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The Melting Pot history
The Melting Pot company history timeline
The first Melting Pot opened in April of 1975 in Maitland, Fla., just outside of Orlando.
Since 1975, Melting Pot has been the country’s quintessential fondue dining experience.
The restaurant was successful enough to lead Knoechel and Nelson to open a second location in Orlando in 1976.
Using his savings, he tried to open restaurants in Orlando and Tampa, but he was unable to obtain a liquor license in Tampa and entering the Orlando market proved too expensive. It was not until 1979 that he was able to bring in his brothers, Mike and Bob, the latter still in high school, and, with $14,000 they scraped together, open the first Melting Pot franchise restaurant, located in the basement of a Tallahassee oyster bar.
Founded in 1980, the GINgroup provides a myriad of businesses with comprehensive, state-of-the-art human capital management solutions with more than 50 offices located throughout Mexico.
In 1981, the Johnston brothers decided to branch out and opened their second location in Tampa.
Aside from the Johnston brothers franchise, Knoechel and Nelson franchised only one other unit, which opened in Gainesville, Florida, in 1984.
Of the new restaurants that opened in 1996, for example, one was in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and another in Columbus, Ohio.
Clancy, Carole, "Melting Pot Stirs Up Plans to Expand, Updates Its look, Menu," Tampa Bay Business Journal , September 26, 1997.
In 1997, a new logo was introduced as well as a new ad campaign that emphasized the refined message that Melting Pot was an out-of-the-ordinary dining experience not limited to a special occasion but perfect for any night of the week.
Melting Pot reached the $100 million mark in systemwide sales in 2002.
GINgroup's next restaurant will be located outside of Mexico City, in a yet to be determined market, and is slated to open in 2018.
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The Melting Pot competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby Tuesday | 1972 | $952.0M | 32,100 | 8 |
| Front Burner | 2000 | $40.0M | 700 | - |
| Pollo Tropical | 1988 | $363.5M | 5,600 | 72 |
| P.F. Chang's China Bistro | 1993 | $1.2B | 20,000 | 1,327 |
| Dave & Buster's | 1982 | $1.3B | 2,220 | 2,252 |
| Quiznos | 1981 | $170.0M | 1,500 | - |
| Dairy Queen | 1940 | $3.6B | 2,055 | 860 |
| Beef 'O' Brady's | 1985 | $21.4M | 570 | 251 |
| Ruth's Chris Steak House | 1965 | $468.0M | 6,102 | 884 |
| Fox & Hound | 1997 | - | 4,800 | - |
The Melting Pot history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of The Melting Pot, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about The Melting Pot. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at The Melting Pot. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by The Melting Pot. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of The Melting Pot and its employees or that of Zippia.
The Melting Pot may also be known as or be related to The Melting Pot, The Melting Pot Restaurants, The Melting Pot Restaurants Inc. and The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc.