Melt Bar & Grilled owner plans to open a new restaurant in Cleveland
Melt Bar & Grilled owner plans to open a new restaurant in Cleveland
Bob Vitale, Columbus DispatchThu, May 7, 2026 at 7:53 PM UTC
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The owner of Melt Bar & Grilled, the grilled-cheese restaurant that captivated diners across Ohio during the 2010s but crashed hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, is opening a new place to eat and drink.
Matt Fish, who closed the last of two Columbus Melts in 2024 after seeking federal bankruptcy protection for himself and his company, plans to open a new restaurant in June in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood.
Melt Bar & Grilled opened two locations in Columbus, in the Short North and at Easton Town Center, during a period of rapid growth in the 2010s. Owner Matt Fish closed the Short North restaurant in 2022, filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and then closed the Easton location soon afterward.
In his first Instagram post for his next venture, Fish described Proof Public House as "a punk rock-and-roll bar with an unapologetic attitude."
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Although the restaurant's website says Proof "is more than a comeback – it’s a whole new record," Cleveland Scene reported the restaurant will have at least one Melt classic on its menu and will host Melt pop-ups several times per year.
Proof Public House will be at 4116 Lorain Ave.
Follow Dispatch dining reporter Bob Vitale on Instagram at @dispatchdining. You can reach him directly at rvitale@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Melt owner Matt Fish is getting back into the restaurant business
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
