Franchise Facts Report → brands → The Melting Pot
The Melting Pot franchise — is it worth it?
Medium risk Shrinking network Item 19 disclosed
What The Melting Pot's most recent Franchise Disclosure Document says about the money, the litigation, and the franchisee churn — before you wire a five- or six-figure franchise fee.
Everything below is free, read straight off The Melting Pot's registered filing, with where the numbers land against category peers. Weighing The Melting Pot against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in The Melting Pot's most recent FDD (registered 2024). Source: Minnesota Dept. of Commerce — CARDS franchise registrations · filing 31927-202406-06 — check it yourself. See every other Minnesota-registered franchise.
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How much does a The Melting Pot franchise make?
The Melting Pot is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly from this filing, so we don't print one; Item 19 of the source FDD has the tables. See every other brand that discloses earnings in the Other franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
The Melting Pot franchise profit vs. revenue
Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come The Melting Pot's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a The Melting Pot franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "The Melting Pot franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.
The Melting Pot lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
The Melting Pot's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) does disclose legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against The Melting Pot itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
The Melting Pot closures & failure rate
Before you sign, The Melting Pot will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what The Melting Pot's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a franchise of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. The Melting Pot's latest tables show a shrinking franchised network — more units left than opened. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 1.1%. Net franchised outlets moved -2 to 87 in the latest reported year.
Who owns The Melting Pot?
The Melting Pot's franchise is offered by MELTING POT RESTAURANTS INC (THE) — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at MN CARDS; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Franchises at a similar investment level at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing The Melting Pot is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
The Melting Pot franchise — frequently asked
Who owns The Melting Pot — who is the franchisor?
The Melting Pot's most recently filed FDD (2024) names MELTING POT RESTAURANTS INC (THE) as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a The Melting Pot franchise cost?
The Melting Pot's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $2,500 – $5,000, with an initial franchise fee of $45,000 and a 5% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against category peers it sits in the top quartile (median $227,750).
How much profit does a The Melting Pot franchise make?
The Melting Pot discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for The Melting Pot), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any The Melting Pot franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
Does The Melting Pot disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — The Melting Pot reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly, so check Item 19 of the source FDD for the numbers.
Are there lawsuits against The Melting Pot?
The Melting Pot's most recently filed FDD (2024) discloses legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against The Melting Pot itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Is The Melting Pot a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from The Melting Pot's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against category peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is medium risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on The Melting Pot or this category: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.