Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza, a leading fast casual artisanal pizza chain, announced that it will open a restaurant at iconic STAPLES Center, its first location inside a sports and entertainment venue. As a part of the agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, Blaze Pizza will be the exclusive pizza of STAPLES Center and an official partner of the LA Kings. The popular restaurant chain joins the ranks of other fast casual, chef-driven concepts at STAPLES Center, including BS Taqueria, Dave’s Doghouse and Ludo Bird, all part of an initiative by AEG and Levy Restaurants to provide a more elevated guest experience. The modern day “pizza joint” will be located on the main concourse, near Section 109 next to the Wells Fargo activation and ATM.
“STAPLES Center is known for being a best-in-class sports and entertainment venue. We’re proud to align with this iconic venue that shares our commitment to putting the guest experience first,” says Jim Mizes, president and COO of Blaze Pizza. “Through our partnership with STAPLES Center, Blaze is redefining the way people think about and eat pizza, both inside the stadium and out.”
Since its first restaurant debuted in 2012, Blaze quickly became one of the nation’s hottest restaurant concepts, cultivating fanatics by offering artisanal pizzas that are both fast and affordable. Each location makes its dough from scratch, using a recipe developed by critically acclaimed Executive Chef Bradford Kent (the “Pizza Whisperer”) to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust. 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.
“At STAPLES Center, we are continually looking to revolutionize and upgrade our concession offerings for our guests,” says Lee Zeidman, president, STAPLES Center. “As we modernize our food and beverage options, Blaze was an obvious choice to partner with. We are proud to provide our guests with higher caliber options, including chef-envisioned, freshly made food prepared with simple ingredients, right here at the arena.”
Driven by its commitment to “Intelligent Choices for Our Pizzas, People & Planet,” ingredients in Blaze’s pizzas and salads are free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Additionally, the restaurant uses eco-friendly packaging, with pizza boxes certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, salad containers produced from recycled plastic, and numerous compostable materials.
“We are looking forward to introducing our fans to Blaze, a company that’s ingenious approach to the pizza industry highlights our own commitment to offer our fans the best experience in live entertainment,” says Russell Silvers, senior vice president, AEG Global Partnerships.
