Blaze Pizza
American fast-casual pizza chain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blaze Pizza is an Atlanta, Georgia[1]–based fast-casual pizza restaurant chain. Founded in 2011 by Elise and Rick Wetzel of Wetzel's Pretzels, the chain is known for serving made-to-order pizzas.[2]
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 Blaze Pizza in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. | |
| Blaze Pizza | |
Company type | Private |
| Industry | Food and beverage |
| Genre | Fast-casual restaurant |
| Founded | 2011 in Pasadena, California |
| Founders | Elise and Rick Wetzel |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 300+ |
Area served | United States, Canada, Bahrain |
Key people |
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| Products | Pizza, salad, cheesy bread, desserts, drinks |
| Website | blazepizza |
History
Blaze Pizza was founded in Pasadena, California, by Rick and Elise Wetzel in 2011.[citation needed] The chain's first location was opened in Irvine, California, in August 2012,[3] which was followed two months later by the opening of their second, and flagship store, location in October 2012 in Pasadena.[4] The chain serves made-to-order pizzas, with a choice of various sauces and toppings. Its business model is similar to other chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Subway.[5][6][7] The pizzas are cooked in a high-temperature open-flame oven with an average cook time of three minutes.[8] The only piece of cooking equipment inside each of the restaurants is an oven.[9]
By the end of 2014, Blaze had become the first fast-casual pizza restaurant to achieve 50 opened units.[10] The company planned to have at least 500 locations by 2020.[11]
In 2015, the company began to expand into Canada.[12] In partnership with Alshaya, the company opened locations in the Middle East in 2018.[13][14]
In 2024, the company announced its plans to move its headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia to support future expansion plans.[15]
