Bright yellow might not work in a lot of restaurant design schemes, but when your concept is all about celebrating grilled cheese sandwiches, it seems a natural choice.
The Melt Shop, an emerging fast-casual chain founded by Spencer Rubin and Josh Morgan, turned to local architecture and design firm nemaworkshop to come up with a prototype with which to grow. Lead designer Anurag Nema, the firm’s principal, got a little cheesy with it.
Like a great grilled cheese sandwich, the design theme is simple, basic and homey with a side of fun thanks to bold wall graphics and the liberal use of American-cheese-inspired yellow tiles and painted furniture. Store exteriors sport yellow awnings and menus and point-of-sale signage carry the cheesy hue, as well.
“It’s appropriate for the brand and has a kind of fun feeling to it,” Nema says. “As soon as we presented it, Spencer and John knew it was right for the concept.”
Melt Shop currently operates four units in New York, three of which opened this year.