Blaze Pizza
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast casual restaurant |
| Founded | August 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California, United States |
| Founder | Elise Wetzel, Rick Wetzel |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, Middle East |
| Products | Custom-made pizzas |
| Website | www |
Blaze Pizza is a fast-casual pizza franchise headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 2011 by Elise and Rick Wetzel, the founders of Wetzel's Pretzels, the brand focuses on creating custom-made pizzas for its customers.
History
The inception of Blaze Pizza took place in Pasadena, California, when Rick and Elise Wetzel launched the concept in 2011. The initial restaurant debuted in Irvine, California, in August 2012, followed by the opening of a flagship location in Pasadena two months later. The chain’s model centers on personalized pizzas with a variety of sauces and toppings, operating similarly to chains like Chipotle and Subway. Each pizza is baked in a high-temperature open-flame oven, which is the only cooking appliance used, allowing pizzas to be prepared in approximately three minutes.
By late 2014, Blaze Pizza had become the first fast-casual pizza brand to grow to 50 outlets and set a goal to expand to 500 locations by 2020. The company entered the Canadian market in 2015 and collaborated with Alshaya to establish a presence in Middle Eastern countries by 2018. In 2024, Blaze announced it would move its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia, to facilitate continued expansion.