TAMPA, Fla. — Melting Pot, the 93-unit fondue franchise, continues to see strong momentum following record-breaking sales for Valentine’s Day and new growth in Birmingham, led by a current franchise owner. Now, the brand has appointed Joe Culella, who brings 25 years of powerhouse marketing experience with major brands such as Outback Steakhouse and Olive Garden, as its new chief marketing officer to further drive its reach and double down on its beloved brand identity.
“Having built strong brand momentum with both guests, as demonstrated by our sales in the first half of this year, and owners, illustrated by internal expansion in Birmingham, we’re excited for our next phase of growth,” said CEO John “JC” Crawford. “We’re excited to welcome Joe to the team and look forward to the impact he will make as we continue to grow. His decades-long track record of success makes him the ideal partner, and I look forward to seeing the results of his innovative, collaborative approach to amplifying the brand at both local and national levels.”
Melting Pot kicked off the year with record-breaking sales on Valentine’s Day weekend, and it made its highest-ever donation after its 22nd year participating in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s annual Thanks and Giving® campaign. All of this, combined with steady interest from guests nationwide, has maintained stability across the system and opened the door to additional growth. For example, Melting Pot recently signed a development agreement in Birmingham with Mike and Nancy Williams, who are currently developing a Melting Pot in Memphis, Tennessee, with plans to open in early 2027.
In addition to valuable development in a key growth market, the Birmingham expansion is a reflection of the steady affinity franchise owners have for the model. As a legacy brand, Melting Pot has built a strong identity and reputation, and its market position is only further affirmed by entrepreneurs who are pleased with their current investments and excited about building on their relationship with the brand.
As this momentum builds, Melting Pot is also supporting additional development of its marketing strategy with Culella in place as its new CMO. In the new role, Culella aims to balance speaking to fiercely loyal Melting Pot fans and engaging the younger generation that has demonstrated a clear interest in the experiential dining model.
“This is a 50-year legacy brand that has deep consumer affinity. Looking at things like our Net Promoter Scores and seeing how high they are really showed me that this is a brand that is focused on delighting guests and truly delivering the Perfect Night Out,” Culella said. “At its core, Melting Pot is an experiential brand. And we’re uniquely positioned because of that experiential nature and our ability to surprise and delight our guests each visit.”
As he works to earn additional visits from long-time guests and drive awareness and upper-funnel acquisition of new guests, Culella says his guiding light will be his relationships with teams throughout the Melting Pot system.
“I’ve always believed that relationships are critical. I want to understand how the marketing team can build relationships with franchisees and their teams, support them and learn from them because they’re the ones in front of guests every day,” he said. “We want to understand what is resonating so we can amplify that and achieve our goals together.”
As the Melting Pot system continues to develop its footprint, the leadership team is focused on both healthy unit-level growth, supported in part by Culella and his team, and unit expansion in data-driven target markets like Des Moines, Iowa; Charleston, SC; Boston, Massachusetts; and San Jose, CA.
About Melting Pot
Founded in 1975, Melting Pot has offered a unique fondue dining experience for more than 50 years. As the premier fondue restaurant franchise, Melting Pot has 93 restaurants in 32 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. Fondue fans can join Melting Pot’s Club Fondue for exclusive promotions, special events and advance holiday reservation privileges. The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. (TMPRI), headquartered in Tampa, Florida, is the franchisor of Melting Pot. For more information, visit www.meltingpot.com. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Melting Pot, please visit www.meltingpotfranchise.com.
Melting Pot
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Culella, a restaurant industry veteran, joins the mature brand, aiming to expand its reach and build on steady system growth, including a recent internal expansion in Birmingham.
TAMPA, Fla. — Melting Pot, the 93-unit fondue franchise, continues to see strong momentum following record-breaking sales for Valentine’s Day and new growth in Birmingham, led by a current franchise owner. Now, the brand has appointed Joe Culella, who brings 25 years of powerhouse marketing experience with major brands such as Outback Steakhouse and Olive Garden, as its new chief marketing officer to further drive its reach and double down on its beloved brand identity.
“Having built strong brand momentum with both guests, as demonstrated by our sales in the first half of this year, and owners, illustrated by internal expansion in Birmingham, we’re excited for our next phase of growth,” said CEO John “JC” Crawford. “We’re excited to welcome Joe to the team and look forward to the impact he will make as we continue to grow. His decades-long track record of success makes him the ideal partner, and I look forward to seeing the results of his innovative, collaborative approach to amplifying the brand at both local and national levels.”
Melting Pot kicked off the year with record-breaking sales on Valentine’s Day weekend, and it made its highest-ever donation after its 22nd year participating in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s annual Thanks and Giving® campaign. All of this, combined with steady interest from guests nationwide, has maintained stability across the system and opened the door to additional growth. For example, Melting Pot recently signed a development agreement in Birmingham with Mike and Nancy Williams, who are currently developing a Melting Pot in Memphis, Tennessee, with plans to open in early 2027.
In addition to valuable development in a key growth market, the Birmingham expansion is a reflection of the steady affinity franchise owners have for the model. As a legacy brand, Melting Pot has built a strong identity and reputation, and its market position is only further affirmed by entrepreneurs who are pleased with their current investments and excited about building on their relationship with the brand.
As this momentum builds, Melting Pot is also supporting additional development of its marketing strategy with Culella in place as its new CMO. In the new role, Culella aims to balance speaking to fiercely loyal Melting Pot fans and engaging the younger generation that has demonstrated a clear interest in the experiential dining model.
“This is a 50-year legacy brand that has deep consumer affinity. Looking at things like our Net Promoter Scores and seeing how high they are really showed me that this is a brand that is focused on delighting guests and truly delivering the Perfect Night Out,” Culella said. “At its core, Melting Pot is an experiential brand. And we’re uniquely positioned because of that experiential nature and our ability to surprise and delight our guests each visit.”
As he works to earn additional visits from long-time guests and drive awareness and upper-funnel acquisition of new guests, Culella says his guiding light will be his relationships with teams throughout the Melting Pot system.
“I’ve always believed that relationships are critical. I want to understand how the marketing team can build relationships with franchisees and their teams, support them and learn from them because they’re the ones in front of guests every day,” he said. “We want to understand what is resonating so we can amplify that and achieve our goals together.”
As the Melting Pot system continues to develop its footprint, the leadership team is focused on both healthy unit-level growth, supported in part by Culella and his team, and unit expansion in data-driven target markets like Des Moines, Iowa; Charleston, SC; Boston, Massachusetts; and San Jose, CA.
About Melting Pot
Founded in 1975, Melting Pot has offered a unique fondue dining experience for more than 50 years. As the premier fondue restaurant franchise, Melting Pot has 93 restaurants in 32 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. Fondue fans can join Melting Pot’s Club Fondue for exclusive promotions, special events and advance holiday reservation privileges. The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. (TMPRI), headquartered in Tampa, Florida, is the franchisor of Melting Pot. For more information, visit www.meltingpot.com. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Melting Pot, please visit www.meltingpotfranchise.com.
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