Melt, named to emphasize the concept’s blend of American and Italian, offers 32 flavors of gelato and sorbetto made with all-natural ingredients from authentic old-world Italian recipes. “When we started there was very little gelato available in the U.S.,” Barwin says. “It’s becoming more popular now, but many companies are selling an inferior product made with freeze-dried powder that can be mixed with milk or water. We believe quality will rule eventually; Americans are going to be able to recognize what is good, authentic gelato.”

The top-selling flavor is Mascarpone Caramel Pistachio, a cheese base with a caramel swirl and pistachio nuts. Other popular flavors are Tiramisu and White Chocolate Raspberry.

With most of its business coming during afternoon snacking hours, Melt recently added 12 varieties of both sweet and savory crepes to boost its breakfast and lunch business. The stores also sell smoothies and Italian specialty coffees.

Most of Melt’s locations, which range from 150-square-foot kiosks to 1,250-square-foot stores, are in malls and inline shopping centers and operate during typical shopping hours. Each store averages 800 to 1,000 customers a day with an average check of $4.20. A single serving of gelato is $2.95.

Barwin opened his first stores in 2004 in four demographically different markets to test the viability of the concept. He has since grown the chain to 24 stores through franchising and is ready for aggressive national and international growth.

“We’ve proven that our gelaterias work just about anywhere,” Barwin says. “Neither income, age, nor ethnic backgrounds are a barrier. Everyone enjoys a sweet indulgence, and most can afford a $3 treat.”