The plant-based menu of Moonburger, a new fast-casual restaurant in Kingston, is putting a twist on what Hudson Valley residents can expect when pulling out of a drive-thru.

“I just felt like there was so much support in this community for doing things are that new, that are future-forward, that are different,” said owner Jeremy Robinson-Leon.

The restaurant is located right by Kingston’s Washington Avenue. The previous ice cream spot was a frequent stop for Robinson-Leon, and he decided to put a twist on it after buying the property earlier in 2021: a plant-based menu, created and tested by Robinson-Leon and a close group of friends.

“I just felt this was a great intersection of a lot of different communities and we could create something that would speak to a lot of them,” said Robinson-Leon.

He added the final product wasn’t that different than where it started, but it was specific details that they wanted to perfect.

“This is the Moonburger, and we absolutely love it,” said Robinson-Leon. “It’s a grilled Impossible patty and it has our signature, the double-onion, which is grilled onions and crispy onions.”

Robinson-Leon’s favorite kind of customer is a skeptic who has never tried plant-based burgers before. He asks every person going through the drive-thru for their reviews.

Major fast-food chains have recently expanded their menu’s to include plant-based alternatives, with Burger King’s Impossible Whopper or McDonald’s McPlant.

Moonburger is currently a drive-thru-only restaurant and plans to stay that way for the foreseeable future, but Robinson-Leon has already brainstormed ways for customers to take advantage of that.

“Each bag comes with a QR code that people can scan and see local spots that people can go to to enjoy their burger,” said Robinson-Leon.

Robinson-Leon is also considering other ordering methods to accommodate customers, like delivery services.

“We’ve got to get it right here first before we start thinking about other locations,” said Robinson-Leon.

He said he’s had people circle back after enjoying their burger to tell him about it, at which point he says he makes sure they know that their meal was plant-based.

“They had no idea,” Robinson-Leon said.