Can Flip Co-Creator Succeed with Fast Casual Grilled Cheese?

The revolutionary Flip camera and fast casual grilled cheese seem like strange bedfellows. But not to Jonathan Kaplan, the businessman who helped create the Flip video camera. The entrepreneur told the crowd at D9, a digital conference, that he planned on opening five The Melt locations in San Fran this fall with plans on growing to 500 locations in the next five years.

As commentors on the QSR Magazine article were quick to point out, the concept isn't exactly new. The similarly-named Melt Bar & Grilled has two locations in Ohio with a third on the way and has been featured on shows like Man v. Food and the Food Network, so it's not exactly low-profile. Not to mention Boston-based Cheeseboy, which opens its fourth location this summer.

One wonders how long the "upscale grilled cheese" concept can survive.