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To create the Perfect Night Out for our guests by bringing each of these four key ingredients to the table: Happy Team Members, Genuine Hospitality, Immaculate, Inviting Surroundings and Exceptional Food and Beverage.

Company Description

Founded in 1975, The Melting Pot has offered a unique fondue dining experience for 40 years. As the premier fondue restaurant franchise, The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. has more than 125 restaurants in 35 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia and the United Arab Emirates, and more than 15 international locations in development. A leading polished casual dining franchise, The Melting Pot was recognized as the No. 1 casual dining restaurant in the Nation's Restaurant News 2015 Consumer Picks report. Known for offering a choice of fondue cooking styles and a variety of unique entrées, The Melting Pot's menu also features cheese fondues, salads, fine wines and chocolate fondue desserts. Fondue fans can join The Melting Pot's Club Fondue for exclusive promotions, special events and advance holiday reservation privileges. The Melting Pot is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla. For more information, visit www.meltingpot.com. To learn more about franchise opportunities with The Melting Pot, please visit www.meltingpotfranchise.com.

Locations

U.S.: The Melting Pot has 119 restaurants.
Canada: There is one location open in Edmonton, Alberta.
Mexico: There are three locations open in Mexico City.
The Middle East: There is one unit open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Five units are in development in Saudi Arabia and seven additional units are planned for development across five Gulf Coast Countries.

Price Point

Fondue courses start as low as $7.95 per person.
Salad prices start as low as $4.95 per person.

Corporate Headquarters

The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc.
7886 Woodland Center Blvd. Tampa, FL 33614
Toll Free: 800-783-0867
Telephone: 813-881-0055
Fax: 813-889-9361

Media Contact

Natalie Turner
Public Relations Specialist

Press Releases

Press releases

Images

Disclaimer

All files are the property of The Melting Pot unless otherwise noted and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. By downloading these files, you agree to abide by all copyright notices and restrictions.

The Melting Pot Logo (Please review the Logo Standards)

Logo - Full Color EPS

Logo - Black on White EPS

Logo - White on Black EPS

Logo - Full Color JPG

Logo - Black on White JPG

Logo - White on Black JPG

Fondue Offerings*

Four-Course Dining Experience at The Melting Pot

Four-Course Experience

Cheese Fondue*

Broccoli

Cheddar 1

Cheddar 2

Cheddar 3

Summer Sausage Dipper

Bread Dipper Bowl

Bread Loaves

Classic Alpine

Chocolate Fondue*

Blondie in Chocolate

Brownie Dipper

Gluten Free Fruit Fondue at The Melting Pot

Gluten-Free Dippers

Dessert Dipper Plate 1

Marshmallow and Chocolate Fondue at The Melting Pot

Marshmallow in Chocolate

Strawberry and Chocolate Fondue at The Melting Pot

Strawberry in Chocolate 1

Strawberry Dessert Fondue at The Melting Pot

Strawberry in Chocolate 2

Dessert Dipper Plate at The Melting Pot Restaurant

Dessert Dipper Plate 2

Yin & Yang

Flaming Turtle

S'mores

Entrée*

All Natural Chicken Breast at The Melting Pot

All-natural Breast of Chicken

Dipping Sauces

Lobster

Seasoned Choice Angus Sirloin

Shrimp

Fondue By You Lobster

Good Earth Vegetarian

Salad*

Caesar

California

House

Girls' Night Out*

Girls' Night Out 1

Three Women Enjoying Fondue at The Melting Pot

Girls' Night Out 2

Romance*

Romantic Dinner at The Melting Pot Restaurant

Romance 1

Couple Enjoying Dinner at The Melting Pot

Romance 2

Fine Dining at The Melting Pot Fondue Restaurant

Romance 3

Family*

Family 1

Family 2

Dad and Daughter Share Fondue at The Melting Pot

Family 3

Double Date*

Double Date 1

The Melting Pot Double Date Dinner Night

Double Date 2

Friends*

Friends 1

Friends casually enjoying chocolate at The Melting Pot

Friends 2

Friends casually enjoying cheese at The Melting Pot

Friends 3

Retail Products and Celebration Packages*

Cookbook, Dressings & Seasonings

Dressings & Seasoning

Six Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

The Melting Pot-Fondue Cookbook

Dark Chocolate-Covered Strawberry

Milk Chocolate-Covered Strawberry

White Chocolate-Covered Strawberry

Balloons

Frame

Chocolate Fondue Wafers

Balloons & Gifts

The Melting Pot Fondue Pot and Rose Pedals

Fondue Pot & Petals

Location Images*

The Melting Pot Restaurant in Arrowhead, Arizona

Arrowhead, AZ

The Melting Pot Restaurant in San Diego Gaslamp Quarter

San Diego - Gaslamp, CA

The Melting Pot Restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale, AZ

The Melting Pot Restaurant in Warrington, Pennsylvania

Warrington, PA

*Not available for broadcast use.

Timeline

Media Contact

Natalie Turner
Communications Specialist
PR@meltingpot.com

1975

The Melting Pot opened its first location in Maitland, Fla., outside of Orlando. First restaurant had four tables and a limited menu consisting of cheese, beef and chocolate fondue.

1976

The Melting Pot opened second restaurant in Orlando.

1979

Johnston brothers opened The Melting Pot's first franchise location outside of the Orlando market in Tallahassee, Fla. Current sustained operations: 3

1981

Johnston brothers opened The Melting Pot franchise in Tampa, Fla.

1984

The Melting Pot franchise location opened in Gainesville, Fla.

1985

Johnston brothers purchased all rights to the restaurant chain and established The Melting Pot Restaurants Inc. The next 10 years are marked by conservative growth as the newly formed franchise company assessed the short-term growth opportunities and long-term strategic growth plan. Johnston brothers opened company units in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Fla.

1985-1995

The Melting Pot opened 2-3 franchised restaurants per year. Slow, but steady growth.

1995

The Melting Pot launched aggressive efforts to educate, engage and train franchisees. By this time, 26 restaurants opened.

1995-2001

The Melting Pot opened 20 restaurants (averaging 3 to 5 per year).

2001

The Melting Pot opened 10 restaurants.

2002

The Melting Pot opened 10 restaurants.

2003

The Melting Pot opened 10 restaurants, total 66 opened restaurants.

2004

The Melting Pot opened 16 locations, total 85 stores opened.

2005

The Melting Pot turned 30 and celebrated opening its 100th location in Pasadena, Calif.

2006

Introduced 12 new locations and more than 30 signed and in development.

2007

The Melting Pot opened 19 locations and 42 were in development.

2008

The Melting Pot opened 15 locations and 26 were in development.

2009

The Melting Pot signed first international franchise agreement for Western Canada and introduced 7 new locations.

2010

The Melting Pot celebrated its 35th anniversary, opened its first international location in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, signed a seven-unit deal in Mexico and opened its first Mexico location in Mexico City.

2011

The Melting Pot continued international expansion opening its second location in Mexico City and signing a five-unit franchise deal for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

2012

The Melting Pot signed the largest franchise deal in its history to bring 12 units to eight countries in the Middle East. The company continued international expansion by signing a five-unit franchise deal for Indonesia and opening a third location in Mexico City.

2013

The Melting Pot unveiled a new menu and pricing strategy to give guests the opportunity to control and customize their fondue dining experiences with more flexibility and variety than ever before.

2014

The Melting Pot opened a location in Mobile, Ala.

2015

The Melting Pot celebrated its 40th anniversary, was recognized as the No. 1 casual dining restaurant in the Nation’s Restaurant News 2015 Consumer Picks report and opened its first locations outside of North America in Jakarta, Indonesia and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

History

History of The Melting Pot

For nearly 40 years, The Melting Pot has defined the fondue experience niche across the American dining scene and now looks forward to continued domestic success as well as continued international expansion.

The first Melting Pot opened in April of 1975 in Maitland, Fla., just outside of Orlando. It was a cozy, quaint location, and its first menu consisted of just three items: Swiss cheese fondue, beef fondue and a chocolate fondue dessert. However, as the restaurant’s popularity expanded, so did its menu and ambiance.

Mark Johnston, who was working his way through college as a waiter at The Melting Pot, noticed the popularity boost and, with the help of his brothers Mike and Bob, scraped together funding to open The Melting Pot of Tallahassee in 1979 (with the blessing of the original owners in Maitland... of course). The Tallahassee location grew enormously popular, and within one year, its success paved the way for future franchise expansion.

In 1981, the Johnston brothers decided to branch out and opened their second location in Tampa. As their business grew, the brothers began to consider franchising even more stores in order to expand

Then in 1985, Mark, Mike and Bob Johnston purchased all rights to The Melting Pot brand and established The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., the new franchise company. After a year of research and reorganization, The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. began its franchise offering.

From the start, the Johnston brothers were diligent in their search for energetic entrepreneurs who were as excited as they were about the concept and its potential. Their commitment to building a close knit fondue family proved successful.

In 2010, The Melting Pot Restaurants celebrated its 35th anniversary, opened its first international location in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, signed a seven-unit deal in Mexico and opened its first Mexico location in Mexico City.

As The Melting Pot celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015, it opened its first locations outside of North America in Jakarta, Indonesia and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Today, with more than 125 locations across 35 U.S states, Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and more than 15 locations in development internationally, The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. is the premier fondue restaurant. A leading polished casual dining franchise, The Melting Pot was recognized as the No. 1 casual dining restaurant in the Nation’s Restaurant News 2015 Consumer Picks report.

At The Melting Pot, fondue truly becomes a memorable dining experience where guests can discover all the ingredients for an unforgettable culinary adventure including a relaxed atmosphere, private tables, attentive service, fine wines and signature fondue courses.

The Melting Pot is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla.

Awards

Awards for The Melting Pot

Nation's Restaurant News 2015 Consumer Picks: No. 1 Casual Dining Restaurant

OpenTable Diners' Choice Awards: Numerous Melting Pot restaurant locations are regularly recognized with Diner's Choice Awards and voted to the Top 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America list by OpenTable Diners.

One of FSR Magazine's 2014 Top Franchise Values

Ranked the No. 4 casual dining chain in the Nation’s Restaurant News 2013 Consumer Picks Survey. The Melting Pot also ranked third in the varied menu category and topped the rankings in four attribute categories – cleanliness, service, atmosphere and craveability.

Franchise Business Review 2010 Award – The Franchisee Satisfaction 2010 Award

Ernst & Young 2008 Florida Entrepreneur of the Year. Mark Johnston, Mike Johnston and Bob Johnston were recognized as overall winners for retail and consumer products for Florida, qualifying them for the national competition.

Small Business of the Year for 2008. The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce selected The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. as the overall winner of this award based on the company’s history, philosophy, business management, operational management, innovation, response to adversity and economic conditions, leadership and community contributions.

Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association’s 2008 Hospitality Hall of Fame induction as “Restaurateur of the Year.” Bob Johnston was recognized with this honor as an influential leader in Florida’s hospitality industry.

Franchise Times ranking as one of the top 200 franchise chains in 2008. The Melting Pot earned this spot with nationwide sales of $220 million.

Secret Service Systems award for 2008. The DiJulius Group, a customer service consulting organization, presented this award to The Melting Pot for developing the best service system including ideas, training, implementation, execution and the personalization of each customer’s experience.

Mayor’s award for charitable contributions in 2008. The Melting Pot received this honor for the second consecutive year after receiving the highest marks of all Tampa applicants for community involvement.

“2008 Best Signature Drink of a National Chain Restaurant” – Yin & Yang martini for Cheers Magazine

Wine Spectator Magazine annual wine list awards

Top 400 Restaurant Chains, ranked No. 168 (Restaurants & Institutions, 2007)

The Mayor’s Award for Excellence (2007)

National Corporate Sponsor of the Year – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (2005)

Ten Best Restaurants for Families (Child Magazine, 2004)

2004 Top 50 Growth Chains (Restaurant Business)

Top Franchise (Entrepreneur, since 2000)

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In the News

Corporate Principals

Founded

Mission Statement

Company Description

Locations

Menu

Price Point

Website

Fan site

Facebook

Twitter

Corporate Headquarters

Media Contact

Press releases

Disclaimer

Media Contact

1975

1976

1979

1981

1984

1985

1985-1995

1995

1995-2001

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

History of The Melting Pot

Awards for The Melting Pot

Media Registration