Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Announces Grand Opening of the Third Chicago Restaurant

Free Pizzas for Blaze Pizza Fans in the West Loop on Friday, October 24


LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 20, 2014) - Blaze Fast Fire'd Pizza, the nation's leading build-your-own pizza chain, today announced that it will open its third Chicago area location on Thursday, October 23rd. To celebrate the grand opening, the West Loop location will offer FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas on Friday, October 24 between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. The fast-casual concept, known for its chef-driven menu and casually hip restaurants, is located in Chicago's Presidential Towers at 24 South Clinton Street.

Blaze Pizza is a modern day "pizza joint" known for its custom-built artisanal pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s'more pies. Each restaurant features an interactive assembly-line format that allows guests to customize one of the menu's signature pizzas or create their own, choosing from a wide selection of fresh, artisanal ingredients -- all for under $8. The generously-sized 11-inch pizzas are then sent to a blazing hot open-flame oven -- the centerpiece of the restaurant -- where dedicated pizzasmiths ensure that the thin-crust pies are fast-fire'd and ready to eat in just 180 seconds. Each restaurant makes its own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by critically-acclaimed 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. The restaurant will also feature a selection of wine and craft beer.

Blaze Pizza launched in Chicago last December, and its first restaurant, at 953 W. Belmont Ave. (next to the Belmont L), quickly became a neighborhood favorite. A second Chicago location, at 227 E. Ontario St., opened in April to serve Streeterville and the Michigan Avenue crowd. Next month, Blaze will open in Skokie at Westfield Old Orchard Mall, and in January, a Blaze will fire up in Evanston (1737 Sherman Ave.), to serve the local community and Northwestern students.

"Our mission at Blaze is really simple -- we're all about bringing the community a place where guests can connect, create and enjoy great pizza at crazy fast speed," said Jim Mizes, president & COO of Blaze Pizza. "If you think about it, there hasn't been a good way to enjoy a made-from-scratch pizza without the wait. Now there is. We believe this will be a game-changer in town."

Blaze Pizza is being developed in the Chicago area by Levy Family Partners under a 15-store franchise development agreement. Levy Family Partners was established by entrepreneur Larry Levy, founder and chairman of Levy Restaurants, as the holding company for his family's investments in restaurants, hotels, real estate and other ventures.

About Blaze Pizza
The first Blaze Pizza® restaurant opened on August 6, 2012 in Irvine, CA, and quickly gained attention for its chef-driven recipes and "build-your-own pizza" assembly-line format. Described by Zagat as "One of 10 Innovative Restaurants in Los Angeles," Blaze Pizza is developing a cult following as it expands across the U.S. The company currently operates restaurants in 11 states and the District of Columbia, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington D.C. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels), the concept is backed by investors including LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and movie producer John Davis. For more information, please visit blazepizza.com and facebook.com/blazepizza.

Contact Information:

Media Contact
Jill Katz
JKLS PR
(312) 404-5218

Blaze Pizza