Entering San Diego's Gaslamp later this year is the second area outpost of San Francisco-based The Melt, a fast casual sandwich & comfort food eatery founded by the same person who started Flip Video.
Founded in 2011 by Jonathan Kaplan, whose video camera the Flip sold to Cisco Systems in 2009 for $590 million, The Melt is a chain of casual restaurants that currently has a handful of locations spread around California. The company previously had branches in Colorado and Texas but closed those eateries to focus on expansion plans in their home state. The first area branch of The Melt opened within The Shops at La Jolla retail complex in late 2017. Recently appointed Chief Executive Officer Ralph Bower, who was formerly CEO of Pei Wei Asian Diner with executive experience at Popeyes, KFC, and Domino's Pizza, hopes to open a few more location in San Diego County in the coming years.
The newest San Diego location of The Melt will open this spring in the 2,350 square-foot, 1920s-era Gaslamp Quarter unit last occupied by Dolcetti Boutique. Expect a menu featuring a variety of melt & grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as cheeseburgers made with Angus & Wagyu patties, natural chicken sandwiches, salads, desserts, and sides like fries, mac'n cheeses and tomato soup. Differentiating themselves from other fast-casual restaurants, The Melt uses sustainably raised ingredients and sources locally whenever possible. The Gaslamp location will also serve an array of beer and wine.
The Melt is anticipated to debut by this summer at 635 5th Avenue in San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter. For more information, visit themelt.com.
