Ralph Bower | The Melt

Ralph Bower | The Melt

From Meet the Franchise by 1851 Franchise

February 9, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

Ralph Bower, CEO of The Melt, discusses the restaurant's success and future franchising plans.

Meet Ralph Bower , CEO at The Melt! What is The Melt? Founded in 2011 in San Francisco, The Melt is a heavy-hitting, indulgent restaurant in the fast-casual sector. Known as the home of the "World's Meltiest Burger," this brand has found massive success in the West with 17 locations, including its recent expansion into Arizona. As CEO, Bower has led a culture shift focused on guest feedback and delivering an “I Love It Here” experience, a philosophy so far-reaching it even transformed the entire menu. Under Bower's leadership, the Average Unit Volume (AUV) has skyrocketed from $700K in 2016 to $3.5M in 2023 across their corporate locations. As The Melt gears up for a renewed push into franchising, it's spreading the word about where it wants to grow next and the kind of franchise partners it will be looking for to support its long-term development plans. Learn more about the The Melt here . Need help finding a franchise to own? Join the Growth Club !

People in this episode

Guest: Ralph Bower

Topics covered

  • fast-casual dining
  • franchising
  • restaurant culture
  • guest experience
  • business growth

Keywords

  • The Melt
  • Ralph Bower
  • franchising
  • restaurant success
  • guest feedback
  • Average Unit Volume
  • fast-casual

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Melt

Places: San Francisco, Arizona

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