America’s love for pizza and beer runs deep, and a new franchise, Blast & Brew, is offering guests an opportunity to personalize both. The fast-casual Neapolitan pizza restaurant offers artisanal pizzas and more than 30 taps of self-pour craft beer, along with other customizable food options. Backed by experienced California restaurant group Milano International, the brand has already inked a 12-unit deal on the Central Coast of California.
The Blast & Brew experience starts with fresh, hand-stretched pizza dough. Guests then choose from more than 40 locally sourced and regionally tailored ingredients and house-made sauces, before their masterpiece is fired to perfection at 825 degrees. In addition to unlimited varieties of pizza, Blast & Brew offers signature split-focaccia sandwiches, fresh salads, and a variety of hearty appetizers, like Carnitas Pork Sliders with jalapeno slaw, served on a fresh, house-made bun, and a Crispy Brie Crostini served with honey and a balsamic glaze.
Guests also have the option of customizing their beer experience through a pre-paid program that allows them to choose from more than 30 local and regional craft brews that they pour themselves. Blast & Brew’s Beer Geniuses guide guests through the beer offerings, helping them choose the best selection to pair with their meal.
“People have always had control over their pizza, but Blast & Brew offers a 100 percent customer-crafted dining experience, from the meal to the beverage that accompanies it,” says John Ferdinandi, CEO of Blast & Brew’s parent company Milano Restaurants International. “Our team has been hand crafting pizzas for over 50 years, and has partnered with California-grown craft breweries since the 90s— creating a recipe for success at Blast & Brew.”
California-based franchise group Cristallo Ventures L.L.C. has signed a 12-unit agreement to develop Blast & Brew locations throughout Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties over the next eight years. The group currently operates a franchised Blast & Brew in San Luis Obispo, which opened in March 2016.
Milano Restaurant International Corporation operates a portfolio of five distinct restaurant concepts with more than 70 combined locations primarily throughout central California. The group has been serving award-winning pizza since 1955, with CEO John Ferdinandi leading the company since 1994.
Blast & Brew is seeking qualified franchise partners with restaurant experience to develop Blast & Brew restaurants in prime territories across the southwestern region of the U.S., including metropolitan areas such as Phoenix and Dallas, as well as heavily populated college towns. Blast & Brew locations require between 1,200 and 3,400 feet of retail space, with patio, dine-in and carry out opportunities. Franchise prospects should have restaurant or retail experience and the total investment to become a Blast & Brew franchisee ranges from $700,000 to $950,000.
