In mid-July, Los Angeles-based Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza opens its first New York location in West Babylon in the Long Island area. The 60-seat quick casual restaurant is in the Great South Bay Shopping Center on West Montauk Hwy. Blaze Pizza uses an interactive ordering format that allows guests to customize one of the menu's signature pizzas or create one of their own, choosing from a wide selection of fresh, artisanal ingredients. The 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’ in less than 180 seconds. Blaze Pizza makes its own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by Executive Chef Brad Kent, which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light, crisp crust. The restaurant's menu of pizzas and salads uses fresh ingredients and accommodates a range of dietary needs. The restaurant will also offer a selection of wine and craft beer. The West Babylon restaurant will be operated by Lessing's Inc., a Great River, New York-based hospitality group led by Mark and Michael Lessing. Lessing’s operates eight full-service restaurants and a hotel and provides catering services for weddings and special events. Blaze Pizza currently operates restaurants throughout California and the Midwest and in the second half of this year, will open 35 new locations while expanding into the metropolitan areas of New York, Miami, Washington DC, New Orleans, Knoxville, Raleigh-Durham, Boise, Rapid City and Columbus. Earlier in the month, the chain announced that in the Fall, it is opening the first of three locations in South Florida. The first unit opens in the Uptown Center on North Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. It will be followed by a 2300 square foot location at the Fifth Avenue Shops on North Federal Hwy in Boca Raton. Franchisee group Levy Family Partners has a ten-unit development agreement for Florida. The investment group is also developing Blaze Pizza in Chicago. The chain has a pipeline of over 280 restaurants being developed corporately and by 29 multi-unit franchisees.
Levy Family Partners LLC – 415 North LaSalle St., Suite 700-B, Chicago, Illinois 60610
Lessing’s Inc – 3500 Sunrise Hwy., Bldg 100, Suite T100, Great River, New York 11739 (631/567-8200 www.lessings.com) Mark Lessing - mark@lessings.com
CATEGORY: Quick Casual
Chain Name: Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
Company Name: Blaze Pizza LLC
Street Address: 35 N. Lake Ave. Suite 710, Pasadena, California 91101
Tel: 626/584-5880 Fax: 626/440-0090
Email: info@blazepizza.com & franchise@blazepizza.com Website: www.blazepizza.com
Menu Specialty: Artisan pizzas on assembly line format, signature salads, fresh lemonades, craft beer and wine.
Introduced: Mid-2012 in Irvine, California by Elise and Rick Wetzel, co-founders of Wetzel’s Pretzels.
No. of Locations: Over 25 in California & Midwest. Agreements in place for over 280 across the U.S.
Areas of Operation: National
Types of Location: Urban street-fronts, Shopping center pads & end caps, Mall food courts, Lifestyle/Entertainment/Transportation centers, Mixed use projects, adjacent to University.Medical facilities
BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv): Franchises
Size Req’d: 1800 to 3000 sq. ft., ideal is 2000 to 2400 sq.ft. with patio, food courts – 700 sq.ft. with 22 ft. frontage
Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc): Patio, Within two miles- population of 40,000 or more, daytime population of 20,000 or more, median household income of $60,000. Co-tenancy with grocery, theatres, medical, educational, etc.
Contact Name: Elise Wetzel, Rick Wetzel – Co-Founders
Jim Mizes – President, COO
Rod Lucio – Vice President, Real Estate (626/318-2170 rod@blazepizza.com)
REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:
FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:
Related Chains:
Last Report: Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #119 Last Update:
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