The Melting Pot is trying out new methods of increasing brand awareness.
Melting Pot — the 89-unit, Tampa, Fla.-based fondue chain — has launched a retail line for the first time. The full-service dining chain’s new product lineup features two ready-to-heat cheese fondues and three chocolate fondues, sold in partnership with Walmart.com, Amazon, and 2,500 other retail locations nationally.
“The fondue tradition actually began at home, even though we're the ones that brought it to the restaurants,” Melting Pot CMO Ana Malmqvist said. “We did research and found that people do want to have these ‘Melting Pot moments’ at home. It doesn't mean that it would cannibalize their visits to the restaurants. … But it's just another way to [consume] fondue.”
Malmqvist said that in developing the retail products, the Melting Pot team wanted to stand out from other fondue kits by creating more of a ready-made product rather than a DIY kit with shredded cheese, a packet of seasonings, and cooking wine. The first two cheese fondue products are based on the Melting Pot’s classic Alpine Swiss and Wisconsin Cheddar fondues. The three chocolate fondue varieties (made from dark, milk, and white chocolate) are more like traditional kits and come with meltable chocolate wafers. For both varieties, customers must provide their own dippers and skewers.
As The Melting Pot celebrates its 50th anniversary, the goal with this new retail line, Malmqvist said, is to increase brand awareness, especially in areas where the concept does not exist yet or anymore. The Melting Pot plans steady growth under new CEO John “JC” Crawford, who said in the fourth quarter of 2025 that stores will open in Arkansas, with more planned next year for Syracuse, N.Y.; Reno, Nev.; and Allen, Texas.
“We’re a legacy brand that's been around for quite some time, and we have good penetration in certain markets, but in some states we have literally one restaurant, so we have low brand awareness,” Malmqvist said. “So, if you live in a place where there are no Melting Pots, or you’ve never been to one, it’s a great way to try the brand.”
Moving forward, the company hopes to expand its retail line by introducing branded cheese spreads, sauces, and seasonal products.
