Bodybuilding bites the big apple

There are few times when bodybuilders and hipsters interact in New York. Maybe on a train, maybe sharing a cab, or catching a concert at MSG. But for the most part, they’re two different worlds. One thing they do have in common however is their love for good, clean, healthy organic food…for us it’s just after a protein shake. Founder of Dig Inn restaurant chain Adam Eskin saw that niche and well…dug in.

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Eskin and his investors originally started a group of chain restaurants called “Pump Energy Foods” which was specifically catered to bodybuilders. After a not so successful start Adam realized he could keep the core concept of the business, local and organic food at an affordable price, while branching out to a much wider audience. The problem was that he was selling his company short.

“We wanted to come up with a model in which we could source our food responsibly, cook everything from scratch and still serve it at an affordable price in an accessible setting,” Eskin told Business Insider.

Eskin is a hardcore believer in the “waste not want” principle and runs a fully sustainable kitchen. For example, the oranges use for juicing are also used as garnishing on some of their main dishes. Dig Inn not only believes in a relationship with food but relationship with people. Everything from their farmers to their chefs are taken into account before any dish is made. They only serve in season food that is locally grown, Eskin makes a conscious effort to give small farmers a chance to display their wares which is mutually beneficial as 85% of Dig Inn’s menu comes from produce. It’s considered an educational kitchen because chef’s not only handle food but are taught interpersonal and management skills in order to make for a more well rounded professional.

“Part of our goal is to work with chefs and teach them skills beyond culinary — such as leadership, management, and paying vendors on time — in order to become well-rounded chefs,” said Eskin.

The Dig Inn menu consists of two sections, marketplace and salads. At around $10 dollars a pop customers can get 1 protein (chicken, beef, salmon, etc) on a bed of rice with two sides.  That’s not bad for a healthy lunch in the heart of NYC.

Whatever Eskin’s doing it’s working. Dig in has 11 locations in Manhattan, New York and will be expanding to Boston in 2016. Projected income for 2015? $35 Million dollars. No chump change for a guy who just wanted to sell some meat to meat heads. So what are we getting at here? That a bodybuilding diet just got a little bit easier (at least in NYC for now) because of hipster culture. A rare time when a little bit of rebranding brought bodybuilding nutrition into the mainstream.

If you’re a bodybuilder living in the NYC area – you definitely need to check this place out. And who knows, with the kind of success they’ve been building over the past couple of years… maybe we’ll see a Dig Inn across the country one day. It’s a good time to be a bodybuilder.
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Have you already checked out Dig in? If so tell us what you think. Hit us up on facebook or twitter with any thoughts, concerns, or comments!