Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza announced it has signed three new area development agreements to open Blaze Pizza franchise restaurants in Boston, Dallas, and Phoenix. The fast-casual pizza chain now has commitments to build 252 franchise units in 24 states and Washington D.C.
“Our long-term goal is to build a strong, enduring national brand,” says Jim Mizes, president and COO of Blaze Pizza. “To that end, we are partnering with a small group of elite-level multi-unit franchisees to build a concentration of Blaze Pizza restaurants in key markets across the country.”
To date, the company has announced plans to enter 30 of the country’s top 50 markets with additional agreements expected to be announced soon.
The Greater Boston area is being developed by ASAPizza LLC, a partnership between David Peterman and Mitch Roberts, co-owners of 34 Panera Bread franchises in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. The pair operates one of Panera Bread’s larger franchise groups and is ranked among the chain’s top franchisees based on operations excellence assessments.
“Blaze Pizza’s super-fast, custom-built pizzas are proving to be extremely popular,” Peterman says. “You can really see the guest enthusiasm for this brand when you read the fanatical social media comments and witness the long lines at their restaurants. We did our homework and came away convinced that Boston is going to flip for Blaze Pizza.”
The Dallas/Fort Worth metro area is being developed by Saddles Blazin LLC, an affiliate of Paradigm Investment Group and led by Don Wollan, Brian Kelley, and Greg Hazard. Paradigm and its affiliates own 105 Hardee’s, TGI Fridays, and Jersey Mike’s Subs franchises.
The Phoenix metro area is being developed by Sajha LLC, one of Blaze Pizza’s original franchisees that currently operates in Southern California.
