Melting Pot, the 92-unit fondue franchise, has built a strong affinity among guests, and for many, it presents an opportunity to step into a meaningful entrepreneurial journey. Becky Chapman, who owns multiple Melting Pot restaurants with her husband, Mark, has a similar story. Though the pair did not know about the brand when they began researching business ownership, a trip to a Texas location quickly won them over.

“It was a backup to my husband’s corporate job. We had three small children. We were living in Tulsa, and he was in technology. It was just every other day … the stress of having a corporate job,” Chapman said in a recent webinar. “One day in the kitchen, we were like, ‘Okay, this is getting old. What can we do?’ … A friend of ours said, ‘Hey, open a Melting Pot.’ Quite frankly, we didn’t know what Melting Pot was, but we drove down to the Addison location and came back just loving it. I mean, it was love at first sight.”

Now, 20 years later, the Chapmans have three successful locations and have built a strong legacy for themselves and their communities. Though they had no previous restaurant experience, Chapman said one of the most important steps in making the transition from a fan to a franchisee was the choice to open her mind and reach out for help.

“I would also add that it’s important to have a strong support system, whether it’s from your family, friends, or the franchise community,” she said. “Having people who believe in you and support your decision can make all the difference in your success as a franchisee.”

Chapman joined 1851 Franchise Publisher Nick Powills and Melting Pot Franchise Growth Strategist Collin Benyo to discuss the journey from fan to franchisee and offer insights for other entrepreneurs considering a similar path.

A summarized transcript of Benyo and Chapman’s interview with Powills is included below. It has been edited for clarity, brevity and style.

Nick Powills: Thank you for spending some time with us today. I’d like to discuss how you go from a fan to a multi-unit franchisee. Collin, give us a sense of what’s going on with the brand. And obviously, to anybody watching now or in the future, what are you excited about?

Collin Benyo: I’m excited about growth. At the end of the day, we’ve got five signings in the last six months. The brand’s moving in a great direction, going upwards. The number of people coming in and talking to us more and more is exciting. We just took a trip up to Omaha, we’re looking at spaces on the West Coast, and a new space in North Carolina just came up.

If you have a legacy brand like Melting Pot that’s been around for 50 years, you can’t rest on the laurels of what you did all those years ago. You have to continue to evolve. I think Melting Pot’s doing a good job of that, and that’s evident by the fact that we’re signing new franchises every day.

Powills: I love that. Becky has joined us! Becky, the topic at is how to go from a fan to a franchise owner. So I would love, as an opening statement, if you could share with us your franchise story. How did you even get involved with Melting Pot? What made you say yes?

Becky Chapman: It was a backup to my husband’s corporate job. We had three small children. We were living in Tulsa, and he was in technology. It was just every other day: “We’re going to move,” “We’re not going to move,” “You’re going to get laid off,” “You’re not going to get laid off.” Just the stress of having a corporate job.

One day in the kitchen, we were like, “Okay, this is getting old. What can we do?” We thought, “Let’s open a business.” We didn’t start out looking for Melting Pot or a restaurant. We started out just wanting our own business so that we could hopefully control our destiny a little bit more. A friend of ours said, “Hey, open a Melting Pot.” Quite frankly, we didn’t know what Melting Pot was, but we drove down to the Addison location and came back just loving it. I mean, it was love at first sight. We were like, “Man, this is amazing. There’s nothing like this in Tulsa. We want to do this.”

We’d never owned a business. We knew nothing about running a restaurant. And that’s how we started.

Powills: I think about every franchise owner that I’ve ever met, and there’s some sort of event that causes them to say, “I’m going to make a change in my life.” The majority of them didn’t set out to be entrepreneurial. They had great careers. And then there’s this turbulent moment where they say, “This is stressful. I’m not in control. Is there something that I can have control over?” How does that message relate to you guys? Was it like a chip on your shoulder and going through that turbulence where enough was enough, you just didn’t want to do it anymore?

Chapman: A bit of that. I think it was more about wanting to secure where we lived and just really putting down roots somewhere. We just loved Tulsa and didn’t want to move again. Our kids were young. I didn’t want to put them in another school. I didn’t want to go back to work, frankly. I wanted to have some control over our lives.

We were in our early 30s, and so it was really just the need to have some more stability and feel like we had some control over our destiny. And you know, as corporate America goes, sometimes you don’t feel like you have any control over what’s going to happen to you. It wasn’t necessarily a chip on our shoulder, but I would say it’s just a bit of frustration around us wanting to be able to make decisions on our own without having them made for us.

Powills: So you pick Melting Pot. You go down to Dallas. You end up at the location in Addison. You obviously fall in love with the brand. What was that spark moment? You said you went there and didn’t know what the brand was. When you left, what were you thinking?

Chapman: We were just thinking that this is an amazing concept. The food is great. We loved the fact that people were having great conversations and the fact that it’s a great date night concept. It’s a special occasion concept. We just thought it was such a unique concept. At the time, it was probably more unique than it is today. There were not many places in the early 2000s where you could have that experience. We just thought it was great, and we could see it in Tulsa. There were no other restaurant concepts like it in Tulsa, and we thought it was perfect for Tulsa.

Powills: Collin, how often does the why end up becoming just as critical as the financial side of the investment? 

Benyo: I think a lot of it, Nick, is very similar to Becky’s story. Becky, correct me if I’m wrong, but you could have probably gone and opened up another restaurant concept, but it’s what you fell in love with about Melting Pot. I think it’s what Becky touched on. It’s the experience, the memory, and the uniqueness.

Powills: When you started this journey with your husband, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced that you would say prospective franchisees should be aware of?

Chapman: I think the biggest challenge was just learning how to operate a restaurant. We had no restaurant experience. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. We really didn’t know what we were getting into, which was probably good because we might have talked ourselves out of it. But it was a challenge to learn how to manage people and understand restaurant operations. Melting Pot has a great training program, and they really supported us through the whole process, but it was still a learning curve.

We also faced challenges with financing. It’s one thing to buy into a franchise, but you have to have working capital and be able to sustain the business through the ups and downs. So, I would say the biggest challenge was just learning the business and making sure we were financially prepared for the investment we were making.

Powills: That’s a great insight. Collin, anything you want to add to that?

Benyo: I think those are really great points. Becky, you mentioned the importance of being financially prepared, and I can’t stress that enough. I think it’s crucial for prospective franchisees to understand the financial commitment and make sure they have the right capital in place to sustain the business. And like you said, Melting Pot has a great support system in place, but you have to be ready to put in the work and be prepared for the challenges that come with owning a restaurant.

Chapman: Absolutely. And I would also add that it’s important to have a strong support system, whether it’s from your family, friends, or the franchise community. Having people who believe in you and support your decision can make all the difference in your success as a franchisee.

Watch the full interview here.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/meltingpot/info.