{"id":1017273,"date":"2026-08-22T15:28:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1017273\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T15:28:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:28:27","slug":"proteinmaxxing-is-reshaping-l-a-dining-and-pushing-small-restaurants-to-the-brink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1017273\/","title":{"rendered":"Proteinmaxxing is reshaping L.A. dining \u2014 and pushing small restaurants to the brink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s lunchtime at Fountain Grains & Greens<\/a> in East Hollywood, a counter-service restaurant where customers increasingly prefer their rice and vegetable bowls piled high with hunks of chicken or steak. <\/p>\n

More and more, diners are leaning into \u201cproteinmaxxing,\u201d the viral health trend<\/a> that promotes increased protein intake with the goal of boosting metabolism, decreasing appetite and increasing muscle mass. <\/p>\n

As orders flood into the restaurant via online food delivery services and a walk-up window, a butcher slices through whole chickens while one cook flips thin slabs of steak and chicken on a grill. Another builds rainbow-colored bowls overflowing with blackened chicken, rice, leafy greens, fresh vegetables and other thoughtfully placed garnishes. <\/p>\n

Many of the restaurant\u2019s customers pay extra for double or triple add-ons of eggs, chicken or steak.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

At Fountain Grains & Greens in East Hollywood, a butcher prepares chicken. \u201cSales of our proteins and modifiers have increased 300 to 400%,\u201d says one co-owner.<\/p>\n

(Nava Rawls \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Daniel Rasmussen is a Fountain Grains & Greens regular who tries to consume 190 to 200 grams of protein each day, roughly half of which he can get through adding a chicken breast and egg to his bowl. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to hit 100, 120 grams a day,\u201d said Vera Iwanoff, who often orders the restaurant\u2019s market bowl with extra chicken or steak to meet her daily protein goal. Like Rasmussen, she doesn\u2019t use the proteinmaxxing label, but said, \u201cI\u2019ve never thought about protein this much in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Protein consumption is also a priority for the Trump administration. This year, the federal government\u2019s recommended daily allowance of protein was set at 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram or 80 to 110 grams for a 150-pound adult, up from the longstanding RDA<\/a> of 0.8 grams per kilogram or approximately 55 grams of protein per day for a 150-pound adult. In announcing the change, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared<\/a>, \u201cWe are ending the war on protein.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since opening Fountain Grains & Greens two years ago, co-owner Arda Jooharian said she has seen a shift in how customers order. \u201cSales of our proteins and modifiers have increased 300 to 400%. They\u2019ll substitute out three ounces of chicken and get a full chicken breast, which is eight ounces of chicken.\u201d <\/p>\n

Jinell Singletary, owner of Urban Comfort Foods in Carson<\/a>, has also seen a change in how her older, majority Black customer base orders.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack men are definitely ordering more protein,\u201d she said. \u201cSo much so that we had to create a policy<\/a> around it [to charge for protein add-ons] because it wasn\u2019t something that we considered at first.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"From <\/p>\n

At Urban Comfort Foods in Carson, owner Jinell Singletary, center, flanked by head chef Edward Hamilton and chef Chris Fordham, has switched to a different distributor for beef and lamb to meet protein demands from customers.<\/p>\n

(Jenn Harris \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Last November, Sweetgreen restaurants briefly offered<\/a> a Protein Max Protein Bowl that claimed to contain 106 grams of protein. The fast-casual chain still offers<\/a> an entire section of protein plates in addition to its classic bowls. Chipotle has undergone a similar shift, now offering a \u201chigh protein menu,\u201d with some bowls made in collaboration with major athletes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some attribute the recent emphasis on protein intake to the rise of GLP-1 medications, which often decrease appetite and make it challenging to eat enough protein to preserve lean muscle mass during weight loss. A 2026 Gallup poll<\/a> found that 11% of U.S. adults take GLP-1s for weight loss purposes, up from 3% in 2024. <\/p>\n

Yet this isn\u2019t the first time protein-rich meals have dominated modern mainstream diet culture. In the 1970s, cardiologist Robert C. Atkins developed the Atkins diet<\/a>, which limits carbohydrates while increasing protein and fat intake. It reached peak popularity in the early 2000s. <\/p>\n

Meat-heavy paleo diets, which aim to mirror hunter-gatherer eating habits, as gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin described in his 1975 book \u201cThe Stone Age Diet\u201d surged in popularity after the 2002 publication of Loren Cordain\u2019s \u201cThe Paleo Diet.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2020, a ketogenic or keto diet promoting high-fat and low-carbohydrate consumption in order to burn fat was the most Googled diet in the United States<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The American Medical Assn. and some nutrition experts, however, warn that consuming too much protein<\/a> could cause digestive issues, weight gain, gout<\/a> and other adverse effects.<\/p>\n

Kacie Carter, a nutritionist, chef and the founder of Honey Hi<\/a>, a gluten-free breakfast and brunch spot in Echo Park, said, \u201cI\u2019m not of the mind that we should be \u2018maxxing\u2019 anything.\u201d <\/p>\n

This hasn\u2019t stopped proteinmaxxing influencers, who detail their meals on social media, often featuring protein bowls and \u201csteakboards<\/a>\u201d \u2014 cutting boards loaded<\/a> with strips of steak, chicken, fried eggs, potato, fruit, avocado and other high-protein foods. Vegetarian food influencers demonstrate non-meat ways to increase protein in everyday meals with Greek yogurt, beans and cottage cheese<\/a>. <\/p>\n

To keep up with the portions of protein her customers order, Singletary, who opened Urban Comfort Foods in October, has switched to a different distributor for beef and lamb. Her signature and build-your-own bowls range in price from $12.50 to $19.50, with flavors that reflect Black food cultures. One popular order is the Diaspora Delight with blackened salmon and jollof rice. Many of her customers add sides of garlic shrimp or honey jerk chicken, with full-size protein sides costing between $7 and $10. Additional 2- and 4-ounce sides of Cajun barbecue chicken, jerk chicken and suya beef can be added for $2 and $4. <\/p>\n

\"Signature <\/p>\n

Signature bowls from Urban Comfort Foods in Carson, which embraces African diaspora cuisine.<\/p>\n

(Jenn Harris \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Bowls at Fountain Grains & Greens range from $16 to $36 (when a 5-ounce grilled hanger steak replaces the usual two-thirds of a chicken thigh in the kimchi bowl), with add-ons ranging from $4 to $18. <\/p>\n

But restaurant owners are finding that customers\u2019 willingness to pay for extra protein does not mean added profits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have not raised our protein prices since we opened, but our costs have gone up,\u201d said Fountain Grains & Greens\u2019 Jooharian. <\/p>\n

\"Arda <\/p>\n

Fountain Grains & Greens co-owner Arda Jooharian.<\/p>\n

(Nava Rawls \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Since the restaurant\u2019s 2024 opening, with a menu designed by chef and co-owner Aric Attebery, Fountain Grains & Greens pays 15% more for chicken and 25% more for steak. \u201cThere were all the supply chain issues,\u201d Jooharian said. \u201cFertilizer became super expensive, so more difficult for the farmers.\u201d <\/p>\n

As a small business, Singletary at Urban Comfort Foods said that she\u2019s had to do a lot of \u201cback-and-forth\u201d with distributors to help reduce some of the overhead costs of protein, but negotiation hasn\u2019t been easy. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how much we\u2019ve gone viral,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re not the big guys, so they don\u2019t see the value in us getting those discounts.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Fountain Grains & Greens, the owners\u2019 dedication to using local, carefully sourced ingredients also make it difficult to meet the increased demand for protein. <\/p>\n

The rice, according to co-owner Andrew Pettingell, comes from a regenerative farm in Chico. The bowls contain freshly sprouted grains. The chicken is brought in whole before being butchered and brined in-house. Continuing this practice is not cheap.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a cost in doing that business, but that\u2019s the cost we want to pay,\u201d Pettingell said. \u201cWe want to be supporting the local farms, and we want to serve the best quality ingredients we can, because we\u2019re looking for hope that more people [will] start to recognize what they\u2019re eating.\u201d <\/p>\n

The charcoal-grilled hanger steak, which Pettingell said is sourced from natural beef<\/a> ranchers, is by far the biggest cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t make money off [the steak], but … it\u2019s not always about that,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a long journey getting people to switch their minds into the investment in eating higher-quality proteins and vegetables and grains. We\u2019re committed to that.\u201d <\/p>\n