Could this be a culinary first for the Hub? A brick-and-mortar restaurant devoted to the grilled cheese sandwich?
Greater Boston has long been home to clam shacks and steak houses, not to mention hot dog stands and burger joints. And now Downtown Crossing is about to be graced with a 1,200 square foot restaurant that regards the grilled cheese as the keystone and the sine qua non of the fast-food pyramid.
The new restaurant is called Cheeseboy, and it’s location near the corner of Washington and School streets is set to open Monday afternoon.
As grilled cheese connoisseurs know, Cheeseboy has been around for several years, dishing up its signature product at mall food courts as well as at kiosks at transportation hubs such as South Station.
After such an apprenticeship, chain founder Michael Inwald thinks his take on the grilled cheese sandwich is ready for a brick-or-mortar restaurant all of its own, a place where staffers can offer the full diversity of quality cheeses along with a wide range of breads and toppings.
In some ways, the new restaurant will be a showcase for the “Cheeseboy� brand that exposes its menu offerings to the broad array of consumers that throng Downtown Crossing at lunch hour.
“The range of professionals, tourists, students, and other visitors in that area is exactly the group of people who we hope will value and appreciate what we are doing at Cheeseboy,� Inwald said in an e-mail.
Cheeseboy won’t want for competition at Downtown Crossing, which is a veritable smorgasbord of lunch options. Only recently Walgreens opened a nearby drugstore that also sells sushi and smoothies.
Inwald professes to be undaunted by the challenge.
“We hope that serving fresh high-quality food in an extremely friendly and hospitable environment will help set us apart and, in the least, compete on the same level as the best restaurants in the country,� Inwald said.
Chris Reidy can be reached at reidy@globe.com.