How Kim and Hollis Silva Found a ‘Path to Grow’ With Melting Pot Franchise

Kim and Hollis Silva met at a local Red Robin restaurant where Kim was a server and Hollis was a manager. Once they began dating, Kim started looking for another job to avoid any conflicts of interest with Hollis’ management role. She eventually took a bartending job with Melting Pot, the 93-unit fondue franchise. This step was just the beginning of an impressive growth story, both for Kim’s role with Melting Pot and the pair’s relationship.

“About seven years later, I had worked my way from server and bartender to mid-manager, assistant manager and up to general manager,” explained Kim. “And then we had the opportunity to purchase the restaurant. At that time, Hollis was able to come in and work with us to make sure that this could work — that we could make good choices for the business together.”

Kim and Hollis took advantage of Melting Pot’s Path to Grow program, which empowers employees and managers to step into ownership with lower barriers to entry. The Silvas used this program to purchase the Spokane, Washington Melting Pot, and they worked diligently for the first couple of years to shape the location into the business they had imagined.

“After we purchased the restaurant, we worked every day together — seven days a week,” added Kim. “We had no managers for the first two years, so that was our true test of whether we could learn to be successful business partners and partners in life.”

Four years after acquiring the Spokane location, the pair had an opportunity to expand. In 2020, they were able to purchase the Boise, Idaho location. While they knew they would need the support of the corporate team to jumpstart the growth of their second location, they had grown remarkably as business owners since their first investment.

“When we called the corporate headquarters and told them we wanted to buy the Boise location, they said, ‘Okay, we’ll start the Path to Grow paperwork,” recalled Hollis. “But we said, ‘Actually, we’re able to just buy it the traditional way.’”  

With this investment, the pair continued to grow, working side-by-side to ensure both of their locations were set up for success. Throughout the entire journey, Kim notes that the couple’s ability to work as partners, truly valuing each other’s input and perspective, has been invaluable. 

Further, the Silvas have not been shy about sharing some of their most important values with their teams. As a couple who owns two businesses together, much of their time is dedicated to overseeing and strategizing for the growth of the business, but they prioritize valuable time together, too.

“We’ve tried to take all of our personal beliefs and put those into our Melting Pot locations as far as connections, not only with each other but also with our management, team members and guests,” explained Kim.

Their personal values align well with Melting Pot’s core values, and they are naturally able to cultivate the restaurant-level culture and atmosphere that makes Melting Pot so special.  

“Both of us value making time and putting effort and energy into our relationship, and I think that part of our personalities filters over into the business, too,” added Kim. “We make sure that we make time for each other and continue to support all of those connections in the restaurant and beyond.”

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