Melting Pot, the restaurant chain that dared to ask Americans to dip things into a pool of cheese, appears to have entirely left one region of Texas. The El Paso location, which opened some 10 years ago, announced this week it had closed after its lease agreement ended, leaving West Texas fondue-less.
“The location closed as our 10-year agreements with both our landlord and franchisor has come to an end, and we have made the difficult decision not to renew or extend either agreement. It has been an honor and privilege to have served the El Paso community,” the statement read.
Melting Pot opened that location at the Fountains of Farah development at 8889 Gateway Boulevard West in September 2018, the El Paso Times reported. That particular restaurant reportedly featured a larger menu, including spirits, wine-and-cheese pairings, brunch and à la carte items. It was also the second restaurant in the chain to feature a new design.
The franchisee operator was Apex Franchise Management LLC.
With the El Paso location’s closure, Melting Pot no longer has any presence in the West Texas market (though there’s no real indication it ever did beyond El Paso). The chain still has locations in Allen, Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
The original Melting Pot opened in Maitland, Fla., in 1975. Mark and Mike Johnston took over the brand in 1984 and converted it into a franchise. Today, the chain that focuses on family style fondue meals has around 90 active locations. Franchise disclosure documents from the past few years have shown a small decline, but the 2025 document shows the company opened one corporate and three franchise locations over that year.