Syracuse, N.Y. — Seven years after it closed its location at Destiny USA, The Melting Pot fondue restaurant chain is planning a comeback.
The company expects to reclaim the space it once occupied in the mall’s Canyon area, said Collin Benyo, Melting Pot’s franchise growth strategist. He said the plan is to reopen “before the holidays.”
The Melting Pot opened at Destiny in 2012 and closed in 2018 citing declining profits. The 192-seat restaurant had offered a full, four-course fondue meal, including dessert, prepared tableside by servers.
Officials from Destiny’s owner, the Syracuse-based Pyramid Management Group, approached the restaurant company about the return, Benyo said.
The Syracuse location will be run by a group of franchisees, including one with a business history in Syracuse, Benyo said. He did not identify that franchisee because some details are still being worked out.
The Melting Pot, headquartered in Tampa, Fla., has 91 current locations. That includes three in New York: Buffalo (in Pyramid’s Walden Galleria), White Plains and Farmingdale (Long Island).
The company has nine new locations currently under development, showing that the fondue concept is still strong, Benyo said.
The roots of fondue date to the “’60 and ’70s,” he said, “but the goal of the brand is not to shy away from that.” The Melting Pot chain started in 1976.
He said The Melting Pot is still seeking potential franchisees, including for locations in other parts of Upstate New York, like Albany.
