The Melting Pot, the 97-unit fondue franchise known for creating immersive dining experiences, has spent nearly half a decade being a favorite chain of families, friends and couples. The brand made a name for itself as a premium choice for upscale meals and special occasions, and continues to catch America’s attention by constantly evolving and bringing fresh ideas to the table — in addition to the delicious fondue.
The company’s leadership team is composed of highly skilled individuals who all have double-digit years of experience in the restaurant industry. These executives all work together with clear visions of continuing The Melting Pot’s success. Four of these leaders — CEO Bob Johnston, CMO Ana Malmqvist, EVP of Franchise and Restaurant Operations John Crawford and Chief Operating and Development Officer Dan Stone — talked about what makes the brand stand out amongst all other dining options.
While diners have many restaurant options, there are few eateries that offer an entire entertainment experience as well. The Melting Pot is the only fondue franchise in the United States, with a menu that is based on sharing and conversing around the middle of the table.
“It is literally the mission of the brand to provide guests with their perfect night out, whatever that looks like — especially today with what's gone on in the world over the last few years,” Johnston said. “Guests choose us over other options because we carefully craft an environment that encourages gathering with people that they care about and spending quality time with them. The Melting Pot provides the perfect environment for that. What happens in a Melting Pot is as much about what's going on around that fondue pot as it is what's in that pot.”
And while many choose the fondue experience for a special occasion, the brand has been able to market itself beyond being a fancy one-off spot. They have been focusing on marketing the concept’s “eatertainment” value for weekdays, when sales are typically lower, and are in the process of refreshing the interiors of the restaurants. The initiatives have been very successful at showing customers why they should continue choosing The Melting Pot.
“We're very well known for special occasions and romantic occasions, birthdays and anniversaries,” said Malmqvist. “We have been looking at how to protect these exceptional occasions because that's our core, but also start expanding a little bit to have more frequency out of our guests.” She spearheaded two very successful promotions, Thursday and Best Fondue Friends Forever.
The Melting Pot has been in business since 1975, and the company has remained a favorite and top contender in the eatertainment sphere. It has managed to do that over the span of over four decades and periods of economic uncertainty because its leadership is not afraid to adjust its vision to fit the time.
During the pandemic when restaurants shut down to dine-in service, the executives put their heads together and came up with a strategic to-go plan so franchisees could still bring in revenue.
“When we got thrown that curveball, they pulled together,” said Johnston. “We all worked on how to support the franchisees as best we could and prepare them for what we believed would be a flood of interest in the brand once people were able to come back to the restaurants — and that's exactly what's happened. The guests are flocking to us in record numbers, and we're outperforming the polished casual category more than we ever have before.”
Crawford added to the brand’s stronghold on success despite challenges. “We have helped our franchisees come out of some pretty challenging times, but still have significant consumer demand. We are 20% higher than most of the brands out there in sales, if not more, and in traffic the Melting Pot is at least 8% to 10% higher.”
Another significant selling point for investing that speaks to the Melting Pot’s adaptability is the full-brand revamp the company is going through. Stone has been focused on “refreshing” efforts, and the remodeled stores are doing extremely well.
“It's very sexy, contemporary with still extremely comfortable and intimate surroundings. And the stores which have gone through this are up in performance by 22%,” Johnston said.
Stone touched on the brand’s remodel and ability to stay trendy and hip. “We are focused on the single biggest evolution of our nearly 50-year history. We have all new stores being built with a sleek updated design and are in the process of remodeling all the existing stores. They look fantastic and the guests are really loving going.”
When it comes to each of the leadership team members’ favorite part of their role, they all share the common connection of reveling in franchisees' successes. All four enjoy the people aspect, where they get to work one on one with owners of locations to elevate the brand as a whole.
“What gets me excited about the work we do here is that we help our franchisees realize their dream of business ownership,” Johnston said. “I enjoy helping them create a business for themselves and their families. We take the franchisees’ successes very seriously and personally. It’s important to us for them to achieve their personal objectives, their personal ambitions and their financial objectives.”
Crawford likes to be in the Melting Pot locations working right alongside franchisees to figure out what they need to continue being profitable. “I love getting into the restaurant and asking ‘What are your biggest challenges? What could I do to help you?’ Those questions always give me good insight on where each individual franchisee is. If you can connect and listen, it really helps guide what you're trying to accomplish,” Crawford said.
Stone says they make sure that they have an open communication with the owners, which leads to great success on both an executive and operational side. “We are very approachable and they all have our cell phone numbers and can reach us at any time. We do a monthly franchise owners and operators meeting called Leadership Exchange. It's a way for us to interact with them so they understand what we're focused on and we can provide updates and an opportunity for questions,” he said.
Malmqvist enjoys that her role as a marketer brings in more guests, which in turn generates more success for the brand’s franchisees, and brings in more investors. “I like the challenge of figuring out how we harness the consumer’s brand love to make them always want to choose us and drive traffic in. Then the franchisee is happy because they're getting the return on their investment. When you have a collective of happy franchisees, it makes it very attractive for outside potential candidates.”
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 97 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. Fondue fans can join Melting Pot’s Club Fondue for exclusive promotions, special events and advance holiday reservation privileges. Melting Pot is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For more information, visit www.meltingpot.com. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Melting Pot, please visit www.meltingpotfranchise.com
Melting Pot
SPONSORED
The brand’s CEO, Chief Marketing Officer, Executive Vice President of Franchise, and Restaurant Operations and Chief Operating and Development Officer shared how the chain continues to do well after 46 years of operations.
The Melting Pot, the 97-unit fondue franchise known for creating immersive dining experiences, has spent nearly half a decade being a favorite chain of families, friends and couples. The brand made a name for itself as a premium choice for upscale meals and special occasions, and continues to catch America’s attention by constantly evolving and bringing fresh ideas to the table — in addition to the delicious fondue.
The company’s leadership team is composed of highly skilled individuals who all have double-digit years of experience in the restaurant industry. These executives all work together with clear visions of continuing The Melting Pot’s success. Four of these leaders — CEO Bob Johnston, CMO Ana Malmqvist, EVP of Franchise and Restaurant Operations John Crawford and Chief Operating and Development Officer Dan Stone — talked about what makes the brand stand out amongst all other dining options.
While diners have many restaurant options, there are few eateries that offer an entire entertainment experience as well. The Melting Pot is the only fondue franchise in the United States, with a menu that is based on sharing and conversing around the middle of the table.
“It is literally the mission of the brand to provide guests with their perfect night out, whatever that looks like — especially today with what's gone on in the world over the last few years,” Johnston said. “Guests choose us over other options because we carefully craft an environment that encourages gathering with people that they care about and spending quality time with them. The Melting Pot provides the perfect environment for that. What happens in a Melting Pot is as much about what's going on around that fondue pot as it is what's in that pot.”
And while many choose the fondue experience for a special occasion, the brand has been able to market itself beyond being a fancy one-off spot. They have been focusing on marketing the concept’s “eatertainment” value for weekdays, when sales are typically lower, and are in the process of refreshing the interiors of the restaurants. The initiatives have been very successful at showing customers why they should continue choosing The Melting Pot.
“We're very well known for special occasions and romantic occasions, birthdays and anniversaries,” said Malmqvist. “We have been looking at how to protect these exceptional occasions because that's our core, but also start expanding a little bit to have more frequency out of our guests.” She spearheaded two very successful promotions, Thursday and Best Fondue Friends Forever.
The Melting Pot has been in business since 1975, and the company has remained a favorite and top contender in the eatertainment sphere. It has managed to do that over the span of over four decades and periods of economic uncertainty because its leadership is not afraid to adjust its vision to fit the time.
During the pandemic when restaurants shut down to dine-in service, the executives put their heads together and came up with a strategic to-go plan so franchisees could still bring in revenue.
“When we got thrown that curveball, they pulled together,” said Johnston. “We all worked on how to support the franchisees as best we could and prepare them for what we believed would be a flood of interest in the brand once people were able to come back to the restaurants — and that's exactly what's happened. The guests are flocking to us in record numbers, and we're outperforming the polished casual category more than we ever have before.”
Crawford added to the brand’s stronghold on success despite challenges. “We have helped our franchisees come out of some pretty challenging times, but still have significant consumer demand. We are 20% higher than most of the brands out there in sales, if not more, and in traffic the Melting Pot is at least 8% to 10% higher.”
Another significant selling point for investing that speaks to the Melting Pot’s adaptability is the full-brand revamp the company is going through. Stone has been focused on “refreshing” efforts, and the remodeled stores are doing extremely well.
“It's very sexy, contemporary with still extremely comfortable and intimate surroundings. And the stores which have gone through this are up in performance by 22%,” Johnston said.
Stone touched on the brand’s remodel and ability to stay trendy and hip. “We are focused on the single biggest evolution of our nearly 50-year history. We have all new stores being built with a sleek updated design and are in the process of remodeling all the existing stores. They look fantastic and the guests are really loving going.”
When it comes to each of the leadership team members’ favorite part of their role, they all share the common connection of reveling in franchisees' successes. All four enjoy the people aspect, where they get to work one on one with owners of locations to elevate the brand as a whole.
“What gets me excited about the work we do here is that we help our franchisees realize their dream of business ownership,” Johnston said. “I enjoy helping them create a business for themselves and their families. We take the franchisees’ successes very seriously and personally. It’s important to us for them to achieve their personal objectives, their personal ambitions and their financial objectives.”
Crawford likes to be in the Melting Pot locations working right alongside franchisees to figure out what they need to continue being profitable. “I love getting into the restaurant and asking ‘What are your biggest challenges? What could I do to help you?’ Those questions always give me good insight on where each individual franchisee is. If you can connect and listen, it really helps guide what you're trying to accomplish,” Crawford said.
Stone says they make sure that they have an open communication with the owners, which leads to great success on both an executive and operational side. “We are very approachable and they all have our cell phone numbers and can reach us at any time. We do a monthly franchise owners and operators meeting called Leadership Exchange. It's a way for us to interact with them so they understand what we're focused on and we can provide updates and an opportunity for questions,” he said.
Malmqvist enjoys that her role as a marketer brings in more guests, which in turn generates more success for the brand’s franchisees, and brings in more investors. “I like the challenge of figuring out how we harness the consumer’s brand love to make them always want to choose us and drive traffic in. Then the franchisee is happy because they're getting the return on their investment. When you have a collective of happy franchisees, it makes it very attractive for outside potential candidates.”
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 97 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. Fondue fans can join Melting Pot’s Club Fondue for exclusive promotions, special events and advance holiday reservation privileges. Melting Pot is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For more information, visit www.meltingpot.com. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Melting Pot, please visit www.meltingpotfranchise.com
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.
No related articles found
