What Melt Shop does

Melt Shop is a fast-casual grilled cheese restaurant chain headquartered at 56 West 22nd Street in New York City, founded and led by CEO Spencer Rubin with backing from Aurify. The company operates approximately 11-13 physical locations spanning urban street-fronts, premium shopping malls, and airport terminals across New York, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Kuwait, alongside a sister online sub-brand called Melt's Wing Shop.

The core menu centers on grilled cheese sandwiches and 'melts,' including the Biggie Melts line on thick-cut French bread, complemented by handspun milkshakes and sides (fries, tater tots). Sales channels include dine-in, online ordering powered by Olo at order.meltshop.com, a mobile app on iOS and Android with rewards, and an off-premise catering program (Melt Shop Events) serving groups of 15 to 5,000 for corporate functions, weddings, and private parties. A separate Melt's Wing Shop storefront on Olo extends the concept into chicken wings.

Melt Shop generates revenue primarily through unit-priced food and beverage transactions at company-owned storefronts, with catering as a secondary stream. Distribution is anchored in high-traffic, captive-audience venues—JFK Terminals 4 and 5, LaGuardia Terminal B, premium outlets (Woodbury Common, Roosevelt Field, Westchester, Staten Island Mall, Mall of America), and Kuwait malls (Al Hamra, Al Kout). The company is a privately held New York LLC with no disclosed revenue, funding history, or institutional ownership beyond its relationship with Aurify.

Name

Melt Shop

Legal name

Melt Shop LLC

Website

https://meltshop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Melt Shop is a fast-casual grilled cheese restaurant chain operating roughly 11-13 locations in airports, premium malls, and urban storefronts across New York, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Kuwait, with a mobile app, online ordering, a wing sub-brand, and a catering program for events of 15 to 5,000 attendees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Sales: Revenue from selling grilled cheese sandwiches, melts, tater tots, milkshakes, and related comfort food items through company-owned and potentially franchised restaurant locations.
2. Catering Services: Corporate lunches, events, parties, and group ordering services providing individually packed lunches and party platters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Melt Shop is a fast-casual restaurant chain that sells grilled cheese sandwiches, signature melts, handspun milkshakes, and fries/tater tots through company-owned and franchised locations in malls, airports, and urban streets. The chain also offers catering services and full-service events for corporate and private gatherings of 15 to 5,000 people, with online ordering through its website and mobile app.

Product overview

Melt Shop is a fast-casual grilled cheese restaurant chain offering a focused menu centered on melted cheese sandwiches and comfort food. The core product lineup includes classic grilled cheese sandwiches, signature melts, Biggie Melts (on thick-cut French bread), handspun milkshakes, and fries/tots as sides. The company operates a sub-brand called Melt's Wing Shop for chicken wings. Additional offerings include catering services for corporate events and private gatherings, a mobile app for ordering and rewards, and Melt It Forward, a charitable donation initiative. Melt Shop Events provides full-service catering for events ranging from 15 to 5,000 attendees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches The core menu item featuring melted cheese on bread, including The Classic Grilled Cheese and various signature melts, sold to individual diners through restaurant locations and online ordering.
• Biggie Melts Three signature melts served on thick-cut French bread, offering larger portions and bold flavor combinations, available through restaurant locations and online ordering.
• Handspun Milkshakes Handspun milkshakes available as a sweet treat accompaniment to sandwiches and melts, sold through restaurant locations and online ordering.
• Fries and Tots Side dishes including fries and tater tots available in multiple preparation styles such as loaded, cheesy, naked, herb parmesan, or mixed, sold through restaurant locations and online ordering.
• Catering Services Catering service offering individually packed lunches, party platters, and group ordering for corporate lunches, events, birthdays, weddings, bat/bar mitzvahs, bachelorettes, and other private gatherings of 15 to 5,000 guests.
• Melt Shop Events Full-service events company that creates unique culinary experiences through custom pop-ups, bringing melts, tots, and tenders to homes, backyards, or event spaces for groups of 15 to 5,000 people.
• Melt's Wing Shop A separate online ordering platform for chicken wings operated as a sister brand to Melt Shop, accessible at meltswingshop.olo.com.
• Melt Shop Mobile App iOS and Android mobile application enabling customers to order food, schedule pickup, and earn rewards, downloadable from the App Store and Google Play.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• LaGuardia Airport (Terminal B)minorOthersMelt Shop operates a location at LaGuardia Airport Terminal B, Gate 23, serving airport travelers from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
• John F. Kennedy International AirportminorOthersMelt Shop operates two locations at JFK Airport: Terminal 4 Gate A3 (open 24 hours) and Terminal 5 Gate 525 (4:00 AM - 10:00 PM).
• Roosevelt Field MallminorOthersMall location at Roosevelt Field in Garden City, NY with dedicated phone line for the location.
• Woodbury Common Premium OutletsminorOthersPremium outlet location operating 11 AM - 9 PM daily at Woodbury Common in Central Valley, NY.
• Westchester MallminorOthersMall location at Westchester Mall in White Plains, NY.
• Staten Island MallminorOthersMall location at Staten Island Mall in Staten Island, NY.
• Al Hamra Tower & MallminorOthersInternational location at Al Hamra luxury mall in Kuwait City with extended hours on weekends.
• Al Kout MallminorOthersInternational location at Al Kout Mall in Fahaheel, Kuwait on the mezzanine floor.
• Melt's Wing ShopminorOthersSister brand operating at meltswingshop.olo.com, offering chicken wing products alongside the Melt Shop grilled cheese concept.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Shake Shack: Premium fast-casual restaurant chain that has become the public benchmark for Melt Shop; both target urban and high-traffic locations with focused menus and brand-led positioning.
• Potbelly: Sandwich-focused fast-casual chain operating in malls, airports, and urban street locations; comparable to Melt Shop in channel mix and core sandwich positioning.
• Dig Inn: NYC-based fast-casual concept with focused menu and urban footprint; directly comparable to Melt Shop on premium positioning and Northeast urban real estate strategy.
• Wingstop: Specialty chicken-wing chain with a focused menu, mall and airport locations, and digital ordering; the closest direct comparable to Melt Shop's Melt's Wing Shop sub-brand.

Broad incumbents

• Jimmy John's: Large-scale sandwich fast-casual chain with national distribution and airport concessions; comparable in sandwich category and multi-format real estate strategy.
• Panera Bread: Established bakery-cafe fast-casual operator with catering, mobile ordering, and loyalty programs; overlaps with Melt Shop on comfort-food menu, catering, and digital channel mix.
• Sweetgreen: Public fast-casual chain with a focused menu, urban footprint, mobile app, and catering arm; comparable on digital-first, brand-led fast-casual positioning.
• CAVA: Public fast-casual Mediterranean concept that scaled from a single category into national omni-channel; parallels Melt Shop's premium-single-category to multi-format growth playbook.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: Established casual-dining wings and sports-bar concept with national footprint and mall/airport adjacency; comparable to Melt's Wing Shop sub-brand on wings-centric positioning.
• Subway: Global sandwich QSR with extensive mall and travel-hub presence; relevant comparator for Melt Shop's sandwich-led menu and franchise-style geographic expansion model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/meltshop
• Instagraminstagram.com/meltshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Melt Shop