Helping Melton's Survive

Local restaurant and hangout has been closed since Nov. 6 due to a rat infestation that owner Aaron Melton said began in July with an invasion stemming from the next door.

While Pet Supermarket is also closed due to a judge’s injunction, and they are repairing a common wall separating them and the restaurant, Melton’s is in deeper trouble simply because they are a small business without a national support system of money to fix problems like these.

Melton’s needs at least $100,000 to complete its repair work and reopen. Until then, one of my favorite places to go for good food like their amazing brisket sandwich, served by people who have been universally friendly and awesome in my experience, remains closed and with an unsure future.

I have so many good memories at Melton’s. It showed a lot of support for my alma mater, Druid Hills High School, especially the soccer team, which was always pretty good when I was a student. They often held fundraisers to benefit the Red Devils.

My dad and I frequently met up there for lunch – so frequently some of the servers began to recognize us and predict our orders. They were always right. I remember anxiously but excitedly telling him my plans for classes to take in my first semester of college, and then with equal degrees of anxiety and excitement telling him when and where graduation would be, all at Melton’s.

In January, when the big snowstorm came and turned Atlanta into the frozen planet Hoth from Star Wars, eventually my mom and I wanted some food other than what we had in the house. We carefully drove the short distance to Melton’s and picked up enough food for two meals.

I’m a big hockey fan and it rained the night of the Stanley Cup-clinching game between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. We have satellite TV, so I worried about the possibility of the signal going out due to the weather. If it went out for a prolonged amount of time, I figured I’d race over to Melton’s, get a brisket sandwich to calm my nerves and ask them to change one of their huge TVs to NBC to catch the rest of the game. I ended up not needing to do this, but Melton’s was my contingency plan because I knew I could count on it.

Especially considering the recent closure of another neighborhood eatery, Maddy’s, the idea of my neighborhood without Melton’s really worries me. Without Melton’s, we’d lose another small business staffed with hardworking, good-hearted people serving up really good food (Irish nachos! Cheese puffs! Old World Pasta!) and really good drinks (or so I am told by beer aficionados). Already those hardworking people who work there are going without pay and may be struggling just in time for the holidays. The area would suffer without our app and tap.

There are some ways to help Melton’s. First: Raise awareness. Tell your family, friends, coworkers and everyone else you know about what is happening.

Second: Contact the restaurant’s landlord to express your support. His name is Larry Wilensky. His office is at 1801 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 340, Atlanta, GA 30309. Or you can call him at 404-351-8803. If you contact him, be polite but show that you want Melton’s to reopen as soon as possible.

Third: If you’re on Facebook, like Melton’s page and the related Keep Melton’s Open page. Both are busy with many Melton’s patrons showing their support.

I look forward to the day when Melton’s lights are on again. I have been craving their brisket sandwich a lot lately!