There may not be a drive-thru at Mother’s, but there are bike racks in front and back.

Which illustrates the point Mother’s Juice Cafe co-owner Kyle Bliffert wants to make about the sandwich and smoothie emporium: It’s a healthful fast-food alternative.

Mother’s opened on St. Patrick’s Day 1999 in a restored house on Bend’s west side after Bliffert said to co-owner Becky Detering, ”You know what this town doesn’t have?”

Recalls Bliffert, ”She finished the statement for me: a juice bar.”

Along with fresh fruit juices, Mother’s set out to offer smoothies. Bliffert is proud of the fact that the fruit used at Mother’s is fresh, not frozen. Mother’s smoothies fall into four categories:

1. Non-dairy, made with fruit and fruit juice. The most popular of these is the Pink Lady, with peach, banana, strawberry, peach sorbet and orange juice.

2. Soy milk blends. One of the soy-milk-made smoothies is the Rome Beauty, with strawberry, peach, apple, sorbet, honey and soy milk.

3. Dairy, made with frozen, nonfat vanilla yogurt. The Red Haven is the most popular of these, and includes peach, strawberry and apple cider.

4. Performance blends. If you have an agenda to your diet, there’s likely something among the ”metabolic accessory nutrients” that will work for you. Co-workers sick and sneezing their cooties on you? There’s immune enhancer, which, along with fruit, contains echinacea, L-Glutamine, vitamin C crystals and OJ. The popular Sambazon includes acai berries from Brazil, peach, banana, frozen yogurt and cider.

Mother’s also offers a variety of sandwiches. One favorite is the Great Dane, made with oven-roasted turkey breast and Danish havarti cheese.

The Daily Special makes for popular lunch fare. It features two items from the Daily Special board: a small smoothie, a half sandwich, salad of the day or soup.

”This winter we are serving homemade soups daily,” states manager Aaron Work. ”They are very popular.”

In the morning, try the European Breakfast Box, with ham, havarti and hard-boiled egg, served with toasted wheat or baguette bread and jelly, butter and light cream cheese.

Fruit comes from Detering Orchards, Becky Detering’s family farm in the Willamette Valley, where ”they farm almost everything,” Bliffert says. ”Beans, beets, berries, peaches, nectarines, apricots.”

– David Jasper

Mother’s Juice Cafe

Location: 1255 N.W. Galveston Ave., Bend

Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Price Range: Smoothies $3.25 to $4.95, sandwiches $2.95 to $6.95, breakfasts $2.95 to $6.25

Kids’ Menu: No, but can adjust meal portions

Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard

Contact: 318-0989