The Melting Pot to debut on A&E program

A marketing overture is paying off for the Tampa-based restaurant franchise The Melting Pot, after it reached out to producers of the A&E show “Undercover Boss.” The restaurant group will be featured in a Dec. 9 episode of “Be the Boss,” an A&E spinoff.

In the reality TV episode, two Melting Pot employees compete for a promotion, with the show ultimately revealing an even greater opportunity for one of the competitors to win a franchise. Bob Johnston, CEO of Front Burner Brands, the Tampa-based umbrella group for The Melting Pot and other restaurant brands, appears on the program, along with Jason Long, general manager of The Melting Pot of Warrington, Pa., and Terry Love, lead server at the restaurant in Louisville, Ky.

Part of the episode was taped in Tampa. Getting the TV appearance was a coup, but it took effort.