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 Bakersfield location, on Thursday, January 21st.
To celebrate the grand opening, the restaurant will offer FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas on Friday, January 22nd from 10:30 a.m. to midnight to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter, or
Facebook. The highly anticipated restaurant, which features a 2,500
square foot interior with seating for 60 inside and an additional 25
seats on an outdoor patio, is located at the California Pavilion (3900
California Ave.).
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. The Bakersfield restaurant will also
feature a selection of wine and craft beer.
"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, which was custom-built to suit the
space.
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.
About Blaze Pizza
The first Blaze Pizza(R) 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 105 restaurants in 25 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(R), Fast-Fire'd(R), 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.
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