Five Guys' franchisees founded a grilled-cheese shop - and now it's going national

Hollis Johnson

New York City is considered one of the nation's fast-casual incubators - if a chain can make it there, it can make it anywhere.

And now that grilled-cheese concept Melt Shop has comfortably ensconced itself in Manhattan, it's looking to expand.

The chain's parent company, Aurify Brands, is no stranger to scaling up.

With a massive Five Guys franchise group in New York, Melt Shop has some serious experience behind it.

There are plans to double the chain's location count after netting $22.5 million in Series B funding this past fall; there are already several in the greater New York area, as well as a new store in the Mall of America in Minnesota.

Melt Shop has four locations in Manhattan, so I decided to head over to one to see what the chain is like.