We hope you’re hungry, Vancouver because a major US-based fondue chain is preparing to enter the city with not one but two locations.
Dished had the chance to chat with Melting Pot CEO Bob Johnston about the chain and its planned growth into Vancouver.
But first, what is Melting Pot? As the name suggests, it specializes in both sweet and savoury fondue with plenty of tasty goodies for dipping. The fondue chain currently has over 90 locations across the US and one spot in Canada, located in Edmonton.
“Growth in Canada has always been an aspiration of ours,” said Johnston. “While Canada and the US are obviously very close and share a common border there, there was a learning curve for us, and we realized that we needed to understand the market before growing.”
Johnston also added that they had hoped to grow in Canada sooner, but with COVID, they had chosen to focus on ensuring the business was successful through that challenging time.
“We’re fortunate to say that we have been successful. In fact, Melting Pot was kind of built for the recovery from COVID because after people were pent up, they wanted to reconnect and be social. When we were able to begin serving guests again, they came back in mass, and our growth surged.”
Currently, Melting Pot has two Vancouver locations planned: one each on the west and east sides of downtown. However, it is still early days and exact opening dates and locations have yet to be announced.
“We won’t grow hastily; we don’t want to rush it,” said Johnston. “We want to do it right with the right people because that’s the key to success in any business.”
Additionally, Johnston promises some local Vancouver flair in these two new locations, which is similar to how all of Melting Pot’s other locations operate.
“Throughout our system of restaurants, there are nuances and local customizations that exist in every location,” said Johnston. “For example, you might go to the Melting Pot in Troy, Michigan, outside of Detroit, and find local favourites on their menu that you wouldn’t find in the Melting Pot in Buffalo, New York.”
We’ve always allowed localization. While we’re a chain, we’re the most unchained chain that there is because we have local owners and because we allow this customization, even the decor.”
Are you excited about this fondue chain coming to Vancouver? Let us know in the comments.
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