Melting Pot thaws Alaska with discount

Alaska is not exactly the first state many people think about when it comes to something melting.

But one Tampa-based restaurant chain is doing everything it can to help people in Anchorage think of The Melting Pot. Executives are actually so focused on opening new locations in and around the far northern state's capital they are offering a 40% discount on the initial franchise fee — a savings of $18,000.

Taking advantage of that offer, however, means meeting The Melting Pot's franchisee requirements. That's a credit score of 650 or higher, a minimum net worth of $750,000 and liquid assets of at least $325,000 per unit.

In all, depending on the price of real estate, a new restaurant could cost a franchisee between $960,000 and $1.4 million.

The Melting Pot's 40th anniversary this year inspired the discount. The first restaurant opened in Maitland, near Orlando, in 1975. There are now more than 130 locations in 35 states, Canada, Mexico and Asia.

Anyone who wants to take advantage of the discount must hurry. The offer to serve fondue to hockey moms and their families expires at the end of the year.