Melt Bar and Grilled has permanently closed its last location.
Restaurant owner and chef Matt Fish announced on Jan. 1 that he has closed the flagship Melt in Lakewood — the only one still standing, after a dozen of its other locations closed in the past few years and after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this past June.
"I have made the difficult decision to permanently close Melt Bar and Grilled. This decision was not made lightly or without years of incredible effort and stress," Fish said in a statement posted to Melt's social media. "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."
In his statement, Fish pointed to pandemic-related shifts in dining that affected Melt. In December, Cleveland Magazine featured Melt Bar and Grilled's challenges and renewal in an article that detailed shifts in Melt's neighborhood, dining trends and eating habits — many of which started during the pandemic in 2020.
RELATED: The New Melt Bar and Grilled: Matt Fish’s Journey Brings Him Back to Where He Started
This year, in an attempt to boost the remaining Melt Bar and Grilled's business, Fish redesigned its menu, focusing on new offerings and elevated dishes. He also made changes to the interior design of the restaurant. He relaunched the new version of Melt Bar and Grilled in early September.
The new concept never reached the heights that the original Melt did, according to Fish's statement. The restaurant and bar, known for its over-the-top grilled cheese sandwiches and its colorful rock ’n’ roll interior, skyrocketed in prominence after opening in 2006. It was featured on TV shows like Man v. Food, The Best Thing I Ever Ate and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and Cleveland Scene readers voted it the best restaurant in Cleveland. Over the years, 1,000 enthusiastic fans of the concept got grilled cheese sandwich tattoos for a lifetime discount at the eatery.
"All aspects of the relaunch succeeded according to plan except one... the projected robust business levels never happened," Fish shared in his statement about the restaurant's closure. "The financial burden of bankruptcy, combined with the lack of robust sales have proved to be completely devastating."
Coupled with the business side of the decision, Fish noted in his statement that his wife received bad health news in early December, which factored into his call to close Melt Bar and Grilled for good.
"Today is a very sad day for me both personally and professionally. 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. Melt began as the 'little restaurant that could' and unexpectedly went on to spread its wings, grow tremendously and inspire many others to do the same," he wrote. "While this is a very difficult decision, I have no regrets. I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish and much more with Melt Bar and Grilled."
He continued: "I am bowing out of the fight for business survival at the end of 2024 to focus on the fight for life and family in 2025. I have thankfully learned what is most important in life, while I still have time to enjoy it."
Read the full statement here.
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