LOS ANGELES, CA - (Marketwired - Oct 23, 2017) - Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, the nation's leading fast casual artisanal pizza concept, today announced results and highlights for the third quarter ended September 24, 2017. The build-your-own pizza chain, known for its chef-driven recipes and fun, modern restaurants, recently opened its 220th restaurant and has agreements in place to open more than 400 additional locations across the U.S., Canada, the Middle East and Northern Africa. The company continues to maintain its target of 1,000 restaurants and $1 billion in annual system-wide sales within four to seven years.
Financial Results, Highlights & Outlook
"Our growth focused strategy allows Blaze Pizza to cultivate fanatics around the globe with beautiful restaurants in new markets and more locations for our fans in existing markets," said Jim Mizes, president and CEO of Blaze Pizza. "Best of all, we continue to 'punch above our weight' in all we do including our clean, fresh ingredients, digital training and people development, hospitality, brand marketing, and through our experienced, culturally-aligned franchise partners. We simply have momentum in every aspect of our business."
Blaze Pizza is a modern day "pizza joint," serving up artisanal pizzas that are both fast and affordable. By taking pizza back to its roots - making dough in-house, carefully sourcing ingredients, and cooking by fire - the innovative fast-casual brand has quickly become one of the hottest restaurant concepts in the country, with fans lining up each day for their custom-built pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s'more pies. Each restaurant features an interactive open-kitchen format that allows guests to customize one of the menu's signature pizzas or create their own, choosing from a wide selection of fresh, high-quality ingredients - all for about $8. The generously-sized personal pizzas are then sent to a blazing hot open-flame oven - the centerpiece of the restaurant - where dedicated pizzasmiths ensure the thin-crust pies are fast-fire'd and ready to eat in just 180 seconds. Restaurants make fresh dough from scratch using a proprietary recipe developed by Executive Chef Bradford Kent (the "Pizza Whisperer"), which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust. For pizza fans with specific dietary needs, Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese.
Recently named as the '#1 Brand of the Year' in the 2017 Fast Casual Top 100, the fast growing chain currently operates over 220 restaurants in 34 states and Canada, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas, Boston, and Toronto. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels), the concept is backed by private equity firm Brentwood Associates and founding investors that include LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and movie producer John Davis. For more information, visit www.blazepizza.com or www.facebook.com/blazepizza or click here to view a company video.
Blaze Pizza®, fast-fire'd®, the horizontal logo design, the proprietary name "pizzasmith" and related trademarks are the property of Blaze Pizza LLC.
Josh Levitt
Blaze Pizza, LLC
(949) 981-0757
SOURCE Blaze Pizza®
The first Blaze Pizza® restaurant opened on Aug. 6, 2012, in Irvine, Calif., and quickly gained attention for its chef-driven recipes, thoughtful interior design, and a service culture that celebrates individuality.