The nation’s biggest operator of fondue restaurants is seeking to return to Chattanooga, picking the city as one of its targets for future franchise development.
The Melting Pot, which operated a restaurant near Hamilton Place mall for three years before it shut down in September 2012, is seeking a franchise developer to bring it back to Chattanooga as one of the market areas the chain has identified for future growth.
“Unfortunately, our Chattanooga location was one of the casualties that we saw when the economy took a rough turn during and after the Great Recession in 2009 and 2010,” said Bob Johnston, the CEO of the Tampa, Florida-based Front Burner, which owns and franchises the Melting Pot brand. “I don’t believe the location was right for us at that time, but we think Chattanooga is a great market, and we’d love to be back there.”
After enduring the pandemic shutdowns and remodeling many of its locations, the Melting Pot is growing again, and Johnston said in a phone interview Friday that he expects to open seven new restaurants this year and 15 or more over the next two to three years. Johnston said the remodeled stores last year performed 16% better than those that had not been revamped.
“The past two years have been incredible for the Melting Pot,” Johnston said in an announcement of the company’s expansion plans. “There is a clear demand from our guests, and we’re excited to take on this expansion.”
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More information about the Melting Pot is available at meltingpot.com, and franchise opportunity information can be found at meltingpotfranchise.com.
Johnston has worked at the Melting Pot since he began working with his brother when he was 14 years old in 1979. As head of the company since 1985, he has helped lead a resurgence in the company’s growth with 74 of its 94 restaurants recording record high sales in 2022.
The Melting Pot is looking for franchisees to add five or more locations across Tennessee. The restaurant chain is also targeting Memphis; Houston; Charleston, South Carolina; and Montgomery, Alabama, for additional growth this year and next.
Johnston said the Melting Pot is the only national chain of fondue restaurants, and each eatery allows patrons to enjoy the experience of fondue cooking and eating in what Johnston bills as “eatertainment.” The typical meal experience lasts for an hour and a half, and the average meal ticket is just over $50.
But Johnston said many people are looking for a unique way to celebrate together. Melting Pot promotes its romantic dinners on Thursdays billed as “Thursdates” and every Wednesday is “Friendsday,” offering three-course meals with fondues and shareable sips.
In Tennessee, the Melting Pot currently operates restaurants in Knoxville and Gatlinburg. A Melting Pot store in Nashville is undergoing remodeling and is temporarily closed after a Christmas Day explosion in 2020 in downtown Nashville toppled several buildings.
The restaurant chain has also been a contributor to one of Tennessee’s biggest nonprofits, the St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis. Last year, the Melting Pot raised more than $1 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, increasing the fondue restaurant’s support of the St. Jude mission to more than $16 million in almost two decades of giving.
“Tennessee is rich with history and capacity,” Collin Benyo, franchise growth strategist at the Melting Pot, said in a statement. “Our dedication and partnership with St. Jude Children’s Hospital over the past 20 years has driven our brand presence in the state.”
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.