From Muscle Maker Grill To Sadot Group: The Shocking Corporate Transformation And $4.25M Restaurant Exit

The Muscle Maker Restaurant you thought you knew has undergone one of the most dramatic and unexpected corporate transformations in the fast-casual dining industry. As of late 2025, the parent company, formerly known as Muscle Maker, Inc. (ticker: GRIL), has officially pivoted away from its roots in healthy eating, changing its name to Sadot Group Inc. (ticker: SDOT) and shifting its core business to the global agri-foods supply chain. This monumental change, driven by the massive revenue generated from its new subsidiary, Sadot LLC, has fundamentally redefined the entire organization, leaving the future of the original restaurant brands in the hands of a new buyer. This deep dive, updated for December 2025, explores the shocking transition from a health-focused restaurant franchisor to a major player in international commodity trading, detailing the high-profile sale of the flagship brands—Muscle Maker Grill and Pokemoto—and the strategic rationale behind this complete corporate exit. The narrative of Muscle Maker is no longer about healthy wraps and protein bowls; it is now a story of global logistics, commodity trading, and a multi-million-dollar strategic divestiture that few in the restaurant world saw coming.

The Shocking Corporate Evolution: From Grill to Global Agri-Foods

The story of Muscle Maker, Inc. is a textbook example of a public company (listed on Nasdaq) executing a radical pivot to chase a higher-growth, higher-revenue business model.

Muscle Maker Inc. (GRIL) Profile: The Restaurant Era

For years, the company was primarily defined by its portfolio of health-focused restaurant concepts:

• Muscle Maker Grill: The flagship brand, founded in 1995, specializing in lean, high-protein, low-carb meals, including wraps, bowls, and salads, catering to the fitness and health-conscious communities.
• Pokemoto Hawaiian Poke: A fast-growing, customizable poke bowl chain acquired in 2021, which was intended to be the primary engine of restaurant expansion.
• SuperFit Foods: A fresh-prepared meal prep service, also acquired in 2021, designed to capture the growing home meal-kit market.

Despite efforts to grow these brands, including a focus on non-traditional locations like military bases and ghost kitchens, the restaurant segment struggled to achieve the scale and profitability the company desired.

The Sadot Group Inc. (SDOT) Pivot

The monumental shift began in 2022 with a strategic agreement with Aggia FZ LLC to form a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Sadot LLC (also known as Sadot Agri-Foods). This subsidiary was established to engage in the global agri-foods supply chain, focusing on sourcing and trading essential agricultural commodities like grains and oilseeds across international markets.

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• Name Change: The company officially changed its name from Muscle Maker, Inc. to Sadot Group Inc.
• Ticker Change: The stock symbol transitioned from GRIL to SDOT on the Nasdaq exchange.
• Revenue Surge: The Sadot LLC subsidiary quickly demonstrated explosive financial performance, crossing the $100 million revenue milestone in its first 45 days and later surpassing the $200 million revenue milestone within its first three months of operations. This staggering revenue generation completely dwarfed the performance of the entire restaurant portfolio.

The success of the new agri-foods venture provided the financial and strategic justification for a complete divestiture of the original restaurant business.

The Final Chapter: What Happened to Muscle Maker Grill and Pokemoto?

The massive revenue generated by Sadot LLC ultimately sealed the fate of the restaurant brands. The company concluded that its future lay solely in the high-growth, high-margin global commodity trading sector, necessitating a complete exit from the restaurant industry.

The Strategic Divestiture

In a move that signifies the end of the original corporate focus, Sadot Group Inc. announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to sell its entire restaurant division, specifically the Pokemoto and Muscle Maker Grill chains.

• Sale Price: The chains were slated to be sold for a total purchase price of $4.25 million.
• Complete Exit: This transaction, which also included the sale of the SuperFit Foods brand, was explicitly described by the CEO as a "complete exit" from the restaurant industry.
• Refranchising: Prior to the sale, Sadot Group also announced that it had refranchised its final company-owned Muscle Maker Grill locations, ensuring the brand's continued operation under a new structure.

While the corporate entity has moved on, the Muscle Maker Grill brand itself will continue to operate under new ownership and a franchise model, maintaining its presence in the healthy fast-casual market. Customers can still find the updated 2025 menu, including favorites like the "Signature" wrap and various guilt-free burgers, at existing franchise locations.

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Sadot Group Inc.'s New Strategic Focus: A Deep Dive into Sadot Agri-Foods

The new corporate identity, Sadot Group Inc., is entirely focused on leveraging technology and logistics to become a key player in the global food supply chain. This pivot represents a significant shift from B2C (Business-to-Consumer) restaurant operations to a high-volume B2B (Business-to-Business) commodity trading model.

The Sadot LLC Operating Model

The core of Sadot Group's business is its subsidiary, Sadot LLC, which operates within the agri-commodity sourcing and trading sector. The company’s strategy involves connecting producers and consumers of agricultural products worldwide, improving efficiency in the supply chain.

• Global Reach: Sadot Agri-Foods has rapidly expanded its operations, particularly through its subsidiary Sadot Latam LLC, which focuses on sourcing and trading operations across North, Central, and South America.
• Commodities: The primary focus is on trading essential agricultural commodities, a sector known for its vast market size and high revenue potential.
• Headquarters: Sadot Group Inc. is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with subsidiary operations spanning the globe.

Financial and Future Outlook

The financial projections for Sadot Group Inc. are based on the explosive growth of its Sadot LLC subsidiary. The company's goal is to transition from a high-revenue, low-margin trading operation to a more balanced entity with improved profitability.

• Profitability Target: Financial analysts, such as Goldman Small-Cap Research, have projected that the company is on track to generate its first significant profit in 2024, with estimated earnings around US$14.6 million.
• Strategic Momentum: The company is actively pursuing further strategic initiatives, including exploring the development of an institutional Bitcoin Treasury Strategy, indicating a forward-looking approach to corporate finance and asset management beyond traditional commodity trading.
• The Core Mission: The new mission is to evolve from a mere commodity trader into a full-scale, tech-enabled global agri-foods supply chain organization, prioritizing scale and logistical efficiency.

The transformation of Muscle Maker, Inc. into Sadot Group Inc. is one of the most compelling business stories of the mid-2020s, demonstrating a ruthless corporate focus on maximizing shareholder value by exiting a low-growth sector (restaurants) for a high-volume, high-potential global market (agri-foods). The Muscle Maker Grill brand will live on, but its corporate parent has fundamentally changed its identity to become a leader in the international food supply chain.

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