Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Announces Grand Opening of First Calgary Location

Free Pizzas for Blaze Pizza Fans Near Sunridge Mall on Friday, February 5


LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 1, 2016) -  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 its first Calgary location on Thursday, February 4th. To celebrate the grand opening, the restaurant will offer FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas on Friday, February 5th from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. The highly anticipated restaurant, which features a 2,400 square foot interior with seating for 55, is located by Sunridge Mall (2618 32nd St. NE), next to Five Guys and near Buffalo Wild Wings. In July, a second Calgary restaurant will open at the corner of 4th Street and 21st Avenue (2020 4th St. SW). Blaze debuted in Canada in October 2015 with the opening of its Toronto location near Dundas Square (10 Dundas St. East).

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 the 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 the Calgary skyline.

"Blaze received a warm reception from Canadian guests since opening in Toronto last year," said Darven Erickson, Blaze Pizza Franchise partner. "They know we offer a one-of-a-kind, interactive experience, along with a wide range of artisanal ingredients, to create their ideal pie, at a great value. We look forward to continued growth in Canada."

Blaze Pizza is looking forward to continuing to build strong roots within the community. To that end, the company has developed a turn-key in-restaurant fundraiser program that returns 20% of an event's proceeds back to local organizations, and will be partnering with local schools, sports clubs and other organizations to host fundraising events at the new restaurant.

Blaze Pizza is being developed in Canada by Five Star Blaze Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cypress Five Star, LLC, led by Robert Baxter, Blair Walker and Darven Erickson. Cypress Five Star, LLC has operated restaurants in Canada for more than 5 years, employing nearly 1,000 residents in its 42 Canadian restaurants. The development area for Blaze Pizza includes the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

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 109 restaurants in 26 states and Canada, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, 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.

Contact Information:

Media Contact
Joshua Levitt
Press Relations

949-215-1438

Blaze Pizza