Well, this is … unexpected. Jonathan Kaplan, who previously led the company that created the Flip camera, just announced his new company on-stage at the D9 conference — and it’s a grilled cheese company.

Specifically, Kaplan said his new company The Melt will offer be a “next generation fast, casual restaurant.” Users will be able to order grilled cheese sandwiches and soups via the Melt mobile website. Then they receive a QR code, redeem the code in any Melt restaurant, and receive their freshly made order in minutes.

This may seem like more of a lark than a serious business, but Kaplan has ambitious plans. The Melt will open five restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area between August and November, and Kaplan wants to open 500 locations in the next five years. And The Melt has even raised venture funding from famed firm Sequoia Capital — Kaplan wouldn’t specify how much, but he said it was enough to open 20 stores, which cost between $500,000 and $1 million.

Article courtesy of VentureBeat » deals