[ALERT] Longstanding Duluth Restaurant to Shutter After 36 Years in Business

The Duluth location of The Melting Pot is due to close Sunday, May 31 after more than 36 years in business.  The fondue restaurant is located at 3610 Satellite Boulevard in Mall Corners shopping center, little more than a stone's throw from the dead mall that is Gwinnett Place.  

Gwinnett Place Mall, which opened in February 1984, was once a significant driver of sales and traffic in the area, but after more than two decades of success, it started to lose tenants and traffic and was ultimately closed to the public as of January 2021.  

The Melting Pot Duluth first opened in December 1990 and was one of several units that franchisees Layla Haddad Gunn and husband Mark Gunn operated locally.  

According to a December 2023 release, Haddad Gunn at some point became sole owner of all Atlanta area locations and in the same release she announced that her locations would be going through a “Melting Pot Evolution."  This was a company-wide initiative aimed at upgrading the restaurants’ dining rooms, bars, and other areas.  All four restaurants reportedly completed the renovations between late 2023 and early 2024.  

"After over 36 incredible years serving the Duluth community, Melting Pot of Duluth will celebrate its final chapter, with its last day of service on Sunday, May 31, 2026. This transition comes as ownership focuses on continuing to grow and enhance our Atlanta-area locations in Roswell, Kennesaw, and Midtown, where guests will continue to enjoy the fondue experience they know and love.  As a family-owned business for over three decades, we are incredibly grateful for the relationships, memories, and celebrations shared with the Duluth community since opening in December 1990," read a statement announcing the closure.    

"We invite you to join us for our Final Dip Celebration Weekend from Friday, May 29 – Sunday, May 31, leading up to our last day of service on Sunday, May 31, 2026, where we’ll be honoring the memories made over the past three decades with a special dining experience, guest memory wall, and commemorative keepsakes," the announcement continued.  

The first location of The Melting Pot opened in 1975 in Maitland, Florida, just outside Orlando.  As of 2018, there were about 170 locations nationally, but today it's a chain of less than 100.  

A Buckhead location of The Melting Pot was once located in Howell Mill Village but it closed more than a dozen years ago.  

Ultimately, fondue dining is simply not as popular as it once was.  While losing the Duluth location of The Melting Pot is sad for some, more still are likely still sad over the closures of Dante's Down The Hatch in Underground Atlanta (1999) and in Buckhead (2013). 

Are you surprised to see The Melting Pot close in Duluth? When was the last time you dined at The Melting Pot? What is your favorite Gwinnett Place area restaurant?   

Please share your thoughts below.