The Melting Pot is a chain of

franchised Franchise may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Media franchise, a collection of related creative works, such as films, video games, books, etc., particularly in North American usage * "Franchise" (short story), a 1955 short story ...

fondue Fondue ( , , , ; ) is a Swiss dish of melted cheese and wine served in a communal pot ( or fondue pot) over a portable stove () heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread and sometimes vegetables or other foods into the c ...

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

s in the

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and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

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.

History

The first Melting Pot opened in April 1975 in

Maitland Maitland may refer to: Places *Maitland, New South Wales, Australia **City of Maitland, a local government area * Maitland, South Australia, Australia * Maitland, Tasmania, Australia * Maitland, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada * Maitland, Ontari ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

– a suburban city of the

Orlando Metropolitan Area The Orlando metropolitan area (officially, for U.S. census purposes, the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area) is an inland metropolitan area in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. Its principal cities ...

– 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 Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

, in 1979. In 1984, the Johnston brothers purchased all rights to the Melting Pot brand and expanded the business into a franchise. As of February 2024, the chain currently has about 93 locations in the United States, 15 of which are in Florida. The restaurant actively solicits additional franchisees. As of July 2023, there is also one location remaining in Canada, located in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

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. In April 2023, Melting Pot Restaurants had plans to remodel a store per week, 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

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Headquarters

The headquarters are located in

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, 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. Bob had once worked as a dishwasher as early as age fourteen at his brothers' first location in Tallahassee.

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.

References

External links