LANSING - A fondue-themed restaurant chain with locations in Grand Rapids and Troy aims to open a Lansing area location in the next few years.
Melting Pot, a chain that opened its first location in Florida in 1975, has identified Lansing, Ann Arbor and Canton as markets to expand into in 2025.
The chain has nearly 100 restaurants and all but five are owned by franchisees, said Collin Benyo, franchise growth strategist for the company.
Finding someone to own and operate a location in Lansing is a priority, he said, because market data suggests the area would support it.
"I've actually been up to the area and seen the parts of the state of Michigan that we really think are going to be great spaces to join and bring a franchise to," Benyo said. "I've actually had internal candidates talk to me about Lansing, so that's why I'm excited about it."
Fondue at center of menu
Melting Pot will celebrate 50 years in April. Its restaurants, where customers order a four-course fondue-based meal using a cooktop at their tables, are largely thought of as places where celebrations and special occasions are celebrated, said Benyo.
"Melting Pot really connects people, because at the end of the day, what you're doing is you're dining at a table with a cooktop in it, and they're doing four courses," he said.
Those courses usually include cheese fondue, salads, entrees and chocolate fondue. Meals typically cost about $55 per person, Benyo said. Entrees can include steak, chicken and fish and vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Looking for a franchisee
Most Melting Pot restaurants are anywhere from 4,000 to 5,700 square feet in size and seat over 150 people, Benyo said. Many open in newly-built spaces but he said the concept is well-suited to existing buildings, too.
"We do not have, for the most part, in our restaurants, fryers, ovens, hoods to clean," Benyo said. "It's a prep kitchen and so we can find ourselves in great spaces that maybe your other restaurants couldn't. So that opens up a lot of possibilities."
The locations usually employ between 30 and 70 people, he said. The company has not identified a particular area within the Lansing community, Benyo said.
Franchise owners invest $1.3 million to $2 million in a location, Benyo said. The company often seeks them out by meeting directly with local business leaders and government officials, he said.
"They know all the players," Benyo said. "They know all the builders. There's so many connections they have."
Candidates are also identified after they connect with the chain through its website, Benyo said.
"You do not need to be a hospitality person," he said. "You don't need to have that background of restaurants."
Learn more about Melting Pot at its website at www.meltingpot.com.
Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ.
