The first Melting Pot restaurant was started in Maitland, Florida in 1975 with a menu that consisted of just three items: Beef fondue, Swiss cheese fondue and milk chocolate fondue for dessert. Since then, The Melting Pot menu has grown immensely, as well as the number of restaurants. For example, within six years, there were five more Melting Pot restaurants in Orlando, Tallahassee, Tampa and Gainesville. At latest count, there are 70 restaurants in locations all across the nation. What’s more, new restaurants are being developed in new areas every day.

Now that you know a little about the Melting Pot’s history, here’s a little history lesson on fondue. It actually originated in Switzerland as a clever and tasty way of using up hardened cheese. Fondue is derived from the French verb fondre and means “to melt.” While most people define fondue as a “thick cheese sauce in which bread chunks are dipped,” the Melting Pot takes it to a whole new level.