Baker’s Drive Thru

Baker’s Drive-Thru is a Southern California quick-service restaurant chain known for burgers, Mexican favorites, and combination meals served in a drive-thru format. The company operates as Baker’s Burgers, Inc., doing business as Baker’s Drive-Thru, and runs company-owned restaurants rather than franchised locations. As of February 2024, it operates about 40 units, all clustered in San Bernardino and Riverside counties within the Inland Empire.

The brand traces its roots to 1952, when founder Neal T. Baker opened the first restaurant in San Bernardino. Not long after, he introduced the “Twin Kitchen” concept, offering American fast food and Mexican dishes under one roof. That dual-menu idea became a defining feature of the chain and helped Baker’s build a loyal local following while larger national brands expanded around it. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Baker’s grew into multiple Inland Empire communities while staying under close family ownership and control, reinforcing its identity as a homegrown regional operator.

Over roughly the last five years, Baker’s Drive-Thru has continued to grow in a measured, infill-focused way rather than pushing into distant markets. New stores have opened in cities such as Hesperia, Riverside, and Bloomington, extending coverage along familiar commuting routes and suburban corridors while staying inside the company’s established logistics radius around San Bernardino. This approach keeps every restaurant within practical reach of the headquarters for oversight, distribution, and operations support.

Today, most Baker’s locations are free-standing restaurants centered on drive-thru volume, often with two drive-thru lanes and a small dining room or patio. Sites often sit on visible corners or along busy arterials in car-dependent suburban areas, especially near established retail corridors and major transportation routes. The chain is a common presence near regional shopping and along freeway-adjacent retail, where its long local history makes it a recognizable name to Inland Empire residents.

Menu offerings still reflect the Twin Kitchen heritage, with burgers, fries, tacos, burritos, breakfast items, shakes, and beverages anchoring a broad lineup of value-oriented meals. The company’s decision to keep all locations within Southern California’s Inland Empire creates a dense, highly recognizable footprint that supports efficient operations and consistent brand presentation. For landlords, brokers, and developers working in San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and the broader Inland Empire, Baker’s Drive-Thru functions as a seasoned, drive-thru-centric restaurant user with a seventy-plus-year operating track record and a continued appetite for selective new infill locations.