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Blaze Pizza history
Blaze Pizza company history timeline
In 2011, Rick and Elise Wetzel, founders of Wetzel's pretzels, went looking for a fast-casual pizza chain.
James invested in Blaze Pizza in 2012 shortly after the first restaurants were opened by Rick and Elise Wetzel.
Systemwide sales were $6 million in 2013 and hit $185 million last year.
The brand opened 50 restaurants across the country in 2014.
James doubled-down on Blaze in 2015 when he walked away from previous sponsor McDonald’s and $15 million in guaranteed money over four years as part of an endorsement contract.
But the independents only took in 42.5% of all pizza sales in 2016, which totaled nearly $44.5 billion.
Consumer Sentiment: In 2017, a Harris Poll about pizza chains best-loved by consumers ranked Blaze Pizza second only to Papa John’s (Pizza Hut came in third). Needless to say, it’s pretty amazing that an artisanal pizza startup is holding its own against the industry’s giants.
Another Banner Year: 2017 was another banner year for the chain, growing system-wide sales to $279 million, an increase of 51% compared to $185 million in the prior year.
Industry Accolades: Blaze Pizza was named the “#1 Brand of the Year” in the 2017 Fast Casual Top 100.
October 13, 2018 by Franchise Chatter Leave a Comment in Franchise Chatter Guides, Pizza Franchises
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Mizes is targeting $285 million this year and $1.1 billion by 2022.
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Blaze Pizza competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noodles & Company | 1995 | $493.3M | 7,001 | 1,204 |
| Panera Bread | 1981 | $2.8B | 140,000 | 3,950 |
| Wendy's | 1969 | $2.2B | 12,500 | 5,505 |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | 1982 | $2.0B | 44,000 | 1,446 |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | 1993 | $11.3B | 64,570 | 4,299 |
| BJ's Restaurants | 1978 | $1.4B | 23,000 | 718 |
| CKE Restaurants Holdings | 1956 | $1.3B | 20,200 | 434 |
| Darden Restaurants | 1968 | $11.4B | 175,000 | 4,453 |
| Applebee's Canada | 1980 | $2.5B | 28,000 | 1,372 |
| Uncle Maddio's Pizza | 2008 | $950,000 | 15 | - |
Blaze Pizza history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Blaze Pizza, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Blaze Pizza. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Blaze Pizza. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Blaze Pizza. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Blaze Pizza and its employees or that of Zippia.
Blaze Pizza may also be known as or be related to Blaze Pizza, Blaze Pizza LLC, Blaze Pizza, LLC and Blaze Pizza, Llc.