Dishwasher to Multi-Unit Owner: How Brian Neel Turned into a Melting Pot Franchisee

The Melting Pot, the 94-unit experiential dining fondue concept, has a special way of turning into an unexpected career. Multiple franchise owners and members of the leadership team have stories that begin with something along the lines of, “Well, I didn’t mean for this to turn into a career.” However, once they experience the unique restaurant atmosphere and company culture, it’s easy to see the strength of the model. Brian Neel, a now multi-unit franchisee, has one of these stories.

“What did I do before The Melting Pot? Well, not much, because I started off as a teen,” Neel said. “I graduated high school, was about to start college and was looking for a job to keep through college. I told one of my friends that I was working at a grocery store but looking to make a change, and he let me know about this place he was working in called The Melting Pot. I applied and was hired as a dishwasher. I moved into food prep, and then eventually serving, then managing after I graduated.”

However, Neel began thinking about the investment in his junior year of college, he says. A few of the employees of Neel’s college store moved to Raleigh to open their own location, which served as inspiration. After his graduation, Neel had not yet secured funding or real estate, so he took on a management position in the restaurant as he continued working with a fellow employee to build an investment for a new location.

“I managed for about a year and a half while also conducting my search for investors and a location,” he said. “Ultimately, we found some financing—an investor and traditional bank financing—to open our location.”

Neel’s first location opened in Charlotte in 1989.

“My original investor, Steve Harris, was a real estate investor,” Neel explained. “He said, ‘You know, Brian, I don’t know anything about restaurants but I believe in the concept and I believe in you,’ and he put in the money. Without him, I probably wouldn’t have gotten my start. Banks were not going to give that kind of loan to a young kid, fresh out of college with no money and no capital!”

Over the years, as Neels’ investment has grown, he has shifted into a role more like that of Harris. He seeks managing partners to work at the various restaurants he has invested in, and he says he’s found this model has an incredible payoff.

Having someone in each restaurant who can keep tabs on daily operations is an important resource, but it also allows Neel to work on a larger strategy and serve as a mentor for other individuals who are interested in ownership.

“At most, we’ve had 16 restaurants. We have seven now, but that decrease is because, in our agreement with some of our managing partners, we have an option for them to buy us out completely over time,” he said. “That’s proven to be pretty successful for us. At our annual convention, we meet other franchisees, develop friendships with them and start to invest with each other to open in different parts of the U.S.”

Looking to the future, Neel says he’s excited to support the unit operators and managers he works with through their growth with the company.

“We’re at the point now where we’re willing to be even less hands-on as far as daily operations and, instead, take on more of that mentor and advisement role,” he explained. “We really enjoy seeing the growth of these young managers and remembering how we felt during that stage. Advising is rewarding for me. My current role is both fun and rewarding, and I’m looking forward to increasing the mentorship aspect of that role.”

Total investments range from $1.3 million–$2 million. For more information, visit https://www.meltingpotfranchise.com/. 

About Melting Pot

Founded in 1975, Melting Pot has offered a unique fondue dining experience for more than 45 years. As the premier fondue restaurant franchise, Melting Pot has more than 90 restaurants in 31 U.S. states and Canada. Known for offering a variety of fondue cooking styles and unique entrées, Melting Pot’s menu also features cheese fondues, salads, fine wines, spirits and chocolate fondue desserts. Melting Pot is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For more information, visit meltingpot.com.