Blaze Pizza was founded in
Pasadena, California, by Rick and Elise Wetzel in 2011. The chain's first location was opened in
Irvine, California, in August 2012,[3] which was followed two months later by the opening of their second, and
flagship, location in October 2012 in Pasadena.[4] The chain serves
made-to-order pizzas, with a choice of various sauces and toppings. Its business model is similar to other chains such as
Chipotle Mexican Grill and
Subway.[5][6][7] The pizzas are cooked in a high-temperature open-flame oven with an average cook time of three minutes.[8] The only piece of cooking equipment inside each of the restaurants is an oven.[9]
By the end of 2014, Blaze had become the first fast-casual pizza restaurant to achieve 50 opened units.[10] The company planned to have at least 500 locations by 2020.[11]
In 2015, the company began to expand into Canada.[12] In partnership with
Alshaya, the company opened locations in the Middle East in 2018.[13][14]