Photo by Michael Kilfoy, Studio X
From Steve's Meltdown, Sweet Caroline, topped with Brie, sharp white cheddar, apple slices, cranberry jam, and a smidgen more on the side for dipping
Photo by Iain Shaw
Steve Ewing has been through a lot over the past several years. Now he’s having a 'meltdown.'
The frontman for The Urge and co-owner of Steve’s Hot Dogs endured a pandemic-induced restaurant closure, then reopened the restaurant a month later after receiving financial support from Danni and Marcus Eickenhorst, followed by moving to a larger space on South Grand.
Now, Ewing and Danni Eickenhorst have announced a new endeavor: Steve’s Meltdown, a pickup– and delivery-only ghost kitchen serving traditional and unusual versions of the grilled cheese sandwich.
The Menu
“We do comfort food really well,” Eickenhorst says, referencing both Steve’s and The Fountain on Locust, which she also owns. “Grilled cheese fit right into our wheelhouse."
The initial menu includes five savory and sweet options. Among them, all pictured below:
- Adult Grilled Cheese: with four types of cheese (pepper jack, Colby, American, and fresh buffalo mozzarella), served on grilled sourdough bread
- The Mambo Italiano Caprese: made with mozzarella cheese, fresh spinach, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and a balsamic glaze on a ciabatta bun
- The Don Ho: pepper jack and mozzarella cheese on sourdough with ham, pineapple jam, a light brushing of Steve’s Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce, plus some on the side for dipping.
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Photo by Michael Kilfoy, Studio X
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Photo by Michael Kilfoy, Studio X
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Photo by Michael Kilfoy, Studio X
Eickenhorst and Ewing spent several months experimenting with the cooking process and to-go materials. “We grill and bake the sandwiches, which adds extra crunch,” she says, “and then use an aluminum and breathable paper wrap.” The result: a sandwich that can travel 30 to 40 minutes “and not arrive steamy and soggy,” she says.
The Concept
"We had the kitchen capacity and the staff to operate a ghost kitchen,” Eickenhorst says. “We thought we could use that leverage to generate additional revenue at minimal cost.”
Steve’s Meltdown operates during the same hours as Steve’s Hot Dogs (11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily), but orders must be placed online, either via Toast or third-party delivery companies DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats.
Pricing varies, depending on the order platform used. Orders placed directly (through Toast) can either be picked up or dispatched via courier within a 5-mile radius. Orders placed through third-party companies cost 15 percent more but can be delivered farther.
If the grilled cheese concept takes off, Eickenhorst says, future plans could include a Steve’s Meltdown brick-and-mortar location and/or franchise agreements for other restaurant kitchens.
The Ghost Kitchen Trend
Although the concept of a ghost kitchen began before the pandemic, the delivery-only model took off in 2020, as online orders surged when restaurants scrambled to reinvent themselves. Operating within existing restaurants, limited-menu ghost kitchens were effective in helping keep the struggling businesses afloat when dining rooms were closed or seating was reduced.
Similar to a food truck, the shared ghost kitchen is an efficient way for a new or fledgling operator to test the waters or for an existing restaurant to expand its market and/or experiment with new menu items, as well as to meet the demands of today’s delivery-partial diner. Simply put, they’re an inexpensive source for added revenue.
Locally owned ghost kitchen concepts include Wittycue, a vegetarian/vegan barbecue concept operating out of Amighetti’s in Rock Hill; rootberry’s operation in Richmond Heights; Revel Kitchen’s Motor Town Pizza; and Walnut Grill's Ghost Chicken Kitchen.
The original ghost kitchen model, however, was to operate several concepts out of a shared space in a centrally located but affordable standalone location (oftentimes in industrial park warehouses), with third-party delivery companies supplying the drivers. In some cases, as with newly opened Kitchen Clayton (7923 Forsyth) in Clayton, customers can also use an onsite kiosk to place orders and/or pick up orders directly. An ambitious project from CloudKitchens, with 20-plus separate operations under one roof, is slated to open later this year at 2360 Hampton, just south of I-44.
