Melt Bar and Grilled closes in Columbus' Easton Town Center amid lawsuit, bankruptcy

After bankruptcy and a dicey lawsuit brought by its landlords, Melt Bar and Grilled appears to be cooked.

The Easton Town Center location sported signs Friday thanking customers for their years of service but advertised that the restaurant "has left the building" and is "permanently closed."

Melt's Columbus location page no longer exists on the sandwich chain's website, and its page on Easton's website had been taken down as of Saturday. The company did not respond to a request seeking comment via email.

Melt Bar and Grilled in hot water since 2022

This is the seventh location across Ohio to close in the past two years, including the Short North location at 840 N. High St.; Independence; Dayton’s Fairfield Commons Mall; Avon; Canton’s Belden Village Mall; and in Cedar Point.

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In past May, Easton Town Center sued Melt Bar and Grilled and its owner Matthew Fish for upwards of $220,000 for not paying rent and other lease charges when due, according to Franklin County court documents.

The Cleveland-based company filed for bankruptcy protection June 14 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio, citing among its creditors EW Hubbard High, which owns the Short North location and claims it is owed $460,000; and Easton Gateway Property Co., which owns the Worth Avenue location and is still suing the restaurant.

Fish previously released a statement to Cleveland-based news media, saying that bankruptcy "gives us the best opportunity to reorganize and rebuild the company."

Samantha Hendrickson is The Columbus Dispatch's medical business and health care reporter. She can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com.