- Burgers
- Sandwiches
- Burritos
- Tacos & Specials
- Kids Meals
- Fries & Sides
- Twin Kitchen Meal
- Family Meal
- Baker's Dozen
- Budget Meals
Nutrition Facts
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[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bakers-drive-thru/id1438604127]
- Crispy Taco Shell
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Seasoned Ground Beef
- Tomato
Bakers Drive-ThruNeal T. Baker was not an ordinary businessman.
Mr. Baker was extraordinary - a visionary who established his concept to offer great food and great value to the residents of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The strong company he built (many employees have been with the company 10, 20, even 30+ years), continues to provide the awesome customer service that has led to Baker's celebrating over 65 years in business.In 1952, in his hometown of San Bernardino, Mr. Baker opened his first modest hamburger stand on Highland Avenue. Mr. Baker's love of the business grew, and in 1953 he opened a second Baker's location in Rialto, which still stands today. By 1955, Mr. Baker had become a standout in the industry as an innovator in creating America's First Twin Kitchen operation–an offering of both American and Mexican entrees–a concept that quickly caught on with the evolving Inland Empire customers.
In 1995 Mr. Baker added a third “kitchen” to the winning Baker's mix. Acknowledging the special character of the Loma Linda community with the predominance of a largely vegetarian population, he introduced an array of non-meat selections. He called it the Loma Linda Kitchen menu, as at the time it was only available at the Loma Linda location. The special menu is now available at 21 Baker's locations.
Mr. Baker believed in serving his community, while expanding his concept and making a difference for the appreciative patrons of Baker's Drive-Thru. For years, Baker's has participated in many philanthropic causes, including raising well over 3 million dollars for Easterseals of Southern California, the favorite charity of its founder, with its annual Safe Halloween Coupon Book campaign. Baker's has also been supportive of Children's Fund, many high school athletic programs and they support many local universities. In 2006, Mr. Baker donated a parcel of land he owned in the unincorporated area of Muscoy, in San Bernardino where he lived as a boy. It was given to the County of San Bernardino with the instruction that it must be used to benefit the community. In May 2013, the Baker Family Learning Center officially opened as part of the SB County Library System. The center is home to a public library and a pre-school. It is the first public service project in the community of Muscoy and we couldn't be more proud that Mr. Baker's legacy will live on in the community he grew up in and loved.
Mr. Baker and his beloved wife Carol have left a long lasting mark on the Inland Empire. Their legacy of community service and community love will continue to shine for many years to come.
Bakers Drive-ThruGreat Food Starts With Fresh Ingredients
Every day we prepare our slow-cooked beans and rice, hand slice tomatoes and more to be sure your meal is perfect. Our food is always fresh, delicious & made to order.
Baker's Drive-Thru
WIKIPEDIABaker's Drive-Thru
Chain of fast-food restaurants in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. The menu combines both American fast food and Mexican specialties. It features hamburgers, french fries, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and milkshakes. A breakfast menu and vegetarian menu are also available at most locations.Inspired by the success of McDonald's, Neal Baker founded his first restaurant in San Bernardino in 1952; 72 years ago. He called it "Baker's Burgers." (San Bernardino was also the location of the first McDonald's.) Three years later, Baker added Mexican food to the menu. Burgers were sold at one window and Mexican food at another. He called this the "Twin Kitchen" concept.
A second store was opened in Rialto the following year. As of 2023, there are 39 Baker's Drive-Thru locations. Upon the death of Neal Baker, his widow Carol took over control of the privately-held company. She passed away in 2017, leaving the second generation of Bakers in charge.
Vegetarian Menu
In 1995, Baker's began adding a vegetarian menu to locations, originally called the Loma Linda Kitchen menu due to the prevalence of vegetarians in Loma Linda. Seventh-day Adventists, who are traditionally vegetarian, comprise about half the population of Loma Linda. The first two locations that featured this menu were in Loma Linda and Yucaipa. The vegetarian menu has since been added to most locations.Charities
Baker's Drive-Thru restaurants are involved in the Inland Empire through charities and civic works. According to its website, the company has contributed more than $3 million to Easter Seals of Southern California. Baker's also supports the Children's Fund, high school sports and university programs.In May 2013, the Baker Family Learning Center was opened in Muscoy, on land that Neal Baker donated. It houses a public library and pre-school.
2008
Founder of the Baker's Drive-Thru RestaurantsLos Angeles TimesNeal T. Baker
Baker, who went into the office every day until about two months ago, died May 31 at his Redlands home, his family announced. A cause of death was not released. He was 84.Inspired by the crowds lined up at the first McDonald's in San Bernardino, Neal T. Baker and Glen Bell became part of a wave of fast-food pioneers linked by friendship and geography.
Chris NicholsSan Bernardino was the hub for so many of these guys, and it all really centered around the McDonald brothers. It's kind of like the early days of computer development, where everybody at the table would go on to be a household name.
-Chris Nichols, Los Angeles ConservancyMcDonalds
Baker helped Richard and Maurice McDonald build their restaurant before the brothers re-engineered to speed up service. Their ability to serve 20,000 milkshakes a month attracted the attention of Ray Kroc, who would buy their name and franchise rights for $2.7 million and go on to build the fast-food empire known today as McDonald's Corp.When the brothers sold out to Kroc, it "sparked the imagination of area entrepreneurs," said Jack H. Brown, chief executive of the San Bernardino-based Stater Bros. grocery chain. "Neal Baker was an icon in our community and had a hand in the founding of almost every fast-food chain that started" in the Inland Empire, said Brown, who had known Baker for 50 years.
Taco Bell
On the outskirts of town, Baker helped Bell, who was his best friend in high school, build a hamburger stand in 1948 that would evolve into the Taco Bell chain.Baker's
Two miles east of the first McDonald's, Baker built his own stand in 1952. It grew into Baker's Drive-Thru, a regional chain that made him a multimillionaire. The family still owns the 36-restaurant business today.Del Taco
Ed Hackbarth answered a help-wanted ad Baker had placed but ended up working for Bell near Barstow, eventually buying the stand and turning it into the first Del Taco in 1961.Wienerschnitzel
John Galardi made $200 a week at what was then known as Baker's Burgers before founding a drive-through chain devoted to hot dogs, Der Wienerschnitzel, in 1961.Naugles
Del Taco employee Dick Naugle started the Naugles chain in 1970.
For Celebrating Sixty Years With Us
Since 1952, it's been our pleasure to serve you Baker's Drive-Thru favorites and we look forward to continuing the tradition of "Great Food, Close to Home" for another sixty years!
The Forgotten Fast Food Giant Of California
Neil Baker helped forge McDonald's and Taco Bell, but nobody knows about Baker's Drive-Thru.The TakeoutBaker's Drive-Thru
A string of fast food restaurants based in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, founded by a man whose monumental contributions to fast food have been largely lost to time. The Inland Empire of Southern California is a metropolitan area that centers around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside. It's "inland" because it's roughly 60 miles away from Los Angeles county and the Pacific Ocean. You might also know San Bernardino as the birthplace of McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Del Taco. Southern California, and more specifically San Bernardino, is truly the epicenter of fast food."Baker" might not be a household name, but it's one that has rubbed elbows with all of the fast food giants at one time or another.
Baker had a hand in just about every historic fast food operation at the time: He helped Richard and Maurice McDonald build their first McDonald's restaurant. He helped Glen Bell build a hamburger stand in 1948 that would eventually become Taco Bell. John Galardi even worked at Baker's Burgers before founding his own hot dog chain, later known as Wienerschnitzel.
At the outset, Baker served traditional American fare-burgers, fries, sandwiches, and the like. Eventually, though, he realized that the Inland Empire was evolving and that there might be potential profits in Mexican food, so he developed the very first Twin Kitchens concept. This innovative design featured one drive-thru window for American food and another drive-thru window for Mexican. If you wanted a burger and a taco, well, you had to go through the drive-thru twice. Maddening.
Today, though, all the food is served together, and you can still order a Twin Kitchens combo featuring a taco, burger, fries, and a soda.
But there's a third concept neatly wrapped up into Baker's: a strict vegetarian menu. In 1995, Baker's began adding vegetarian items to just a few locations. It was originally called the "Loma Linda Kitchen Menu" due to the prevalence of vegetarians in Loma Linda. Why so many vegetarians in the city of Loma Linda? Because roughly half the population there are Seventh-Day Adventists, and their interpretation of the Bible in regards to eating animals is a pacific one.
Because of this unique population, Baker's provides plenty of vegetarian items, including tacos with soy protein, bean & cheese burritos, old-school veggie burgers, Mexican salads, and even grilled cheese sandwiches. Today, the vegetarian menu exists at most of Baker's 39 locations. With its budget-friendly and vegetarian-friendly American and Mexican fare, Baker's exists to serve its community. It didn't sell out or go mainstream-and Neil Baker is a legend for it.
Baker was the antithesis of Ray Croc: pleased with his modest yet rewarding accomplishments, content with his wealth, and dedicated to serving his local community. Some businesses, and the people who run them, are meant to stay regional. Though he passed in 2008, Neil Baker's contributions to the modern fast food era live on. You just have to go to San Bernardino if you want to see them for yourself.
r/InlandEmpire
Baker's Drive Thru
- Baker's Drive thru loosing all it's charm
erdrickdw No more toasted buns, changed the tortillas, changed the fries, chicken sandwiches are cheap patties now. The prices went way up and the quality way down. This stuff has slowly been happening since Carol Baker died. Their Facebook is calling people "Big Mad" for complaining about the changes and saying the new tortillas took years of R&D which are just those chewy stick to your mouth cheap ones found at any supermarket. It is very disappointing to see. This all started to happen after Carol Baker died(the deceased founder's wife) and the nephew Talley is CEO now. Seems like he is just cutting corners and payroll left and right. This guy also instantly fired the man who made Baker's what it is and went to court to not pay him (Talley lost the case after delays however). What the hell man. I loved Baker's but now it is akin to DQ.
Easterseals Southern California & Baker's Drive-Thru Restaurants Team up for 'Round Up' Campaign
EastersealsAugust 30, 2021
33-Year Fundraising Partnership Has Raised More Than $5.1 Million; 100% of Proceeds Support Local Easterseals Services for People With DisabilitiesEasterseals Southern California (ESSC)
Assists more than 14,000 people with disabilities throughout SoCal, more than 3,500 of them in the Inland Empire - has teamed up once again with Baker's Drive-Thru restaurants for their 34th annual fundraising campaign.The campaign asks customers to Round Up their bill to the nearest dollar to benefit ESSC services. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to support Easterseals' life-changing services in the I.E. for children and adults with disabilities, helping individuals address life's daily challenges and achieve personal goals to live, learn, work and play.
Since 1989, Baker's Drive-Thru has raised more than $5.1 million for ESSC's disability services, much of it through its Safe Halloween coupon book campaign.
For more than 100 years, Easterseals has been an indispensable resource for people and families living with developmental disabilities or other special needs.
