Casual Melting Pot dining concept to close in Tampa, lead to 40 layoffs

Melting Pot Restaurants, the parent company of The Melting Pot, recently announced the closure of its casual concept, Melting Pot Social in Tampa. 

The restaurant was one of two locations; the other being Asheville, North Carolina, which closed in March 2024 after opening in 2021. The company has decided to retire the concept, according to a statement. 

Melting Pot Social opened in downtown Tampa in May 2023. The closure will lead to the the lay off 40 employees. Its last day of operations will be Sunday, March 2. 

“We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Tampa community for their support over the past two years,” says Dan Stone, chief melting officer of Melting Pot Social, in the statement. “We have cherished every moment spent serving you and thank you so much for being a part of our journey. We served over 49,000 guests last year and wanted our fans to have the opportunity to dine with us one more time. While not the outcome we hoped, this experience has only reinforced our passion for bringing people together over fondue.”

The Melting Pot first opened its doors in Maitland in 1975 and spent the next five decades expanding to nearly 100 locations across the U.S. and in Canada. Mark, Mike and Bob Johnston were the first franchise owners and purchased the rights to the company in 1985.