Melt Shop, the pioneer of the Melted Sandwich Movement, announced the opening of two new restaurants in the Northeast. The brand’s inaugural franchised restaurant in Newark, Delaware marks its first location in the state and is owned and operated by veteran franchisee Drew Smith. Additionally, Melt Shop opened its first location in New Jersey at Rockaway Townsquare, marking entry into Founder and CEO Spencer Rubin’s home state.
Located in the Christiana Mall, the Newark restaurant is the first of 21 Melt Shop locations that existing franchisee Drew Smith plans to develop throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He was awarded ownership of Melt Shop’s King of Prussia location in Pennsylvania in April of this year and has three additional locations slated to open in 2019. Smith is a seasoned multi-unit operator with more than 23 years of experience in the fast-casual restaurant space. In addition to Melt Shop in King of Prussia, Smith owns and operates 23 Five Guys locations throughout greater Philadelphia.
“The opening of our first franchised restaurant is a significant milestone for our brand as we remain on track to nearly double in size by the end of the year,” says Spencer Rubin, founder and CEO of Melt Shop. “As we accelerate this momentum moving into 2019, we’re grateful to have a knowledgeable and experienced partner like Drew, who shares our dedication to operational excellence. We believe our brand and product will resonate with the Newark community and look forward to our continued growth throughout the state and beyond.”
In addition to Delaware, Melt Shop has also made entry into New Jersey, opening a new corporate-owned location in Rockaway Townsquare in Rockaway. The brand has continued to identify the Northeast as a key region for development and has aggressive growth plans for New Jersey, as well as New York, with four new restaurants currently in development. Melt Shop will open a second New Jersey location later this month in Jersey City, as well as two more in Edison and East Rutherford within the next six months.
“Melt Shop’s strong performance has allowed us to invest our company capital in key target markets like New Jersey, which has massive, upside potential for our brand. Bringing Melt Shop to my home state feels like things have come full circle, and I’m excited to continue growing our footprint throughout the state,” adds Rubin.
Both new restaurants feature the company’s newest storefront design and kitchen package, which includes Melt Shop’s signature double-stacked conveyor oven that enhances food quality and shortens ticket wait times.
Melt Shop is looking to grow and is seeking well-capitalized multi-unit franchisees in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions, as well as in Florida, who are entrepreneurial, have a strong knowledge of their markets, and are excited to be a part of a culinary experience unmatched in the melted sandwich space. Since launching into franchising in September 2017, Melt Shop has added 20 restaurants to the pipeline and remains well ahead of its goal to open 100 locations by 2022.
