As the number of Melt Bar and Grilled tattoos crept toward four digits, longtime Melt server Jess Janicek decided to get her own grilled cheese tattoo. She opted for a version of “kid slug” ink, featuring a sandwich face — and nabbed the 1,000th Melt Tattoo Family membership card last year.
“I’d always get crap from my tables, because I’m covered in tattoos,” she says. “I was like, ‘I should probably snag that awesome number.’”
Janicek is one of the latest to get body art in a promotion that’s nearly synonymous to the restaurant (and continues today, in the remaining location’s rebrand). Brian McConville got his tat in 2008 to make use of the 25% off discount. His ink of a dagger slicing through a grilled cheese is No. 47 in the Melt Tattoo Family.
(Photo courtesy Brian McConville)
“It’s kind of neat to see [Matt Fish] build his empire; I hated to see the way it went,” McConville says. “When he was at his peak, it was just crazy. … Who would have thought a little cheese place would be like this?”
Hundreds of other diners have gotten permanent portrayals of this local eatery, whether it was for a discount or for their love of the space. “Melt’s like a second home to me,” Janicek says.
READ MORE: The New Melt Bar and Grilled: Matt Fish’s Journey Brings Him Back to Where He Started
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