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Reinventing the Fast-Casual Dining Scene with Technology How popular sandwich chain At the Melt is using smartphones, QR codes and kiosks to build a brand.

By Matt Villano

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

100 Brilliant Companies

After Jonathan Kaplan sold his Flip HD video camera business to Cisco Systems in 2009 for a reported $590 million, he became obsessed with something quite different: the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Specifically, he was interested in turning out an impeccable sandwich every time, using premium ingredients such as sharp cheddar, brie or Gruyère, and fresh-baked sourdough, garlic or artisanal wheat bread. At The Melt, his popular chain of soup-and-sandwich shops in San Francisco, Kaplan has not only achieved that goal but revolutionized the fast-casual dining scene through technology.