After closing 12 of its 13 locations, including two in Columbus, over the last two years, Melt Bar and Grilled's owner announced Wednesday the restaurant will be closing its last location in Lakewood due to financial difficulties.
Melt had filed for bankruptcy in June 2024 and soon after announced a renovation of its original store on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, but business didn't bounce back, owner Matt Fish said in a New Years Day Facebook post. Fish said the business had struggled significantly since the pandemic, despite years of growth and expansion beforehand.
"The process to save Melt Bar and Grilled started in 2020. The world and the restaurant/service industry changed drastically during the pandemic," Fish wrote. "Hundreds of difficult decisions and countless efforts were made to put the company in a position to survive and thrive. Unfortunately, these determined efforts were not enough to save the company."
Melt's unique grilled cheese concepts garnered national attention since opening in 2006; notably, Food Network's Guy Fieri, a Columbus native, featured the restaurant on his show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" in 2010.
"Today is a very sad day for me both personally and professionally," Fish wrote. "The company I launched 18 years ago is over. What started as random ideas on a piece of notebook paper turned into nearly 2 decades of a very successful business."
The two Melt Columbus locations were located in the Easton and Short North areas.
It's not clear when Melt's Lakewood location will close. Fish did not share a date on his Facebook post and did not immediately respond to an email. Calls to the restaurant are greeted by an automated message noting that it will be closed for a staff vacation from Dec. 31 to Jan. 5.
