Muscle Maker Grill's Chairman Discusses His Experience On Undercover Boss

Find out what happened when Tim Betts, Chairman of Muscle Maker Grill, went undercover.

When Muscle Maker Grill's CEO Tim Betts went on Undercover Boss, the company's high-energy founder, Rod Silva, secretly gave Betts ongoing commentary as he observed the action via a live video feed.

This health-conscious, fast, and casual restaurant opened 20 years ago with a single location, and today it’s one of the top choices for high-quality, protein-rich entrees. Tim wanted to head into the company's front lines to see what was working and what issues needed to be corrected before Muscle Maker Grill starts a massive expansion plan.

See what Tim had to say following his undercover experience.

1. What did you hope to accomplish by going undercover and do you feel that you succeeded?

Tim: "I wanted to find out what we were doing right as a company but perhaps, more importantly, what we needed to improve upon to make our company and brand better. I feel that the experience was rewarding because we have already taken significant steps to improve our training and meal-plan menu consistency based on what I learned while undercover."

2. Which undercover role did you find the most challenging?

Tim: "Working in our food truck was by far the most challenging role on the show. This job encompassed nearly all of my roles on the show including marketing, cashier, cook, and smoothie/shake preparer. In addition, it was September in Dallas, so it became quite hot inside our truck."

3. What do you consider the most valuable lesson you learned while undercover?

Tim: "I learned that we have great, motivated employees who really believe in our brand and will do whatever it takes to get our healthy message out there to the masses. As a result of this, it is my, and our senior management's, obligation to provide our employees with the latest tools, such as the best available training practices, in order to be successful."

4. Which employee did you feel most connected to?

Tim: "I think it may be a tie between Meika and Justin. Meika sacrificed the comforts of a 9-5 corporate job to pursue her dream of a life in the culinary world. She had great ideas for how to better market our Muscle Maker Grill food truck program, which I think will be a big part of our growth going forward.

Also, I saw a lot of myself in [Justin] as a young college student who was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life once school was completed. His passion for our brand at school in West Virginia and his commitment to higher education while facing tremendous odds was very inspiring. To be able to meet these two made doing Undercover Boss a once-in-a-lifetime experience for which I will forever be grateful."

5. Are you still in touch with any of the employees featured on the show?

Tim: "I am in touch primarily with Meika and Nishan. I plan to meet with Meika and her son the next time I am in Dallas to see how they both are progressing. I was [also] fortunate to meet up with Nishan in Houston a few months after my undercover journey to discuss our new meal plan menu and training initiatives."

Watch all-new episodes of Undercover Boss on Fridays at 8/7c.