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Following the closure of The Melting Pot fondue restaurant in Lahaina, Maui, on Sunday, the parent company expressed hopes "to open a Melting Pot in Honolulu in the future under the right circumstances," said Alisha dos Santos, communications manager.
The Maui restaurant closed due to economic and financial reasons, according to Front Burner Brands, its parent company.
Each of the more than 30 employees of the national chain restaurant company received a severance package, and there are no plans to reopen the restaurant or to open a new Melting Pot restaurant on Maui, the company said in a statement.
It was the only Hawaii location of the Florida-based restaurant chain.
"Our franchise development team is interested in speaking to any prospective franchisees for the Honolulu market," dos Santos said.
"We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to bring fondue back to the islands in the future."
The Melting Pot is by far Front Burner’s largest concept with some 140 locations in North America. Its other brands, Burger 21 and GrillSmith, each have six locations in Florida, though 11 Burger 21 restaurants are in development in seven additional states.
News of the chain’s intent to expand to Hawaii was announced in 2007, and the Lahaina restaurant opened in 2008.
