| The Melting Pot | |
| Foundation: | [1] |
| Location: | Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Locations: | 93 franchises (as of 2024) |
| Area Served: | United States, Canada |
| Industry: | Restaurant |
| Services: | Casual dining, specializing in fondue |
The Melting Pot is a chain of franchised fondue restaurants in the United States and Canada. The Tampa, Florida based company has 97 locations . 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.[2]
The first Melting Pot opened in April 1975 in Maitland, Florida - a suburban city of the Orlando Metropolitan Area - and it had only three items on its menu. With permission from the original owners, Mark, Mike and Bob Johnston opened The Melting Pot of Tallahassee, Florida, in 1979. In 1984, the Johnston brothers purchased all rights to the Melting Pot brand and expanded the business into a franchise.[3] As of February 2024, the chain currently has about 93 locations in the United States, 15 of which are in Florida.[3] The restaurant actively solicits additional franchisees.[4]
As of July 2023, there is also one location remaining in Canada, located in Edmonton.[5]
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.
In April 2023, Melting Pot Restaurants had plans to remodel a store per week,[6] to offer a more open dining room layout. This initiative was being called "Melting Pot Evolution" and was aimed at standardizing the restaurant's look, as the decor of some locations had not changed since the 1980's.[7]
The headquarters are located in Tampa, Florida.
The current CEO of Front Burner, The Melting Pot's management company, is Bob Johnston, the youngest brother of founders Mike and Mark. Bob had once worked as a dishwasher as early as age fourteen at his brothers' first location in Tallahassee.[8]
The menu offerings vary from area to area. Meal packages feature a cheese fondue, salad, meat or seafood, 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. The main courses are fondues, but also include meat, poultry, pasta, or seafood. The restaurants also offer special-occasion packages for anniversaries, weddings and other special events.