The Melt Shop at 135 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street has closed — less than a year after its arrival. (Thanks to @jcooper911 for the photos!)
A sign on the door directs patrons to the other NYC locations of the quick-serve restaurant that specializes in grilled-cheese sandwiches and tater tots...
Melt Shop took over from Make Sandwich, which was an extension of their brand.
This closure comes on the heels of Liquiteria's departure right next door.
The southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and 13th Street has also been a challenge for businesses since the longtime deli was rent-hiked out of here in November 2012. The space has been home to Fresh & Co., Pie Face and Sandwicherie in fairly quick succession. Dig has the space now.
Psst, grilled cheese sandwich is very easy to make at home, yes even for you. All you need is a hot flat surface, usually in the form of a pan, skillet, griddle etc. Bread, cheese etc these are all readily available at stores everywhere. No special technique or equipment involved. Sorry to rag on "Melt Shop" but this is barely above Kellogg's cereal cafe IMO.
ReplyDeleteI like to get a grilled cheese sandwich with high quality and interesting cheeses in it, I just hate to pay that much for few bites.
DeleteAgree with @10:27am! It's kind of dumb to start a shop selling something we can all EASILY make at home, like grilled cheese.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, look at Dos Toros, which is doing fine with burritos (burritos being something most of us don't easily make at home).
I'm mostly surprised Melt lasted as long as it did!
I've posted many comments about the impact of the near doubling of min. wage over the past year. However, in 4th Avenue's case , the problem is the astronomical rents. TSB looked at every space along 4th between 13th and 11th. You're looking at $40, 000 easy on that strip. Totally insane. The only people who will be left when the dust clears are the guys who got in early (Dos Toros, Think Coffee.) The space that just became Dig In was being shopped at $45,000
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head, $45,000 a month = $1,500 a day. If you have 4 workers for 10 hours a day at minimum wage, with taxes etc let’s say that’s another $700/day. Then you have your utilities, advertising, supplies, etc. I would think Dig In would need to sell $4K a day to break even. $4k in 10 hours = $400/hr = maybe 20 - 30 sales an hour all day long. I seriously doubt they can do or sustain that volume of business.
ReplyDelete@11:25 a lot more than 4k a day to pay rent on 45k per month. Standard for restaurants is you have to gross at least 10 times your rent, so 15k a day? Maybe BagelGuy can confirm.
ReplyDelete