John “JC” Crawford likes to talk about the “perfect night out.”
For him, that promise is not a tagline. It’s a test. Every menu change, every limited-time fondue and every new location must answer a simple question. Does this help guests have the night they came for?
Crawford is the chief executive officer of Tampa-based Melting Pot, the fondue brand known for slow-paced celebrations and tables crowded with cheese, chocolate and conversation.
Under his watch, the company is entering a new phase. Melting Pot is adding a happy hour program, testing a refreshed core menu, rolling out new experiences for large parties and opening restaurants in new markets while refining its footprint for the next decade.
“We are an experiential restaurant first and foremost,” he said. “We are known for birthday celebrations, anniversaries and weddings. We want to keep that, but we also want to give guests more options for how they use the brand.”
Innovation guided by guests and franchisees
Melting Pot’s approach to innovation starts with two voices. Guests and franchisees. Crawford treats both as guardrails. A new idea must work on a busy Saturday night and feel natural for guests who may only visit once or twice a year.
“Our innovation framework is guided by guest feedback and franchisee partnership,” he said. “It has to be something you can execute at a high level.”
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The brand tests new items in a small group of restaurants, gathers feedback and adjusts before scaling. Regional tests allow local operators to respond to behavior in their own dining rooms.
A recent example is the celebration menu. It offers a full progression of cheese, salad, entrées and chocolate with entrées replenished as the group eats. The structure reduces friction and helps staff pace the evening. It is now active in about 38 locations for the holidays and is expected to roll out nationwide next year.
“It is designed to lessen the friction around large parties,” Crawford said. “The host is not stuck making a hundred decisions. The team can focus on delivering the experience.”
A new menu for the big night out
Melting Pot is also testing a refreshed core menu centered on what it calls the Big Night Out. Premium items such as lobster tail, colossal shrimp and filet mignon anchor the experience. The test is underway in about a dozen restaurants with a systemwide rollout expected in the first quarter.
Early results are strong. The share of guests choosing Big Night Out has doubled in test markets. That eased the team’s concern about value, especially with premium ingredients.
“The feedback from guests is phenomenal,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we were creating value.”
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The new layout organizes the menu into clearer categories and simplifies navigation. Guests can choose the full experience or a three-course path built around cheese, entrée and chocolate. The goal is to make ordering feel intuitive and remove the sense of “homework” for first-time diners.
Melting Pot is also moving faster on limited-time flavors and partnerships. Seasonal chocolates, 50th anniversary flavors and a new Wicked-themed fondue tied to the movie release have all produced strong sales.
“If it is selling and it is creating more reasons for guests to come in, then it seems like a win,” he said.
Meeting guests where they are
Melting Pot has long been a place people visit a few times a year for big occasions. Crawford wants to widen the circle without losing that heritage.
Down to Fondue, the brand’s happy hour program, gives guests a way to stop in for cheese and chocolate at the bar without committing to a full four-course night. The program launched in a portion of the system last year and has expanded to about 70% of bar locations.
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“We are trying to create more options for our guests because that is what guests are asking for,” he said. “Some people want the full celebration. Some just want cheese and chocolate at the bar.”
Limited-time offerings and regional flexibility give franchisees room to meet local demand. Core menu items remain consistent. On top of that, operators can plug in local specials or choose whether to join national promotions.
Franchisees know their communities. Melting Pot provides the platform and supply chain. Local teams bring the read on guest behavior.
Training for the perfect night out
Delivering fondue is only part of the job. The rest is choreography.
The multi-course format can create gaps between courses if timing slips. Crawford said the company is closing those gaps and giving guests simpler decisions that support pacing.
“We are known for delivering the perfect night out, and we do that well,” he said. “I want to take it to another level.”
New restaurants complete an intensive opening process in which team members serve each other and experience the full meal from a guest’s perspective. Digital modules and hands-on training reinforce those habits throughout the year.
“We knew the best way to train was to sit down and have a phenomenal experience,” he said.
The company rebuilt many of those muscles after the disruptions of 2020, 2021 and 2022. Crawford believes the focus is now sharper than it has been in years.
Bringing the brand home
Melting Pot is widening its reach beyond the restaurant. The company’s at-home retail line now offers cheese and chocolate fondues through online retailers and select grocery stores.
READ ABOUT MELTING POT’S RETAIL LINE
The goal is not to replace the restaurant experience. It is to keep the brand top of mind and give guests a way to recreate part of the experience at home.
“The idea for retail is really brand awareness,” he said.
Growth, footprint, and who the brand serves
Melting Pot operates more than 90 restaurants across the country, with three company-owned locations and the rest franchised. The brand opened four restaurants this year in Rogers, Syracuse, St. Pete and New Haven. Allen, Nashville and Reno are on the way.
“We listen to people who want to open restaurants, but we also pull the data,” he said.
That data points to a clear core demographic — suburban families who live within 30 minutes of a restaurant and plan their visits around celebrations.
Melting Pot’s primary guest groups include:
- Upper suburban families ages 35 to 44 with incomes between $100K and $150K
- Wealthier suburban families in the same age range with incomes between $125K and $200K
- Ultra wealthy families ages 45 to 54 with incomes above $200K, known internally as Big Dippers
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These guests look for experiences that feel memorable and different from a standard night out. That focus guides menu design, training and real estate decisions.
Build-out costs and lease rates continue to rise across the industry. Crawford sees opportunity in a smaller format closer to 3,000 square feet. A smaller footprint could unlock new markets and support future international growth.
“Having a smaller footprint gives you the ability to have more flexibility,” he said.
He is not chasing rapid expansion. The target is three to five new restaurants a year, with room to grow if the right partners align.
“I want to bring the brand to more guests for a long time,” he said.
The next chapter
If the 50th anniversary taught Crawford anything, it is that Melting Pot has a deep bench of loyal guests.
“The anniversary menu showed us there are a lot of raving fans out there,” he said.
That loyalty spans generations. Couples who visited decades ago now bring their children. Many of those children now bring their own.
Crawford wants to honor that history while preparing the brand for the next decade. That means more flexible ways to visit, quicker responses to trends and a growth plan designed for resilience.
“Our job is to deliver the perfect night out,” he said. “If we keep listening to our guests and our franchisees, and we keep making decisions through that lens, I think we are going to be in a very good place.”
