Melt Shop

On the Grid : MeltShop

"A lactose intolerant person's nightmare, MeltShop specializes in one of the trendiest foods of the moment: grilled cheese. If you're feeling fancy, you can throw fried chicken or truffles in your sandwich. Whatever you do, make sure you grab a shake and parmesan tots. (P.S. the benches outside are great for sleeping off your food coma.)" - Laundry Service

"These grilled cheese aficionados have four locations in Manhattan—with two outposts in Midtown (50th Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue, and 8th Avenue between 52nd Street and 53rd Street) along with one in Lower Manhattan, they pretty much have the lunch rush figured out. (Pro tip: They have a slick online ordering system that lets you skip the 1pm line.) Those with gluten allergies will appreciate that all of their indulgent, melty sandwiches are available with gluten-free bread. There's also a location in NoMad."

Ghost Kitchens Are the Wave of the Future. Is That Good for Restaurants? | Eater

"A small chain operating multiple restaurants across several states that rapidly launched virtual brands during COVID-19 to capture delivery demand. Leadership used internal sales data to spot high-margin opportunities (notably chicken), pivoting toward family-sized and dinner-oriented items to increase check averages and optimize kitchen schedules. The company rolled out two virtual concepts quickly (a wing-focused brand and a cheesesteak brand), illustrating both the speed possible with data-driven strategy and the fragility of virtual concepts—one of the short-lived brands closed in under two months—underscoring that strong execution is still required to sustain online-only offerings." - Kristen Hawley

Former ‘Iron Chef’ Cat Cora Is Suing Gourmia for $100K | Eater NY

"I note that grilled-cheese restaurant Melt Shop is heading to JFK later this year." - Carla Vianna

Nom Wah Tea Parlor Opens Location in China | Eater NY

"The Melt Shop is set to serve tots and queso at Governors Ball." - Carla Vianna