The Melting Pot (restaurant)


The Melting Pot is a chain of franchised fondue restaurants in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Tampa, Florida based company has 100 locations as of 2020. The Melting Pot menu contains various cheese fondues, wines, salads, entrees of meat and seafood served with dipping sauces and oil or broth to be cooked in, and chocolate fondues. It is part of Front Burner Brands.

History

The first Melting Pot opened in April 1975 in Maitland, Florida - a suburban city of the Orlando Metropolitan Area - and served only three items on its menu. With permission from the original owners, Mark, Mike and Bob Johnston opened The Melting Pot of Tallahassee in 1979. As the restaurant expanded its franchise, the menu grew larger. In 1985, the Johnston brothers purchased all rights to the Melting Pot brand.
On June 1, 2008, the original location in Maitland closed. The Company currently has one location open in Canada: in Edmonton, Alberta. Their Richmond Hill, Ontario location closed in March 2013. The Chicago location closed in September 2015. The New Orleans, Louisiana location closed in May 2018. The Syracuse, New York location closed in July 2018. In March 2019, their Las Vegas and Irvine, California locations
were closed. In September 2019, their Scottsdale, Arizona location closed, after operating for 22 years.

Design

The restaurants' interiors are designed using dark red and black colors. They are dimly lit; all seating is mostly in booths, with private booths away from the main room.

Headquarters

Its headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida.

Management

The current CEO of Front Burner, The Melting Pot's management company, is Bob Johnston, the youngest brother of founders Mike and Mark, who once worked as a dishwasher as early as fourteen at his brothers' first location in Tallahassee, and by years he got more involved in the growing business until he became the franchise's President and then promoted to be Front Burner's CEO in 2012.

Menu

A complete meal features a cheese fondue, a salad, main course and a chocolate fondue for dessert. The four courses are offered individually or as a "4 Course Experience." The 4 Course Experience includes one of several preset entrees, one serving of cheese, one salad, and one serving of chocolate. Main courses are still fondues, but include more typical entrees of meat, poultry, pasta and seafood. The franchise also produces "special-occasion" packages for anniversaries, weddings and other events.