Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2012 | Page 8

Grow Market Lead

By Debbie Selinsky

CEO
profile: Respect for the Heart
of the House
Teamwork and collaboration drive Bob Johnston
at Front Burner Brands

L

Name: Bob Johnston
Title: CEO, Chair
Company: Front Burner Brands, Inc.
Brands: The Melting Pot (144 in North
America and 29 under development in
Canada, Mexico, the Middle East, and
Indonesia); Burger 21 (2 company stores,
2 more about to open, and 5 franchised
locations licensed and in development);
and GrillSmith, (6, all company owned)
Age: 48
Family: Wife Katina, children Megan
and Thomas
Years in franchising: 27
Years in current position: President
of The Melting Pot from 1985 until Jan.
2012 when I stepped into the CEO
position for Front Burner Brands.

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Franchiseupdate Iss u e III, 2 0 1 2

ong Island native Bob Johnston says he did not exactly fall
in love with franchising—or
the restaurant business—from
his vantage point as a dishwasher in his
older brothers’ Melting Pot restaurant
in Tallahassee, Fla.
“My passion for the business didn’t
ignite until I was afforded the opportunity to provide service to guests. I put on
a show for the guests and really became
hooked,” he says. “I have tremendous
respect for the heart of the house of a
restaurant. Without a great team, you
have nothing to deliver.”
Johnston continued to work his way
through every position at the popular
fondue restaurant, where his brothers,
Mark and Mike, were early franchisees.
In 1985, the three brothers combined
resources and purchased The Melting
Pot concept and its five restaurants.
Twenty-seven years later, they have built
the brand into 144 North American
restaurants and have 29 international
units under development.
In January, Johnston left his post as
president of The Melting Pot to become
CEO and chair of Tampa-based Front
Burner Brands, whose concepts include
The Melting Pot and two original brands:
Burger 21, a fast casual restaurant tailormade for franchising; and GrillSmith, a
refined casual, open grill restaurant not
currently being franchised.
The brothers opened their first Burger 21 in November 2010, a corporate
store in Tampa. In September 2011 they
launched a national franchising program,
beginning with a focus on Florida and the
East Coast. Their initial goal for 2012
was to have 30 franchise deals signed
by year-end, one or two of them open,
and two or three corporate stores open

in the Tampa Bay area.
Now in steady and careful growth
mode, the leadership team at Front
Burner are looking at different concepts,
as well as the possibility of acquiring
a small company, much the way they
bought The Melting Pot.
Johnston, who describes his leadership style as collaborative and peoplecentric, continues to work closely with
his brothers: Mark, chief concept officer
and visionary for the restaurant side of
the business, and Mike, who sits on the
board and has been operating Melting
Pot restaurants since 1979. “The biggest benefit of working with family is
the level of trust, belief, and confidence
that exists,” he says.
LEADERSHIP
What is your role as CEO? The most
important aspect of my job is that I
get to work with an excellent executive
leadership team. We share the vision
and strategic direction for the organization as a whole, but I also see my role
as supporting those team members in
whatever way is necessary. Occasionally, that means removing roadblocks,
acting as a sounding board, proving out
ideas with them, or helping them with
specific challenges or tough decisions.
Describe your leadership style. Col-

laborative and people-focused, because
I believe you don’t get anything done
unless you have an excellent team that
believes in your mission and operates
from your culture.
What has inspired your leadership
style? A number of people have been

inspirational. Two of them I have to