How Melting Pot Franchisee Thomas Reiff Went from Employee to Owner

After deciding that college wasn’t the right path for him, Thomas Reiff went looking for some employment while he found the right direction. It was then that a friend introduced him to the unique fondue restaurant, Melting Pot, and he was offered a job as a serving assistant. During his time at the restaurant, Reiff realized this was a place where he could forge a career. Now, more than 15 years later, Reiff and his business partners own and operate three locations in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Kansas City, Missouri.

1851 Franchise recently spoke to Reiff about how he got started with the Melting Pot franchise, and why he’s stuck around for all these years.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Thomas Reiff: After going through a year of college and dropping out, I needed a job. I had a friend who worked with the Melting Pot in Raleigh, North Carolina and he connected me to Chris Millsap, who was a Melting Pot assistant manager at the time. Chris hired me on as a serving assistant and I was one of the first people he ever hired. The restaurant business is just something I’ve always liked. Chris and I ended up becoming fast friends over a couple of years. I started waiting tables pretty quickly, and I developed an interest in managing my own restaurant. It was pretty clear to me at an early age that Melting Pot, or any franchise opportunity for that matter, provides an avenue for success because everything is planned out for you. And as a young man, I looked at Melting Point and realized that I could actually make some money through franchising.

Anyway, after a few years, Chris and his partner, Zach Hearon, asked me to go to Cincinnati with them. They bought the store in 2007 and asked me to manage it, so at 21, I became the general manager of the Cincinnati location. This gave me the opportunity to get management experience, and I learned a lot about the business from the front to the back. They made me a partner in 2012. After that, we went on to purchase the Colorado Springs store with Jim Materese in 2016, and then we bought the Kansas City location in 2019.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Reiff: Initially I thought it had a sort of Big Brother aspect to it. Of course, there’s a Big Brother aspect to all franchisors. But now I view it much more like a partnership. I’m not always aligned with everything corporate says, but we’re on the same side of the rope. Generally speaking, we’re always on the same side, trying to build traffic, revenue and so forth.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Reiff: It stands on its own among other franchises. There are a lot of sandwich franchises and a lot of fast-casual franchises. Those places are serving you with the same business model they always have. I was proud to work with Melting Pot as a serving assistant, and I’m still proud to work for Melting Pot today because we’re offering something that’s a little bit different in the community. It’s a different style of service, and it's experiential dining. Melting Pot helped pave the way for experiential dining in the industry.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Reiff: I don’t think we’ve ever had a year of negative growth, and I would love to keep that going. I’d like to keep that streak alive for as long as we can. Our Cincinnati location has been there 30 years as of this past January, and while we’ve only been there since 2007, it would be an amazing sense of pride if I could get that business to go for another 30 years. I would really like to sustain and hold the achievement of continuing these small businesses for a very long time.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Reiff: Loyalty is the biggest thing. I think we’re in an age where loyalty is at an absolute minimum and everybody is trying to hop from place to place every couple of years to build their own value. I’m very proud that I stayed loyal to the company I started with because I felt like there was upward mobility and sticking around is what made some of these dreams possible. Commitment, loyalty and consistency are what I feel have worked for me, and if I could tell anyone anything, it’s to be consistent.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Reiff: Keep showing up. A lot of franchisees will go through a period of time where they sort of check out. My partners and I are big believers in showing up. We feel that when you keep showing up to the store, then your people will keep showing up for you. That and focus on creating a good culture. The restaurant business can be tough business. The hours are long, but if you can manage things the right way and you have the right culture, you can balance it.  

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 www.meltingpot.com.