Executive Chef Shane Schaibly puts more exotic ingredients into the fondue pot at The Melting Pot. Listen to or download the Toque Radio audio interview.

Everybody's interested in cheese these days. What are you doing to keep it that way?

Every March and September, we offer a new version of the Big Night Out, a limited-time-offer, fixed-price, four-course menu. Each is loosely themed around a different region of the world, and they are very popular. Sixty to 65 percent of our guests opt for the Big Night Out.

Tell us about the one that launched in March.

It's a journey through Tuscany with a lot of traditional Italian flavors. The cheese fondue is a Quattro Formaggio, with fontina, Gruyère, Gran Queso and a little bit of fresh mozzarella perlini—little, almost pencil-eraser-sized pieces.

Are your guests interested in more fully flavored cheeses?

Absolutely. Our cheese partner participates in our menu planning, giving us the chance to pull out cheeses that most Americans wouldn't go for if they were at a store or even from an a la carte menu. With fondue, you can blend [an unusual cheese] with cheeses they're used to and get them out there trying new things.

Did guests like it?

Absolutely. And so did our servers. They make the fondue tableside, and it's an 8- to 12-minute process. So including a more exotic cheese gives the server a more interesting story to share.

Your entrees are made in the fondue pot, too. Any changes here?

There are four different cooking styles: bourguignon, which is cooking in oil, or [cooking in] one of three bouillons: coq au vin, mojo or court-bouillon. We don't change these, but the entree ingredients change. For example, the entree course of the Tuscan Big Night Out features a Florentine marinade: fresh garlic, rubbed sage, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

And you're trying out a new bar-food program?

We have eight or nine restaurants in the program right now. It's for guests who don't want the two-and-a-half-hour experience. Menu items include seared tuna, lobster quesadillas, crab cakes, Kobe beef sliders, Tuscan flatbreads and a cheese plate.

What else is new?

We've responded to guest requests for smaller meals. We have a few restaurants out there offering three courses. Some offer a shortened menu altogether. And I continue to try to bring in new flavors.