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The Melt was one of the most moronic restaurants to ever grace this Earth. I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to charge people fifteen bucks for half

The Melt was one of the most moronic restaurants to ever grace this Earth. I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to charge people fifteen bucks for half a slice of a grilled cheese and a small cup of soup.

AmVess 8y ago
Interesting article. I never heard of them, but the original CEO blames real estate as being the cause of failure. He overlooks the fact that their sandwiches were MICROWAVED. Who in heck microwaves a GRILLED cheese sandwich? $6 for a tiny, soggy microwaved cheese sandwich. $3 for a tiny bowl of soup. Real estate wasn't the source of their failure.
- godot 8y ago
  To each their own maybe? I thoroughly enjoy grilled cheeses at The Melt and still visit it regularly. I don't really care how they run their businesses, what tech they use, whether the CEO came from tech or food. I like the grilled cheese there better than most places. There are only a couple of other places in SF/bay area with better/comparable grilled cheeses to me. (American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Boudin SF) Also, you said you haven't heard of them, but you made the claim that it's a microwaved soggy grilled cheese sandwich. I've never had a soggy grilled cheese at The Melt.
  - webkike 8y ago
    Grilled cheese is so low maintenance that I don't understand why you would pay a premium for something you can make way better yourself for practically pennies. No matter how good they make the grill cheese, I feel confident that I will be able to make a grill cheese that tastes better for cheaper every single time and I believe this sentiment is shared by most people.
    - megy 8y ago
      Exactly. It is like going to a restaurant and ordering an Apple.
      - Angostura 8y ago
        ... or a cup of coffee
    - wpietri 8y ago
      This is true for pretty much any sandwich, though. The peak for sandwich shops is the lunch hour, when people are often not at home.
      - webkike 8y ago
        A lot of sandwiches that I would want on a whim I do not have the groceries for. I almost always have the ingredients for a grilled cheese. Not only that, sandwiches you could buy from delis all over Palo Alto are substantially cheaper that sandwiches from the melt.
  - AmVess 8y ago
    I didn't make the claim, the article did. Also, I read reviews of them online, and read many complaints of soggy sandwiches.
- wpietri 8y ago
  That's a weird thing for the CEO blame. Commercial real estate for restaurants is a very well understood marketplace. Why would you go into that business without understanding one of the most important components to both your budget and your availability to customers?
  - thaumasiotes 8y ago
    This is specifically called out in the article: > while yes, the headaches of real estate in the Bay Area—where The Melt first set roots—are well established, fingering real estate is a bit like pointing out that it gets cold every winter
- rosege 8y ago
  Exactly! Everyone knows the correct way to make a grilled cheese sandwich is to turn your toaster on the side and grill it that way. Like this: https://grilledcheesesocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/b5bb7-img_2145.jpg https://grilledcheesesocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/b...
  - sli 8y ago
    I know this is a joke but just for safety's sake, I want to mention that this would be a bad idea in a modern toaster. The grates close, covering them in melted cheese, and now you have either a ruined toaster or a fire hazard on your hands. I remember when this image was making the internet rounds a couple years ago and I was surprised how many people hadn't thought about the issues with it. Luckily, I know no one that had tried it for real.
sli 8y ago
It's definitely inspired some folks. I recently went to a local event and there was a stand there selling "cheese toast" at $8 a pop. To be clear, it was not a sandwich, they weren't using nice bread (just storebought Texas toast), and the cheese selection was just the standard fare (cheddar, parm, jack). No clue where they got that exorbitant price from.

AmVess 8y ago

Interesting article. I never heard of them, but the original CEO blames real estate as being the cause of failure. He overlooks the fact that their sandwiches were MICROWAVED. Who in heck microwaves a GRILLED cheese sandwich? $6 for a tiny, soggy microwaved cheese sandwich. $3 for a tiny bowl of soup. Real estate wasn't the source of their failure.

godot 8y ago
To each their own maybe? I thoroughly enjoy grilled cheeses at The Melt and still visit it regularly. I don't really care how they run their businesses, what tech they use, whether the CEO came from tech or food. I like the grilled cheese there better than most places. There are only a couple of other places in SF/bay area with better/comparable grilled cheeses to me. (American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Boudin SF) Also, you said you haven't heard of them, but you made the claim that it's a microwaved soggy grilled cheese sandwich. I've never had a soggy grilled cheese at The Melt.
- webkike 8y ago
  Grilled cheese is so low maintenance that I don't understand why you would pay a premium for something you can make way better yourself for practically pennies. No matter how good they make the grill cheese, I feel confident that I will be able to make a grill cheese that tastes better for cheaper every single time and I believe this sentiment is shared by most people.
  - megy 8y ago
    Exactly. It is like going to a restaurant and ordering an Apple.
    - Angostura 8y ago
      ... or a cup of coffee
  - wpietri 8y ago
    This is true for pretty much any sandwich, though. The peak for sandwich shops is the lunch hour, when people are often not at home.
    - webkike 8y ago
      A lot of sandwiches that I would want on a whim I do not have the groceries for. I almost always have the ingredients for a grilled cheese. Not only that, sandwiches you could buy from delis all over Palo Alto are substantially cheaper that sandwiches from the melt.
- AmVess 8y ago
  I didn't make the claim, the article did. Also, I read reviews of them online, and read many complaints of soggy sandwiches.
wpietri 8y ago
That's a weird thing for the CEO blame. Commercial real estate for restaurants is a very well understood marketplace. Why would you go into that business without understanding one of the most important components to both your budget and your availability to customers?
- thaumasiotes 8y ago
  This is specifically called out in the article: > while yes, the headaches of real estate in the Bay Area—where The Melt first set roots—are well established, fingering real estate is a bit like pointing out that it gets cold every winter
rosege 8y ago
Exactly! Everyone knows the correct way to make a grilled cheese sandwich is to turn your toaster on the side and grill it that way. Like this: https://grilledcheesesocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/b5bb7-img_2145.jpg https://grilledcheesesocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/b...
- sli 8y ago
  I know this is a joke but just for safety's sake, I want to mention that this would be a bad idea in a modern toaster. The grates close, covering them in melted cheese, and now you have either a ruined toaster or a fire hazard on your hands. I remember when this image was making the internet rounds a couple years ago and I was surprised how many people hadn't thought about the issues with it. Luckily, I know no one that had tried it for real.

sli 8y ago

It's definitely inspired some folks. I recently went to a local event and there was a stand there selling "cheese toast" at $8 a pop. To be clear, it was not a sandwich, they weren't using nice bread (just storebought Texas toast), and the cheese selection was just the standard fare (cheddar, parm, jack). No clue where they got that exorbitant price from.