For Melting Pot franchisees, investing in the brand is both a financial choice and an opportunity to bring a warm, welcoming restaurant environment and great dining experience to their communities. However, establishing the environment for guests to create lifelong memories is a strategic, well-planned process, and one franchisees receive support in from the time they enter into the agreement.

“It’s very easy to say, ‘We have the best support. We have the best leaders. You definitely want to be a part of this team,’” said Collin Benyo, franchise growth strategist for Melting Pot. “It’s an easy layup to say those things, but we have actually invested in the support team. We’re handing our new franchisees off to a qualified person as opposed to saying, ‘The sales process is done. Thanks for coming. We look forward to being there for your grand opening.’”

Ashley Olson, project controller at Melting Pot, is a key part of this process. With a long history with the brand and a strong background in project management, including a degree in business management and organization, membership in the Suncoast Chapter of the Project Management Institute and completion of the PMP exam course, Olson describes herself as the “air traffic controller” for initiatives and projects within the Melting Pot system.

This includes new restaurant development, which happens over the course of three key phases.

“The process starts with the franchise lease agreement and signing journey,” Olson said. “As you come on board as a new franchisee, the first piece is finding the perfect location and working through that site selection process and lease agreement process. Then we move into the construction phase and finish out with the new restaurant opening training phase.”

Olson ensures the project management aspect is woven into each step. This not only ensures franchisees have continuous support along the way, but it helps them by increasing visibility and offering a single source of truth throughout the process.

The visibility aspect is especially important as Melting Pot is not a passive investment. The leadership team is looking to grow with franchise owners who will remain involved throughout the process, and Melting Pot provides the structure to support this.

In a franchisee-franchisor relationship, some things are the franchisee’s responsibility, others belong to the franchisor, and yet another group of responsibilities are shared or collaborative.

“There is a bit of a hand-holding experience depending on the franchisee’s experience with small business or construction,” Olson said. “For example, our director of construction and design will oversee the entire construction phase of your new restaurant development and help push for that on-time, on-budget opening that we’re targeting every time. But we have all of our steps broken out as well as the owner of each step noted so the franchisee can understand what is assigned to them and what might be assigned to one of our supporting team members.”

As the schedule progresses, the team also meets with the franchisees regularly to share how things are going, what is in progress and what is coming up.

“Having that full transparency and accountability going both ways is a really big benefit for any franchisee that we bring on board,” Olson said. “It gives them the full picture, and they can rest assured that the team is working on something, and in turn, they know exactly what they’re expected to deliver, as well.”

Having this level of transparency and true partnership makes the significant undertaking more digestible and represents a secure, strategic investment.

For any new entrepreneur, the initial investment to launch a business can be daunting. A successful launch requires time, energy and financial investments, but with the right brand, these investments work to create an even stronger foundation. Melting Pot’s expert team and 50-year legacy mitigate challenges with unparalleled support and a proven model. Transparent, hands-on guidance ensures franchisees are well-equipped and supported in succeeding from the moment they sign their franchise agreements.

To learn more about franchise opportunities with Melting Pot, please visit www.meltingpotfranchise.com.