For almost 50 years, The Melting Pot has defined the fondue experience niche across the American dining scene with nearly 100 locations and a variety of fondue offerings, entrees, and salads. The interactive dining model is especially suited for today's consumers as they search for a unique and memorable experience when dining out.
To ensure the restaurant's aesthetic was in line with customer expectations for a great experience, The Melting Pot recently embarked on remodels of all of its locations. "The consumer has so much to choose from now, and if your brand is reluctant to reinvest in its own success you can get left behind," says The Melting Pot CEO Bob Johnston.
The system-wide remodel, dubbed "Melting Pot Evolution," does not interrupt the restaurants' operations as the locations are open during the remodel, allowing franchisees to continue operating their stores and serving their guests. The plan is to have all locations remodeled by the end of the year to include a more modern, open floor plan.
"This remodel approach allows for locations to freshen the atmosphere with lighter and more open dining rooms," says Johnston.
There is also a focus on renewing the bar space in the remodels. "[We are creating a more] robust and heightened bar area," says Johnston. "Now guests are motivated by new and fresh bar areas to enjoy quick bites and innovative drink options. We recognize our old model did not promote the bar area as a place to relax and enjoy a meal, rather, it might have been a waiting area for the main dining room. This remodel gives guests an option to come in to enjoy light fair, shareable bites, or even full four course dining.
"All while continuing to lean on the legacy proven dining room where most of our guests enjoy celebrating their special occasions."
The utimate goal of the remodels is to unify the aesthetic of all the restaurants. "We run into a unique issue when it comes to our guests’ perspective of us as a legacy brand. For the most part, fondue fanatics are aware we are a nationwide brand. Yet, because no two Melting Pots are the same and might be the only location in the city, we aren’t seen as a chain. Rather, we find our stores becoming part of that community with some franchises being in place for up to 40 years," explains Johnston. "Yet our goal is to leverage an incredible design team who has created a beautiful vision for our franchisees to keep their locations new and thriving with the Melting Pot Evolution program."
Remodeled locations of The Melting Pot are already seeing a 20% revenue increase. "Guests appreciate it when a long-term restaurant reinvests in their store," says Johnston. "They know when restaurants are focused on their physical plant rather than allowing the investment to fade into obscurity. Thus, why we see substantial sales and guest count increase through all our Melting Pot Evolution stores on average."
In the midst of this massive rebrand, we chatted with The Melting Pot CEO about restaurant trends, the challenges of operating a chain restaurant in today's climate, and the brand's future plans for growth.
Bar & Restaurant News: Have you observed any recent trends in the on-premise?
Bob Johnston: Restaurant consumers craving experiential dining continues to grow. Certainly, there is a segment of dining that is purely to satisfy a hunger. More and more, guests do crave an experience that turns moments into memories, is a celebration, or [has] aspects of the dinner that are worthy of posting on social media. We feel we are well positioned in this space and continue to innovate our experiential dining.
What do you think is currently the on-premise industry’s biggest challenge?
A challenge that all restaurants face is to avoid falling into the sea of sameness. There are so many options that restaurant consumers can choose from.
- What are the elements of the experience that are the point of differentiation from other brands?
- Why will the guests choose our brand over a different brand?
These are the questions that continue to drive our innovation related to our operations, food, and beverage offerings.
What are some of your biggest challenges at the moment?
The staffing challenges that existed during and post COVID, while improving, are still present. There has been some loss of the traditional restaurant team members and managers to other industries. The challenge remains to attract, hire, train, and retain team members and managers that are aligned with our vision. We are pleased that this challenge has incrementally improved over the last 12-18 months, but we don’t see the landscape quite what it was prior to COVID.
Do you have any advice for how to scale a concept and grow your business?
There is no perfect answer for when an owner should approach taking on a new location to add to their portfolio. A tried-and-true method is to make sure you have the right people in place in order to take on more demand and service. Sales come when you have a great system in place and perform day in and day out. But having a trusted leadership team can make or break any business plan when it comes to scaling.
Does The Melting Pot have plans to grow beyond 100 locations?
We are hoping to have eight franchise agreements signed by end of year 2023. One of those stores including our company-owned location in St. Petersburg, Fla.
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