Jonathan Kaplan found his first success as the founder of Flip Video, and now he’s working on a new venture that may prove more exciting and profitable than the first. It isn’t a new technology start-up company or an innovative new tool, but rather a new twist on an old restaurant concept. Kaplan’s fast casual brand THE MELT will combine fresh ingredients coming straight from the farm with brand new technology that revolutionizes the cooking process. On top of this, the restaurant will also be an affordable choice for lunch or dinner by keeping both labor and food costs low.
Guests will remotely order their custom combos, soups and sandwiches through special applications that link to their mobile phones or computers. Customers can find the closest THE MELT location in seconds, place an order in under a minute and redeem their combo at any location. Each order placed will generate a unique code that tells the cashier at the restaurant location what exactly makes up the request. This lets the staff prepare the food in minutes and gets rid of lines at this fast casual restaurant. Each restaurant will also donate money to local charities by asking guests to round up their ticket to the next whole dollar and donate the change.
The new melt presses create a hot and melty grilled cheese in just one minute, and pre-cooked soups are aerated while being warmed to give them a better flavor and texture than blends that are freshly cooked. The menu consists of a number of comfort foods, including grilled sandwiches and creamy soups that will make customers feel like they are dining at home. Five locations in Southern California will open by the end of this year, and Kaplan has plans to expand to at least 500 national locations by 2015.