Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Announces Grand Opening of Notre Dame Restaurant

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 17, 2015) - Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, the fast-casual artisanal pizza concept known for its chef-driven menu and casually hip restaurants, announced today that it will open a new location on Notre Dame's campus, in South Bend, on Thursday, July 23rd. To celebrate the grand opening, the restaurant will offer FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas on Friday, July 24th from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. The highly anticipated opening is the third Indiana location for Blaze Pizza, which debuted in Indianapolis in February 2014 with its first restaurant near IUPUI (Lockefield Commons, 913 Indiana Ave.). A second location opened in Carmel (12697 N. Pennsylvania St.), in August 2014. The new South Bend restaurant, which features a thoughtfully designed 2,300 square foot interior with seating for 60 and an outdoor patio, is located on Notre Dame's campus at 1234 North Eddy Street, near Chipotle.

Blaze Pizza is a modern day "pizza joint" serving up artisanal pizzas that are both fast and affordable. Since its first restaurant debuted in 2012, Blaze has quickly become one of the nation's hottest restaurant concepts, with fans lining up each day for its 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, artisanal 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 that the thin-crust pies are fast-fire'd and ready to eat in just 180 seconds. Restaurants make their 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.

"Our mission at Blaze is really simple -- we're taking pizza back to its roots, "said Jim Mizes, president & COO of Blaze Pizza. "By making dough in-house, carefully sourcing ingredients, and cooking by fire, we're giving guests a great way to enjoy artisanal pizza without the wait. It's changing the way people think about and eat pizza."

Blaze's obsessive attention to detail extends well beyond the food, with a carefully considered, modern approach to restaurant design. Driven by its commitment to "Intelligent Choices for Our Pizzas, People & Planet," the restaurant is constructed with recycled and sustainable materials, uses eco-friendly packaging, and features energy-efficient LED lighting. Additionally, many of the restaurant's unconventional design elements were inspired by the company's celebration of individual expression, including an oversized wall graphic featuring a local photographer's image of a current Notre Dame student, which was custom-designed for the South Bend space.

Blaze Pizza is looking forward to building strong roots within the South Bend community, offering a spot where guests can connect, create and enjoy. To that end, the restaurant will promote a turnkey fundraiser program that returns 20% of an event's proceeds back to organizations, helping schools, sports clubs and other local groups "cause a scene for a good cause." 

About 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. Now ranked as the overall #2 fast-casual brand in FastCasual.com's annual Top 100 list, Blaze Pizza is building momentum and developing a cult-like following as it expands across the country. The company currently operates 74 restaurants in 20 states and the District of Columbia, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas 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 or click here to view a company video.

Blaze Pizza®, Fast-Fire'd®, the horizontal logo design, and the proprietary names "Pizzasmith", "Intelligent Choices For Our Pizzas, People & Planet" and related trademarks are the property of Blaze Pizza LLC.