Muscle Maker Grill

CLOSED «for remodeling» after 3 months means CLOSED (I learned this from iNG).
Keep asking Unilocal to bring back the Trend Graphs that would have identified the slide here. Their elimination only serves to help hide a busyness tanking like this.
Plus exactly how long does it take to get Unilocal to get a closed notice up anymore anyway, seems like at LEAST two months? I just DROVE here after checking the Unilocal reviews and I expect better from Unilocal,maybe that’s why the stock dropped 15% today.
UPDATE: CLOSED posted by ¹¹⁄₆.

Very good. First time there, my wife had the MMG Wrap and I had the Santa Fe Wrap. Both were great. I had the Cajun Pasta as a side and the wife had the cucumber salad. Both great. Employees wer very nice. I will return.

Hungry’s is gone and now this place is here. For now, that is. I don’t see them lasting too long unless they adjust their business model and pricing.
The food is OK, possibly even plain and bland. Since the focus of the restaurant is healthy food I will give them some slack but the prices are not in line withe the offering. They charge a premium for less. Now that I think about it, that’s exactly what we got — less for more $$$. Not sure if we’re coming back as there is nothing special about this place and there was nothing that we felt was good. I wish I had taken pictures to share to show how bad the food looks vs. what they present on the website. Whoever took the photos for the site did an excellent job and was not working with what you are going to be served.
Be warned :)

Two words: Pricey and basic. The food here is clean & lean but my order was nothing phenomenal. During lunch I ordered a chicken wrap and a cucumber salad. The portion size was tiny but the price was not. Overall, the meal was pretty lean & flavorless. The customer service was great as the staff was very helpful and friendly but I was not impressed enough by the taste to want to return again.

A very perky, young (sales) man came into our office with a menu and advertising this new restaurant in the area a few months back. We chatted about what they have to offer and he told us about all their «healthy, yet REALLY good food». Everything is supposed to be under X number of calories. He got us really excited about trying it out so the next week, we placed an order for delivery.
Oh my, it was gross. Nothing look appetizing, everything was under seasoned and bland. It was WAAAAAAAY over priced and of the 5 people that ordered, not one person liked anything they ordered. I specifically remember the guy that came into our office telling me about their shakes and how good they are so I ordered a strawberry shake for like $ 5 or something insane, anticipating that it was going to rock and it literally tasted like one strawberry blended with 30 ice cubes. It tasted like crap. Even my iron-​pumping-​protein-​shake-​consuming-​coworker thought it was a joke.
Do not, whatever you do, waste your money here. Go to Whole Foods, Mariano’s or even Jewel and buy quality items to make your own healthy meals if your concerned about calories/​fat/​cholesterol.

Place is in the strip mall next to the Wally World. I’ve been wanting to check out this place, since I’m a health nut and this sounded like a healthy place to eat. The food was rather pricey for «fast food» — it was about $ 25 for the two of us, with no extra frills or sides. The setup is you order at the front, and they give you a number/​placard where you put on the table. Then, they come out and serve you the foot while you wait at the table.
They had a decent size menu touting healthy choices. I ordered the chicken sandwich with no mayo and some steamed spinach. The steamed spinach was actually really good. the chicken sandwich was rather dry, definitely needed sauce, and it didn’t help that it came with a bun that was pretty thick. I’m not a big bread person in general. This place also had one of those cool-​looking Coke machines but I just opted for good ol’ H2O. As with how America is so backwards, it costs more to eat healthier and this place was no exception.
BATHROOM REVIEW: The bathrooms are located near the coke machine and has a single door, in which lead to two separate doors — one for women, one for mens. The bathroom was indeed super clean but only had one stall and one urinal with two hand-​sensor sinks. There was a nifty and informative pamphlet on how to wash hands right next to foamy soap dispenser, in case you weren’t sure on how to wash your hands. The doors were setup to push out so it was nice to not have to touch the door handle that many dudes have touched before, to get out of the bathroom. Sit or squat? I’ll do some squats since it is the «Muscle Maker» Grill, but then I’ll sit and drop a deuce.

Food was ok. A little over priced for the quality and portion size. Had it dilvered without any issues.
Ordered a chicken sandwich which had good flavor, but chicken was very dry. Ordered a pasta dish and didn’t finish it. Flavor wasn’t I expected again was dry as well. Soup was outstanding definitely would recommend ordering it and it was reasonably
There are several people who stated that because they are daily «lifters» their understanding of the concept outweighs other reviews and compared the restaurant to McDonalds. Quality of food, service, taste, and price should never be compromised because of a concept no matter where you go. There are plenty of nutritious restaurants in the NW burbs. You just need to research a little harder. This place advertises a unique concept but truely lacks quality. That is very apparent by a majority of the reviews. I know from experience the concept can be done without putting the flavor and quality of food in jeopardy.
Nice concept but need to work a little harder on the quality of food. Not sure if I will order from here again but there is always a chance.

Interesting concept. I prefer the Protein Bar, but there isn’t one around here.
I ordered the Arizona and a glass of water. It took a while to get my order. Chicken was bland, but the light southwestern sauce hid that. Portion was small for the price $ 11. I probably could get more food at the Falafel place across the street for less $$.
Overall, I’m glad I tried it, but I probably will not be back.

Myth: Eating healthier is more expensive.
No, eating out at restaurants is more expensive. This place is not overpriced, BUT they are not McDonalds. McDonalds is cheaper, because they use low quality ingredients. Sure you could make it cheaper at home, but that goes for anything. Ordering from a restaurant is a convenience, which you have to pay for. Stop whining sissy.
As far as the food being bland. I can see why people would say that. These are the same people that think that eating a Panera or Subway is eating healthy. When you strip all the processed ingredients out of food, it may tend to taste a little bland. However, once you start eating food in its natural state, and you get used to the way it really tastes, you’ll see that it’s really not bland at all. In fact when you do that, and then you try to eat that processed food again, you’ll see what really tastes like crap.
I’ve been lifting weights for a while and I can tell you that this is real body builder food. As one of the previous reviewers stated, the macronutrient breakdowns are great. (if you’re not counting your macros, start.)
By the way… I HATE reading reviews from Groupon users. Stick your groupon up your sissy arse and STOP WHINING.

I work nearby, and am always interested in anything other than the standard delivery fare in the area (Pizza? Chinese?)
I am carb conscious, and know that a few of my co-​workers order food here quite regularly — so, I gave it a shot:
I got the Tuscany Entrée — right off the bat, I was put off by the small size of the container for a 10 dollar entrée — but, that was probably because I was really hungry!
The chicken was smothered in cheese, just like I like it — but the chicken itself was very, very dry and flavorless.
The broccoli was overcooked, dull green in color and limp — like it had been hanging around all day and just reheated.
There was a sauce on the entrée that was excellent.
Cucumber side salad was OK, dressed in vinegar.
I also had the chocolate banana protein shake and it was great.
In the end, it was a perfect portion size.
I’d try them again, just to see if the dry chicken/​overcooked broccoli thing was a fluke only because that mystery sauce was really good.
I agree with other reviewers that their concept is in the right place, but execution could be better.
Even as a mediocre home cook, I can cook a chicken breast with flavor without compromising taste or adding to fat, carbs, calorie content.
I do appreciate having a restaurant with healthier options, they just need to master some cooking/​seasoning basics.

Overpriced. Good concept, less than mediocre food. My grilled wrap came out cold with cold chicken and a ridiculous amount of cheese, they were out of what I originally ordered. There seems to be no leadership. The only person who seems to know what she is doing is on her phone at a table. The only noise in here is the kitchen guys arguing with the guy working the counter. Oh wait, now they’re arguing at the table next to us. Not impressed at all, we won’t be back.

Great food, great presentation, and service. BUT afterwards both my wife’s and my stomach hurt. Some emergency stops had to be made, 3 hours later, I’m finally better. I have what they call a Iron gut, i never have this problem, i can eat anything. My wife, she typically has some kind of pain, but not me. If this food is aimed at Gluten free and healthyness, maybe if you count dumping about 1000 calories right afterwards. Considering my whole meal was only 400 calories, I’d have to say it started a chain reaction of mass proportions. We used the groupon.
The had one chef and one cashier. You’d expect some cuts had to be made in order to offer the groupon, but please kill the bacteria first.

The nutrition in the menu items here is AMAZING. I had a protein shake with 42 grams of protein in it for only 280 calories. Honestly you really can’t beat that in terms of calories per gram of protein for anything besides chicken. :)
Staff was very nice, accommodated me and waited patiently while I read the entire menu word for word and asked questions about the detailed nutritional content.
I foresee myself coming back regularly for protein shakes this summer once it heats up.
I also bought a salad for dinner later.

I’ve been wanting to try Muscle Maker Grill for awhile and am happy I finally got there this week. The first thing I have to say is the staff is so incredibly helpful and friendly. It’s a decent sized placed and on a weekday at lunchtime there were only 2 other tables besides ours. They have a good variety of choices of meal, stating all the calorie content as well as other nutritional information for all the dishes.
I had the Sesame Chicken Teriyaki Pasta and it was exactly as expected. The pieces of chicken were big and moist. I wish the pasta had some more flavor to the sauce but my guess is that would only add to the calories. The dish is 800 calories and you are supposed to eat half the dish in a sitting for 400 calories. It was big enough that it was definitely two servings but I just felt like I could get more flavor out of my 400 calories for a lunch. As far as fast foods go though, it is a good option. For the meal alone it was $ 11 which is kinda pricey for a fast food lunch.
Bonus for dining in, they have a Coke Freestyle machine! Woohoo! I can’t say I’ll come back here intently however if a friend wants to dine here, I wouldn’t be opposed but would try a new dish.

This place is a good healthy place to eat, It is a bit pricey but the food was pretty good.
I got the BBQ chicken wrap with western potatoes. It not out of this world but its not bad either. The staff was friendly and very informative about their menu and how they run things. I wish they had a bit more on the menu or a bit of a pot luck style that way you can try different things would be great.
I will be going back.

This place was good. I ordered the Arizona which has brown rice, turkey bacon, green onion, and chicken with this zesty sauce. The sauce was tasty it kind of reminded me of Taco Bell’s spicy mayo sauce.
The staff was very prompt and friendly. While someone said you can make a lot of this stuff at home, I feel its a good healthy alternative. My meal was under 500 calories and I was full (but in a good way).
Price was about average for this area.
I’d recommend it to any health enthusiasts or people that are living a healthy lifestyle. Ladies, don’t be fooled by the name, there are plenty of options for women and I don’t think you’ll pack on too much muscle.

Excellent option for healthy take out, a step above fast food, at reasonable prices.
Recommend the buffalo chicken bites with the celery side… the entrees are pretty good. the staff is nice… supposedly the franchise will have a new site in Woodfield sometime soon.
Would like delivery on this food — its pretty good alternative to the standard takeout. if you are willing to stop by in this busy area to get the food.

Went here out of curiosity.
Ordered Italiano Salad & Rocky Balboa Wrap with side Caesar.
The food was a bit salty & really simple. For the price, the portions aren’t too great either.
I understand they’re trying to have healthier food or whatever, but it was too simple. I don’t want to go eat something I can make at home & probably make it taste better, too.
The salad was ok, nothing special. Chicken was on the dry side. Too much dressing. I tasted salt, but not a lot of flavor. The person who ordered it didn’t enjoy it.
The wrap… was. ok, nothing special here either. The turkey meatballs tasted strangely artificial. I’ve tried a lot of imitation meats when I ate strictly vegan (some that were very good & some that weren’t) & this tasted similar in texture & flavor (in a bad way). Weird. Person I was with agreed. Other than that, it really had no flavor except too much salt. Side Caesar salad was ok, simple, but old lettuce. I actually liked the Caesar salad the most out of everything we ordered.
The good points about the experience was the girl who took our order was friendly & nice, the manager came up & checked on us, the touch screen drink machine is freakin awesome (I wish I took a pic of it!), & the food came out really fast (literally in like 5 min, but the place was empty so…).
The thing I hated was I gave them my card to pay for the bill & the guy that brought it back to me while I was trying to refill my drink HOVERED over me… Also, I didn’t like that there is a line for tip. I didn’t feel like tip was necessary & the guy told me I don’t have to, but with him standing next to me watching the whole time, I felt obligated to leave SOMETHING. I even told him that I would leave the signed receipt on the table, hinting for him to back off. He just said, «ok, that’s fine» and followed me! Ugh, so uncomfortable! I’ve never had anyone do that before.
I kinda wish I read the Unilocal reviews before I sat down…
I will not be going there again.

I really enjoyed eating here. I think it’s a shame this restaurant isn’t in the city or a more affluent suburb. It would do well elsewhere, but it’s an expensive lunch place in not a great location as is.
I got a groupon, which included an appetizer and two entrees. We split the honey barbecue chicken bites. It had a great sauce, but the chicken was a bit tough. I got the El Mexicana entrée, which was a ton of food. It was thoughtfully seasoned and yielded enough for another meal, too. My husband got the premium burger, which he said was quite tasty for being health food.
The only reason it doesn’t get a perfect score from me is because of the cost: for two people, our lunch would have come out to almost $ 40 without the Groupon. I’ll only go back if I can use a Groupon again!

So there I was, driving down the street, WANTING to eat healthily, but not really wanting to do freakin nutritional research before ordering my meal, yanno? Well what did I see, but the Muscle Maker Grill!
At first I was a little ambivalent about going in, because there seemed to be a line of people waiting (mostly yuppie types) and I wasn’t sure how long I’d have to wait. But, I figured I’d give it a try. Ambiance was not great, as it was kinda smoky/​steamy in there and it is pretty much a chrome and concrete décor.
So, the theme of the restaurant is that it’s healthy, tasty food with good ingredients, and low carbs. There are calorie counts on the menu next to each item and there are options to substitute chicken, steak, shrimp or fish (with appropriate calorie counts) for an extra fee. Veggies are sauted in fat/​carb free cooking spray, and there are vegetarian options as well. Salad dressings are gluten-​free/​lowcarb or fat free.
(Frankly, the only way I could ask for improvement is if they listed Weight Watchers Points values by each item!)
Mostly they serve smoothies, salads, low carb wraps, stir-​fry (whole wheat) pasta, sandwiches and a few super low-​carb meals that are served over broccoli (instead of rice). FYI, they cater, as well.
I had the Turkey Taco Salad. It was a very generous portion (listed at 429 calories) and I was very satisfied after eating it. Food was tasty and veggies were good quality. Since I’d been craving some loaded nachos this week, it really hit the spot!
Only thing I’d say is that, as with any attempt to eat healthy, it costs more than eating fast food, and there’s no drive-​through. My salad and soft drink came to about $ 12 with tax. Not too bad for a big salad with meat, but just sayin’…