Protein shakes, signature health food bowls, wraps, salads, multigrain chips and energy-boosting drinks are served at the Protein Bar™, a restaurant across the street from Chicago’s own Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower). A large screen television lines one wall of the Protein Bar™, at 235 South Franklin St. There is free Wifi. And sometimes business executives will go in for meetings and presentations while dining on healthy food. While tourists may be familiar with the Protein Bar™ yet, the business professional crowd flocks there for lunch.
So who is the mastermind behind Protein Bar™, a restaurant that aims to bring protein, fiber and less fat calories to the Chicago diet ? Matt Matros, the owner, and the man who opened this restaurant on May 8, 2009, took a moment from his schedule the day after the hour rush to talk to AC Source Writer Shamontiel about his restaurant, its cleanliness, and what makes him an entrepreneur.
Shamntiel: You are across the street from Willis Tower. Do you have a lot of tourists?
Matt Matros: I thought there would be more tourists, but it didn’t work. Tourists don’t like to go to ideas. I like to go to well-known places, like Applebee’s or McDonald’s. But most of all it is a developer. Please be our regular developer. Once they get their Wrigley Peeled or Millennium Perk, they’ll try it, love it, and come back. In fact, it becomes an exercise.
S: So why do you want to open a protein business?
MM: I was serious growing up. fat kid.
S: Were you?
MM: Ave. In 2001, about eight years ago, I lost 50 pounds, and I used everything in the recipes here. And I lost another 10 pounds, since then. About 160 pounds up to me. I understood that it was not intended for people who were looking for occasional food. vegetarian some are looking for. Some are looking for glucose free food. I am asking for a high protein food, so I did some research to see if there was a market, if there was a regular training of those who ate this way. And I found out that they were relaxed all their lives I put my savings into this, and here I am.
S: Are you born and raised in Chicago?
MM: I’m not from Los Angeles, and then I did business school in University of Michigan.
S: Why did you come to Chicago? Was it because of this restaurant?
MM: No, I was supplied by Kraft in Chicago. I worked at Kraft Foods for four years… I had this idea, I quit my job… my big, cush marketing a job that was easy and comfortable, and he took a risk and started this. Now I’m looking to get some more done and grow as much as I can.
S: Do you want to grow more in the Chicago area or in the national areas?
MM: I want to start with Chicago ’cause I feel like Chicagoans belong. Chicago, has something of a bad rep’s for being an unhealthy city. I do not know whether it is so. While there is a segment of the population that is not focused on food, there are still a lot of people who… a> My target market is urban professionals, and everything [Chicago] has. They want to pay and get in order. href=”https://e-info.vn/tag/protein-diet”.
S: Obviously you will have a lean crowd and a healthy eating crowd like me, how do you have people who prefer to have fatty and greasy food?
MM: I don’t. There are those who come here who want to eat healthy, but on balance, those who come here are looking for healthier ways to eat, and they know there way to eat healthy and they taste good. I’m trying to get over that. Eating healthy doesn’t mean eating cardboard and tofu and wheat. as prepared in a certain way is without any chemicals and without any sugar.
S: What is this popular dish?
MM: The most popular thing we sell here is Wrigley Peeled, which is a high protein mixed drink. Present butter, chocolate bars and protein. You can mix in the milk of your choice.
S: What about food wise?
MM: Probably ours. We sell a ton of chili, and we have three specialty houses chili, and chicken, beef and then you have veggie chili. And then we have awesome bowls. We do a ton of vegan and vegetarian-dishes. You can build a wrap or build a bowl with quinoa, which is a great vegan dish. [Quinoa] is the highest nonmeatprotein on the planet. It is from South America. What remained of the Incas in Peru. It is a seed and not a grain. High quality protein without the carbohydrates that pasta, bread or flour have.
S: I never heard that before today. Who introduced you to quinoa? Do other restaurants carry this?
MM: You will see it in some good dining rooms. They use it as a side salad. I think it’s going to be one of those items that will become more popular when people realize its benefits. The cost is small.
S: Speaking of price, what is the average cost someone would pay here?
MM: The average check is about $6. Most of our drinks are what we sell.
S: Drinks come more than food?
MM: Yeah, they really are our signature drinks. This is our bread and butter. They will provide high protein as much as they want or as a snack. You will have this protein shakes, that is 300 calories, good calories and high protein, and it will make you feel more satisfied than if you had a Jamba juice or blind at Starbucks or a candy bar. One thing that customers are really happy about is that we have a full nutritional declaration on everything we sell from calories, fat, protein, the whole nine.
To read the Sometimes Bar™ restaurant review, click here.
To visit the Protein Bar™ restaurant website, click here.
Report:
- www.chicagonow.com/blogs/message-from-montie/2009/10/protein-bar-chicago-makes-health
- www.proteinbarhicago.com/
