sharon May’s “Austin mini-chain which highlights healthy, quick, easy, and most importantly, affordable salads,” as Eater Austin recently put it, opened a new—or “anew,” as it is a sort of comeback (Mays’ original eateries closed in 2009)—drive-through off West Anderson Lane earlier this month.
In addition to being an aesthetically pleasing space (almost anomalous for a drive-through), Baby Greens features a number of green and eco-friendly building and landscaping elements.
The roof, for instance, is designed to push rainwater and air-conditioning condensation into a 250-gallon rainwater collection system that will mist a green mural—or “living green wall” of plants, carefully chosen for the climate—with captured/recycled water. In addition, the native plants, grasses, and “dry riverbed” elements in the space have been designed to capture and use rainwater before it reaches the storm drain, thereby reducing the amount of floodwater during major storms.
The new space, a transformed car lot, was designed by Lemmo Architecture and Design, with landscaping by Yarrow. In addition to the thoughtful and sustainable architectural and landscaping details that customers can enjoy as they drive around the building, it includes elements that can help reduce the carbon footprint inherent to a drive-through, including a walk-up window, bike rack, and picnic tables where customers can enjoy their food onsite.
• Behold Baby Greens, the Returning Drive-Thru Salad Sanctuary [Eater Austin]