This is the list of questions that didn't fit into any other category so we put it all here. Read below—and if you have an IFAQ (infrequently asked question), send us a note.
Who is your target customer?
This is for all the students writing papers—or people hoping to woo us to partner with them. We aim for active, urbanites that are looking to eat healthy without getting too fussy about it.
You can't eat healthy all the time, what are your guilty pleasures?
Matt: I’m a sucker for Mentos. When I was in high school, I would take 4-5 packs of Mentos to school every day and have them polished off by 2nd period. When I went to the dentist, I had 6 cavities all on the side of my mouth where I ate Mentos. Instead of Matt Matros, friends used to call me “Matt Mentos.” No wonder I was 50 pounds overweight.
Mike: I am a sucker for Jelly Bellies, chocolate croissants, and gelato.
What do Matt and Mike order at PB?
Matt: If I weren’t so sensitive to caffeine, I’d order the Millennium Perk every day. Hands down our most nutritious blended drink. After a workout, I usually go basic with The Red Line, 2 scoops of whey, almond milk, and multi-vitamin boost. Dinner time is hard to resist our Buffalo Bar-rito, Southwest Salad, or Quinoa Chili (I prefer with the beef chili).
Mike: For breakfast, it’s gotta be the Millennium Perk or Wrigley Peeled with almond milk. Lunch and dinner usually have me grabbing for a Quinoa Chili with vegetarian chili.
What is Matt's best race time?
My best triathlon was the 2008 Chicago Triathlon (Olympic Distance), in which I finished in 2 hours, 36 minutes. My best half marathon was the 2008 Chicago Half-Marathon when I finished in 1 hour, 36 minutes. If you're training for a race, let me know and we can hit a workout together.
Do you guys sell those cool hoodies/hats/tshirts?
It’s not exactly how we choose to make money, but if you want to give us some free advertising, we are more than happy to do it! We’ll sell you our hoodie/hats/tshirts at our cost as a way to thank you for wanting to sport our logo around town. Just email us through our
CONTACT US page with the item and size you like and we’ll find a way to get it to you.
Where is your office?
We have small space in Chicago’s loop that Matt and Mike share—but we mostly spend our days in the stores working with the team and getting to know our customers.
Who did your photography?
Most of our pics were taken by
Erica McKeehen—a Team Member at our Franklin store. The rest were taken by Mike or are from the respective company's website.
What was the song I heard at the store today?
Hmmm… we can try to help you—but you’ll have to sing a few bars. Send us a
note and we will see what we can do.
You didn't answer my question, why not?
Because you are special—and so is your question. So send us a note on the
Contact Us page and you will make sure you get the attention you deserve.
Can your food be shipped?
Not yet. We are still working on a way to get a Grilled Bar-rito to you hot and tasty—but stay tuned as we work out the future.
Can I order online?
So where are the coupons and weekly specials?
We never wanted to get into the business of having higher than necessary prices only to discount them throughout the year. One of our Principles and Beliefs is honesty—and we think that means giving you a fair price all the time.
How is eating at Protein Bar different than any other health food place?
First—we don’t consider ourselves a “health food place,” nor do we think that great tasting food is the playground of those who have given up on their waist line. Food should always be flavorful—and it should usually help sustain life. We like to blend the two together for great tasting food that also packs a nutritional punch. From our in-house dressings to our batch-recipe chili, we put flavor into everything we do.
What is the Principles and Beliefs Nucleus?
It is basically our way of making sense of the things that matter to us. In scientific terms, the nucleus is the part of the cell containing the DNA. It is essentially responsible for the growth and reproduction of the cell. We think that pretty much sums up our Principles and Beliefs—they are part of our DNA and will be the driving force in our growth.
What's your favorite restaurant in Chicago?
Matt: Just one favorite? For brunch, the Uncommon Melt at Uncommon Ground is truly craveable. For dinner, I absolutely love Le Colonial (#31 and #41 are my favorite dishes). Even though it’s on Rush Street, I think it’s an underrated Chicago spot.
Mike: I could eat every meal at Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill and be a happy man.
