A new fast-casual spot built around protein-packed bowls, burritos and smoothies has opened just off Monument Circle, bringing a Chicago-born chain to downtown Indianapolis for the first time. Protein Bar & Kitchen’s debut local franchise occupies a ground-floor storefront at 6 W. Washington St. inside the historic eight-story H.P. Wasson & Co. Building, and it’s owned by a couple with deep roots in restaurant franchising and one unusual day job in motorsports broadcasting.
The storefront sits just south of Monument Circle in the heart of downtown, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. It’s the first of a three-unit central Indiana agreement signed by franchisees Jamie Little and Cody Selman, who plan to open a second downtown location and a third in Hamilton County, with downtown chosen first to build brand awareness among office workers and event attendees before expanding into suburban markets like Carmel or Fishers.
Little, a FOX Sports NASCAR reporter, told WISH-TV that she and her husband have been in franchising for 12 years. “It felt like a home run because it offers healthy food that tastes great,” Little said of the Indianapolis opportunity. She and Selman, a former business manager for NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, previously owned two Jimmy John’s locations in Las Vegas and three Nothing Bundt Cakes franchises in central Indiana, and they opened a Crave Cookies store in Indianapolis in October 2025.
A Storefront With a Revolving Door of Tenants
The 6 W. Washington St. space has seen plenty of turnover. It previously housed Pearings Cafe & Frozen Yogurt from 2013 to 2020, hosted the pop-up lounge Plaid & Pearls during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2024, and briefly accommodated Arden Cafe & Cocktail Lounge in 2025, the same IBJ reporting notes. The building itself was purchased by Illinois-based Government Investment Partners in 2023…