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The chain restaurant specializes in heated pots of cheese, chocolate, and broth for dipping and cooking fruits, veggies, and other goodies.
Its website says it offers a “dining experience like no other” where patrons can gather around the fondue pot for “conversation, laughter, and coming together over artisan cheeses, fresh salads, savory entrees, and indulgent desserts” -- but apparently not enough times to keep the eatery afloat financially, according to a report in The Poughkeepsie Journal.
The Melting Pot survived for seven years at the Poughkeepsie Galleria, but couldn't shake its gimmicky image, some Dutchess County residents told The Poughkeepsie Journal.
Certain Yelpers had kind words for the “super-nice” wait staff and the wine list, but felt prices were on the high side and portions were too small.
As a one-time fun thing to do, Yelpers said on the online review site, it was worth it, but as a regular dining venue? -- not so much.
Folks who were, nonetheless, still fond of fondue took their last fork in hand on Sunday, March 26.
Citing “financial challenges,” a The Melting Pot spokesperson told The Poughkeepsie Journal that the chain has no plans to open another franchise in the area.
The nearest location is, according to its website, in White Plains, about 42 miles away.
Besides White Plains, The Melting Pot has 118 other locations in the United States, and five in places as far away as Saudi Arabia, where presumably it’s hot enough to melt the cheese without a pot; Mexico, and Canada.
Just last week, the Poughkeepsie area lost a Golden Corral, a buffet-style restaurant, that had, after fits and starts, opened in January, only to close less than two months later.
The franchise, which operated at 2345 South Road, is now under investigation by the state Department of Labor.
According to The Poughkeepsie Journal, several employees there had complained of getting bogus paychecks, or of not being paid at all.
To read The Poughkeepsie Journal stories, click here and here.
For more information about The Melting Pot, click here.
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