Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Set to Open 150th Restaurant as It Builds National Footprint
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Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Set to Open 150th Restaurant as It Builds National Footprint

Fast-Casual Pizza Chain Continues to Lead Category AUVs and Sales Rankings

LOS ANGELES, CA - (Marketwired - Jun 28, 2016) - Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, the nation's leading fast-casual pizza chain, today announced that its 150th restaurant is set to open next month in Houston, its fourth location in this Texas market. With restaurants now open in 31 states and development underway in 48 of the top 50 U.S. markets, Blaze Pizza's expansion is now primarily focused on building brand presence in existing markets. Going forward, the company is planning to open on average one new restaurant every four days -- with its milestone 500th location projected to open in about three years.

The modern day "pizza joint", known for its chef-driven recipes and casually hip restaurants, also announced that it leads in average unit volumes (AUVs) when compared against equivalent competitor restaurants that reported this information in their recently filed Franchise Disclosure Documents.

Annual AUVs (Units Open More Than 1 Year)

         
    Company   Franchised
Blaze Pizza(1)   $1,888,354   $1,335,162
Pieology   not disclosed   not disclosed
MOD Pizza   $1,224,236   not disclosed
         

Annual AUVs (Units Open More Than 2 Years)

         
    Company   Franchised
Blaze Pizza(2)   $2,567,243   $1,533,768
Pieology   $1,874,304   $1,352,932
MOD Pizza   not disclosed   not disclosed

Source: Blaze Pizza LLC Franchise Disclosure Document dated 4/12/16, Pieology Franchise LLC Franchise Disclosure Document dated 3/18/16, and MOD Super Fast Pizza Franchising LLC Franchise Disclosure Document dated 5/4/16. Restaurant unit counts and definition of '1 Year' and '2 Years' varies by company. See Item 19 of each FDD for further information and methodology on how average unit volumes were calculated. State of Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (http://www.wdfi.org/).
 
"We are well on our way to creating the next great lifestyle brand -- one that positively impacts the lives of our guests, team members and communities we serve," said Jim Mizes, president and COO of Blaze Pizza. "The authenticity of our food, plus a service culture that focuses on speed of service and the happiness of our guests, have clearly been key to our popularity and strong performance."

Earlier this year, Blaze Pizza was ranked the leading fast-casual pizza chain in the 2016 Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. The company secured the top spot by tripling sales to $100.6 million in the last year. According to Technomic, Blaze Pizza was also the category's top sales growth leader, adding $67.6 million in sales over the prior year.

Fast-Casual Pizza Chain Ranking

         
    Annual Sales   Sales Growth
Blaze Pizza   $100.6 million   +$67.6 million
Pieology   $74.6 million   +$30.0 million
MOD Pizza   $64.8 million   +$44.6 million
         
Source: 2016 Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report.
 

About Blaze Pizza

Blaze Pizza is a modern day "pizza joint", serving up artisanal pizzas that are both fast and affordable. With fans lining up each day for their custom-built pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s'more pies, the innovative fast-casual concept has quickly become one of the hottest restaurant chains in the country. 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.

Founded with two locations in 2012, Blaze Pizza is building momentum and developing a cult following as it expands across the country. The company currently operates restaurants in 31 states and two Canadian provinces, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and New York. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels), the concept is backed by investors including LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and movie producer John Davis. For more information, please visit blazepizza.com and facebook.com/blazepizzaor click here to view a company video.

  1. As of 12/31/15 Blaze Pizza had 105 restaurants in operation (100 franchised restaurants and 5 company restaurants). Of the 105 restaurants, 3 company restaurants and 47 franchised restaurants had been in operation for more than 1 year. Of the 3 company restaurants, 1 (33%) met or exceeded this average. Of the 47 franchised restaurants, 18 (36%) met or exceeded this average. A new franchisee's results may differ from the represented performance.
  2. As of 12/31/15 Blaze Pizza had 105 restaurants in operation (100 franchised restaurants and 5 company restaurants). Of the 105 restaurants, 1 company restaurant and 9 franchised restaurants had been in operation for more than 2 years. Of the 9 franchised restaurants, 4 (44%) met or exceeded this average. A new franchisee's results may differ from the represented performance.

SOURCE Blaze Pizza

Media Contact:

Morgan Barthmuss
Blaze Pizza, LLC
(213) 335-5675

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