Yesterday Melting Pot of Knoxville announced that it is closing, at least for now. At 31 years old, the Old City fondue restaurant is one of downtown Knoxville’s longest-running sit-down establishments and the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the Old City. The next-oldest, Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, followed in 1999 in the former Spaghetti Warehouse building.
From its May 27 social media post:
Melting Pot did not respond to our request for an interview, but while photographing the restaurant yesterday, I encountered two employees. They said owner John Gilpatrick told them Melting Pot would reopen in “a month or two months at most.”
The employees also alleged they had not recently been paid.
IOK last reported on the restaurant at 111 N. Central St. in October 2023. At the time, then-new management was planning a major renovation ahead of Melting Pot of Knoxville’s 30th anniversary, aiming to transform the dark, dated basement space into something brighter, more open and more modern. That renovation never materialized.
The following year, the restaurant faced a significant PR challenge when a photo posted to r/knoxville appeared to show mushrooms growing out of a wall, tied to moisture or leak issues. More recent online reviews have also been, well, not especially kind.
Most presciently, Melting Pot’s beer permit and liquor licensing are not in compliance, having most recently fully completed the required annual CAST (alcohol-server certification) in 2022.
Manager Tristan Mann appeared at the March 2026 Beer Board meeting, presenting as the prospective new owner with an ownership transition date in June 2026. He was given instructions for bringing the restaurant into compliance and the item was postponed for a month.
Neither owner Gilpatrick nor manager Mann took any action, including contacting the office, before the April Beer Board meeting but continued selling alcohol.
“I move they go to a hearing officer,” said City Councilwoman Lynne Fugate at the April meeting, and the board agreed. “At some point, I don’t know how to get folks’ attention.”
Melting Pot did not resurface on the agenda of the May 26 Beer Board Meeting but announced its closure the following day.
There are around 95 Melting Pot franchises nationwide currently. Nearest to Knoxville is a location in Gatlinburg. A third Tennessee location on 2nd Avenue in downtown Nashville has been closed since the 2020 Christmas Day bombing but says it is seeking a new home in the city.
Disclosure: I worked at Melting Pot of Knoxville for a spell in the early 2000s.
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