Local Melting Pot leads way to new offerings for chain

Hard economic times can put a spur to creativity, especially in sectors vulnerable to customer retreat. A lunch or dinner out might end up on the take-it-or-leave-it side of the ledger, competing with sack lunches and slow-cooker roasts. In response, restaurant owners have looked at their offerings to see if there is an appeal they might promote.

For The Melting Pot, the new hook at the corporate level is a gluten-free menu. However, for the Fort Collins Melting Pot, owned locally by Christine and Ryan Houdek, the need for such items became clear more than a year…