Cleveland’s Melt Bar and Grilled, the popular grilled cheese emporium now celebrating its 11th anniversary, has been named to the Inc. 5000 2017 list of the country’s fastest-growing private companies. In the past, that list has included businesses such as Yelp, Timberland, Chobani and Zillow.
“The last 10 years have been a whirlwind,” says Melt founder Matt Fish. “Going from one location to 10, with another opening soon, has been an incredible journey for the entire Melt Family, including myself. If you asked me then if I thought that Melt would have gained exposure from national television food networks, industry trade publications, and now recognition by Inc., I might have laughed at you. But we were pretty confident we were on to something when we elevated the humble grilled cheese sandwich to its rightful place in the food universe.”
The chain started with a storefront in Lakewood in September 2006, originally intended to be a bar that served grilled cheese sandwiches on the side. But the grilled cheese sandwiches, offered in a variety of permutations, quickly took center stage, and soon patrons were enduring up to two-hour waits for their favorite.
An expansion of the original location helped take care of that problem, and soon other locations throughout northeast Ohio and then Columbus followed on the heels of the original. Melt’s new location in Avon opened this month and a Canton location will be open by the end of the year.