MIAMI, FL – The Original Grilled Cheese Truck, owned by Big Cheese, Inc., a gourmet chef-driven food truck and restaurant brand being rolled out as a national franchise,  announced that it has achieved a major milestone with today’s opening of the Company’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant since deploying its mobile trucks across Los Angeles, where it helped launch the national food truck scene in 2009.  The Original Grilled Cheese Truck’s first quick service restaurant has been unveiled in the picturesque and populous beach town of Isla Vista, California, immediately adjacent to the University of California, Santa Barbara, with doors opening today.

“With our success melting the hearts of Californians and amassing over 100,000 followers for our brand in the competitive Los Angeles food-truck scene, along with recent progress with our franchise initiatives, the timing couldn’t be better to unveil our first brick-and-mortar,” said Dave Danhi, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of the Original Grilled Cheese Truck.  “Isla Visa is an ideal location for our first restaurant.  The area’s demographic, beautiful beaches, and close proximity to UCSB is fantastic, since it fosters a strong sense of community, active lifestyle, fun nightlife and the foodie frenzy seen from both millennials and baby boomers alike that combines well with our brand and culture.”

The new restaurant is located in the center of Isla Vista at 956 Embarcadero Del Norte, adjacent to the Isla Vista Theater and the UC Santa Barbara campus, which is home to a combined 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students.  The new location is operating under the Company’s “Original Grilled Cheese Truck Stop” branding, which is being rolled out for the Company’s kiosk, pop-up kitchen, brick-and-mortar and other stationary concepts, which is a play on words compared to the company’s mobile “Original Grilled Cheese Truck” branding for its trucks, carts and other mobile food options since launching the concept in 2009.

Customers will be able to choose from the Original Grilled Cheese Truck’s award-winning gourmet grilled cheese melts, tater tots, tot boats, tomato soups, sides and more.  Crowd favorites such as the Cheesy Mac & Rib, Brie Melt and Plain ‘N’ Simple will be back in action, plus the new location will also showcase new specialty crusts in addition to the standard white and wheat options for bread, such as parmesan, jalapeño and bacon-cheddar.  Lastly “tot boats” will be featured, which are tater tots loaded with your favorite gourmet cheeses, meats and other mouth-watering toppings.

“We believe this will be the first of many more restaurants to come, especially now that we’ve launched our nationwide franchise initiatives in 2017,” stated Darren Minton, President of the Original Grilled Cheese Truck.  “As a corporate-run location, our Isla Vista restaurant represents a tremendous validator both for our brand and for our potential franchisees wanting to see our brick-and-mortar location in action.  The Original Grilled Cheese Truck has already received hundreds of indications of interest from individuals throughout the country regarding our exciting growth potential. As we continue to expand our presence, we look forward to maintaining our steadfast commitment to our high-quality gourmet melts that our thousands of followers have come to know and enjoy.”

This first brick-and-mortar restaurant comes on the heels of the announcement of the Company’s first signed Area Development Agreement as part of its national franchise program.  The Original Grilled Cheese Truck is offering franchise opportunities for gourmet food trucks, micro-retail, pop-ups, kiosks, food carts, and brick-and-mortar restaurants.  The Original Grilled Cheese Truck’s gourmet creations have resulted in significant press and awards over the years, including the 2017 ‘Best Melt’ Award by Time Out LA Magazine.   A key component of the Company’s franchise growth strategy is the offering of discounted franchise opportunities to U.S. military veterans.

For local promotions and news on the Isla Vista location, fans can follow the restaurant’s local Facebook page. To learn more about the Original Grilled Cheese Truck, please visit www.thegrilledcheesetruck.com or visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.