The Melting Pot’s one-day promo attracts 25,000 new members

If your answer is, “I didn’t even know that was a real holiday,” the folks at The Melting Pot, a chain of fondue restaurants in 37 states, want to make you a lot more familiar with it. Not only that, they want you to think of their restaurants every time April 11 rolls around.

“Who could own cheese fondue better than us?” asks Sandy D’Elosua, national director of communications at Front Burner Brands, The Melting Pot’s parent company.

And take ownership they have. The Melting Pot’s website dedicated to the holiday is the first result that pops up in a Google search for “National Cheese Fondue Day.” That marriage is largely the result of this year’s daylong campaign to bring in new members to The Melting Pot’s email list, Club Fondue, and thank its current members.

Evolution

About five years ago, when D’Elosua was working with The Melting Pot as an employee of its PR agency, she looked over a calendar of odd holidays and found one that was just perfect for the brand, National Cheese Fondue Day.

She knew there was potential right away, so her agency started pitching for “local, low-hanging fruit opportunities” to do cooking demonstrations on TV.