Jonathan Kaplan made it easy for consumers to shoot cheesy home movies when he founded the company behind the Flip Video camcorder. Now, he’s hoping to popularize something cheesier – and gooier – by starting a chain of grilled cheese restaurants that combine fast food with high tech.
Kaplan’s latest creation, The Melt, opens its first location Tuesday in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. Plans are in the works for two more restaurants in San Francisco and one in nearby Palo Alto by Thanksgiving. With financial backing from a venture-capital heavyweight, Sequoia Capital, Kaplan hopes to open 25 to 50 restaurants within the next year and about 500 across the country within five years.
No matter how much people like grilled cheese, Kaplan’s plan is audacious, considering the state of the economy. Still, he believes building this kind of business makes sense, particularly during a time of uncertainty.