“I tried it and the jam really tied the flavors together,” Carmona said. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Melt Lab officially opened its doors on Aug. 21 at UH’s Student Center South, replacing Mondos Sandwich Shop. UH’s Dining Services website describes the new restaurant as a one-of-a-kind artisan grilled cheese sandwich retail.
“It is still sandwiches, but the gourmet grilled cheese sandwich is already super popular, so we’re excited for it to catch on around campus and become even more popular,” said senior executive chef for UH System Dining Chad McDonald.
First Impressions
As with all restaurant openings, customers choose their favorite menu items from the get-go. At Melt Lab, this has already begun among students.
“I was speaking to a student at the sampling, and it was so great,” said UH Dining Services and Chartwells district marketing manager Alexcis Mendoza. “I remember this conversation because we have the same favorite menu item.”
She mentioned that the student’s favorite menu item was Old Glory, which combines sweet, spicy and salty flavors.
Students like political science junior Ashley Carmona share the same enthusiasm for the Old Glory sandwich.
“I tried it and the jam really tied the flavors together,” Carmona said. “I haven’t had much tomato soup before, but dipping the sandwich in it brought the whole meal together.”
Overall, student responses to the opening of Melt Lab have been mostly positive. While some students have expressed discontent with the opening of the new concept, Mendoza and McDonald acknowledged that it’s impossible to please everyone.
“Not everyone is going to love everything,” Mendoza said. “Not everyone’s palate is the same. Everyone’s tastes are unique and our goal is to create joy through our different concepts.”
Mendoza emphasizes that if the Melt Lab isn’t for someone, the University’s Dining Services have other options on campus that might be.
“We strive to encourage variety within our programming to ensure we’re meeting different tastes and preferences,” Mendoza said.
Psychology freshman Jonathan Chiriboga was among the students at the grand opening, and he enjoyed the free samples Melt Lab staff prepared for students to try.
“I loved the Fun Guy sandwich. It was amazing,” Chiriboga said. “The way the portobello mushrooms combined with the provolone cheese and the grain bread was great. And then, on top of that, the brisket was the cherry on top.”
Criticisms
Issues students brought up regarding Melt Lab included dissatisfaction with recipe preferences and when receiving the order.
“The Southern Melt isn’t bad, but they call it birria when it’s really just boiled meat with no seasonings,” said human development and family sciences freshman Sania Syed.
Syed was also not convinced whether the meal she bought from the new restaurant was worth the price.
“When I got my order of the American grilled cheese, the bread was stuck to the bag,” said computer science sophomore Vincent Wren. “I couldn’t pull the sandwich out without ripping the bag in half.”
The first experience was bad enough for him to never visit it again in the future, according to Wren.
Despite these setbacks, officials are striving to make sure that Melt Lab caters to all the different dietary needs of students.
“We’re trying to serve something for everybody from vegetarian and vegan to dairy-free and halal,” McDonald said.
Melt Lab is located on the first floor of the Student Center South and operates Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Updated hours can be found here.
