--- title: "Iconic Fondue Franchise, The Melting Pot, Targets Charleston, South Carolina as the Next Development Market in Its Aggressive Growth Plan" url: https://burnaze.com/article/8df6cb32-cea4-4db7-92a9-82b37a3514af source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/meltingpot/iconic-fondue-franchise-the-melting-pot-targets-charleston-south-carolina-as-the-next-development-market-in-its-aggressive-growth-plan-2724329 category: "Casual dining" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Casual dining" published: 2023-11-21T22:17:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T22:33:43.887Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/dfa4395b2484cfe9df1a0beeb47e872c6033.jpg --- # Iconic Fondue Franchise, The Melting Pot, Targets Charleston, South Carolina as the Next Development Market in Its Aggressive Growth Plan **TL;DR:** The Melting Pot, a 94-unit experiential dining fondue franchise, is targeting Charleston, South Carolina for expansion. The franchise has seen incredible demand in Charleston and is confident in establishing a successful new location with the right franchise partners. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2023-11-21. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/meltingpot/iconic-fondue-franchise-the-melting-pot-targets-charleston-south-carolina-as-the-next-development-market-in-its-aggressive-growth-plan-2724329).* ## Key facts - The Melting Pot targets Charleston, South Carolina for expansion - The franchise has 94 units and 3 existing restaurants in the state - Nearly 75% of restaurants achieved all-time sales records in 2022 ## Story **CHARLESTON, SC –** After an impressive year of unit-level sales growth and system-wide remodeling efforts, The Melting Pot, the 94-unit experiential dining fondue franchise, is eyeing South Carolina for expansion. With capacity for one new location in the state, the development team is focused on establishing a new restaurant in Charleston. “We’ve seen incredible demand for The Melting Pot in Charleston in recent years,” said Bob Johnston, CEO. “It’s clear that the market is amenable to our expansion, and we’re confident that we can establish a successful new location in the coming years with the right franchise partners.” Charleston is both a popular tourist spot and home to an abundant local community, and visitors and residents alike are consistently looking for unique dining experiences. With a one-of-a-kind experiential dining model, The Melting Pot is a natural fit. “Our goal is to blend into the community and contribute to what makes Charleston so unique and historical,” added Johnston. “The simplicity of our brand’s culinary approach allows us to consider many real estate options that traditional restaurants cannot.” ## Market demand and growth With three existing restaurants in the state, the franchise has made a name for itself in the area, and franchisees will enjoy the benefits of existing brand awareness and strong demand as they work to launch. As a legacy brand with over four decades of history, The Melting Pot has established itself as the go-to fondue restaurant for “eatertainment,” connection, celebration and experiential dining in communities nationwide. For franchisees who choose to open a location, the franchise opportunity also presents an opportunity to become a local hero of sorts. “It is the mission of the brand to provide guests with their perfect night out, whatever that looks like — especially today with what's gone on in the world over the last few years,” Johnston said. “Guests choose us over other options because we carefully craft an environment that encourages gathering with people they care about and spending quality time with them. The Melting Pot provides the perfect environment for that. What happens in a Melting Pot is as much about what's going on around that fondue pot as what's in that pot.” With robust training and long-term support from a team of experts, Melting Pot owners are prepared to deliver a truly one-of-a-kind dining experience to their communities as they work toward achieving their own entrepreneurial dreams. A streamlined kitchen build-out and increased real estate flexibility also empowers owners to launch more quickly than what would be possible with other, more traditional hospitality concepts, meaning they can become profitable even sooner. ## Sales and unit growth With nearly 75% of restaurants achieving all-time sales records in 2022, it is clear that The Melting Pot is in high demand. A major driver of this traffic has been its push to remodel restaurants’ interiors, refreshing the experience and demonstrating its flexibility and longevity. The Melting Pot has had a hot start to the year with over 30 restaurants reopening after a push to remodel, and they don’t plan to stop there; the brand is on track to see a total of 60 remodeled reopenings this year alone. As the franchisor continues to work alongside passionate entrepreneurs to drive system growth, it is also targeting expansion in Memphis, Houston, Charleston, Chattanooga and Montgomery. Founded in 1975, Melting Pot has offered a unique fondue dining experience for more than 45 years. As the premier fondue restaurant franchise, Melting Pot has 94 restaurants in 31 U.S. states and Canada. Known for offering a variety of fondue cooking styles and unique entrées, Melting Pot’s menu also features cheese fondues, salads, fine wines, spirits and chocolate fondue desserts. Fondue fans can join Melting Pot’s Club Fondue for exclusive promotions, special events and advance holiday reservation privileges. Headquartered in Tampa, Front Burner is the restaurant management company for Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., the new casual whimsical dining concept Melting Pot Social and fast-casual concept Oronzo Honest Italian! Melting Pot currently has more than 96 restaurants in 31 U.S. states and Canada. Melting Pot Social opened its first location in July 2021 in Asheville, NC. Oronzo opened its first location in Tampa, FL. in June 2020 and will open a second location in the area in October of 2021. For more information, visit ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - unit expansion (topic) - QSR (sector) - franchise growth (topic) - south carolina (location) - Melting Pot (company) - Bob Johnston (person) - Charleston, South Carolina (location) - Front Burner (company) - location targeting (topic) - restaurant remodeling (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/meltingpot/iconic-fondue-franchise-the-melting-pot-targets-charleston-south-carolina-as-the-next-development-market-in-its-aggressive-growth-plan-2724329). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/8df6cb32-cea4-4db7-92a9-82b37a3514af).