Blaze Pizza

What Blaze Pizza does

Blaze Pizza is a privately held, fast-casual pizza franchise chain founded in 2011 (first restaurant 2012) and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with corporate support also based in Pasadena, California. The company operates approximately 230-250 franchised and company-owned restaurants across more than 30 U.S. states and three countries, using an assembly-line, build-your-own format powered by a proprietary fast-fire'd cooking process that reaches oven temperatures of up to 900°F and bakes pizzas in approximately 180 seconds. The core menu spans signature and customizable 11-inch and 14-inch pizzas (4 crust options, 35+ toppings), salads with warm flatbread, cheesy breads, and desserts, with regular limited-time offers such as the Daredevil: Born Again Sweet Heat pizza, the Volpi Italian Escape menu, and a Protein-zza SKU aimed at GLP-1-friendly consumers.

Blaze generates revenue through a classic franchise model: a $30,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% ongoing royalty on gross sales, a 2% national marketing contribution, plus direct sales at a smaller base of company-operated locations and a small catering stream channeled through EZCater. Average unit volume is disclosed at approximately $1.2 million per FDD, and customer engagement is driven by a Blaze Rewards loyalty program ("Flames"), a proprietary mobile app, and a multi-channel marketing mix spanning social media, holiday/event promotions (Pi Day, National Pizza Party Day, BFF Bundle), influencer and entertainment partnerships (Marvel Television, @thelasvegasfoodie), and cause marketing via the Folds of Honor partnership (over $330,000 raised). Go-to-market is omnichannel and franchise-led: dine-in, takeout, proprietary digital ordering, third-party delivery aggregators, and corporate catering.

Operationally, Blaze is in an active turnaround phase following 66 net store closures in 2024-2025, with new CEO John Owen (joined January 2026 from Scooter's Coffee/McDonald's/Subway Russia) and CFO Lucas Bravo (June 2026, ex-GoTo Foods/Burger King) installed alongside a tenured bench (CTO from Domino's, CDO from Focus Brands, CCO from Starbucks/Jamba) to stabilize the unit base, re-accelerate comps, and lead international franchising expansion.

Name

Blaze Pizza

Legal name

Blaze Pizza, LLC

Website

https://blazepizza.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Pizza Restaurants

NAICS

Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza Fast Casual (THAFABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB)

Keywords

• Fast casual pizza
• Pizza franchise
• Build your own pizza
• Quick service restaurant
• Restaurant chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Franchise Royalty and Fees: Blaze Pizza generates revenue through franchise fees ($30,000 per restaurant), ongoing royalty fees (5% of gross sales), and national marketing contributions (2% of gross sales). Multi-unit development agreements available for qualified operators.
2. Direct Restaurant Sales: Revenue from company-owned and franchise locations through dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders. Menu includes pizzas (build-your-own and signature), salads, cheesy breads, desserts, and beverages. Average unit volume approximately $1.2 million.
3. Catering Services: Large order and catering services for business events, with partnerships like EZCater for corporate catering deliveries of individually boxed meals or larger packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Blaze Pizza operates a fast-casual pizza franchise chain selling artisan build-your-own and signature pizzas cooked in approximately 180 seconds using proprietary high-heat ovens (up to 900°F). The menu also includes salads, cheesy breads, desserts, and beverages, sold across 240+ franchise locations through dine-in, takeout, delivery, digital ordering, mobile app, and catering channels.

Product overview

Blaze Pizza is a fast-casual pizza franchise chain operating 240+ restaurants across the U.S. and internationally. The company's core product is fast-fire'd pizzas cooked in 180 seconds in high-temperature ovens (up to 900°F), offered as signature recipes (Spicy Pepperoni, Carnivore, Meatball Pie, Blazed BBQ, Four Cheese, Herbivore) or build-your-own with 4 crust options and 35+ toppings in 11-inch personal (6 slices) and 14-inch large (8 slices) sizes. The portfolio includes complementary menu items: fresh salads (Chicken Chickpea Salad, The Chop, Bacon Pesto Bliss, BYO Salad) with warm flatbread, cheesy breads, and desserts (Brookie, S'more Pie, Tiramisu). Blaze Pizza operates a digital ecosystem anchored by its mobile app and Blaze Rewards loyalty program (earn 'Flames' redeemable for free food), supported by online ordering via blazepizza.com. The company also runs a fundraising program donating 20% of sales to participating organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fast-Fire'd Signature Pizzas Artisan signature pizzas cooked in approximately 180 seconds in high-temperature ovens, available in 11-inch personal (6 slices) and 14-inch large (8 slices) sizes, sold to dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering customers.
• Build Your Own Pizza Customizable pizzas allowing guests to choose from 4 crust options and 35+ fresh toppings to create personalized combinations, available in 11-inch and 14-inch sizes.
• Salads

Quantifiable outcome

• 180-second firing times ensuring consistent quick service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and supporting.

• Volpi FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Nationwide launch of 'Italian Escape' menu featuring Volpi Foods' artisanal prosciutto, available at all Blaze locations through June 23, 2026. Collaboration aims to expand Volpi Foods' presence beyond grocery stores into restaurants while providing premium ingredients for Blaze Pizza's limited-time menu offering.
• Reality Based GroupstrategicTechnology or Integration · 11 March 2026Partnership to deploy video mystery shopping technology across franchise locations. Brand previously paused customer experience program and saw decline in fundamentals. Selected RBG after competitive RFP process, with pilot locations reporting nearly 50% increases in upsells. Partnership aims to provide franchisees with actionable coaching tools for frontline performance improvement.
• Marvel TelevisioncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 March 2026Limited-time collaboration with Marvel Television's 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2, launching 'Sweet Heat' signature pizza featuring spicy red sauce, double pepperoni, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, and Mike's Hot Honey. Includes weekly 'Tuesday Drops' through Blaze Pizza app tied to episode releases through early May 2026.
• BikkysupportingTechnology or Integration · 16 December 2025Customer data platform partnership to improve guest insights and operational decision-making. Blaze Pizza plans to use the platform to increase guest retention, refine promotions, and align decision-making across departments.
• @thelasvegasfoodie (Lindsay Stewart)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 December 2025Food influencer collaboration to sell exclusive @thelasvegasfoodie Pizza at Las Vegas locations, with $1 per pizza donated to Three Square food bank to support local families during the holiday season.
• Folds of HonorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership providing educational scholarships to families of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. Blaze Pizza donates $1 from every 11-inch pizza sold on designated days. Has helped raise more than $330,000 for Folds of Honor since partnership inception. 91% of every dollar raised goes to scholarship programs.
• EZCatersupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCatering partner for business orders of 10 or more, offering individually boxed meals and larger catering packages delivered to offices and events through the EZCater platform.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MOD Pizza: Direct fast-casual pizza competitor with a build-your-own model, assembly-line format, and similar price point. Most directly comparable peer in the fast-casual artisan pizza category Blaze helped define.
• Papa Murphy's: Take-n-bake pizza franchise with a similar franchise-led growth model and broad US footprint. Comparable in scale and franchise system mechanics, though operating in a different pizza format.
• &pizza: East Coast-focused fast-casual pizza chain with a build-your-own, chip-and-credit payment model. Comparable concept in customization, speed, and millennial/Gen Z target customer.
• Pieology: Fast-casual build-your-own pizza franchise operating primarily in the western US. Closely aligned concept, target customer, and price tier; franchise model with similar unit economics considerations.
• Marco's Pizza: Growing pizza franchise with a quality-positioned, franchise-led model and US-wide footprint. Comparable in unit economics orientation, franchisee profile, and quality-over-speed positioning relative to QSR leaders.

Broad incumbents

• Pizza Hut: Long-established QSR pizza incumbent with dine-in heritage and broad US and international footprint. Competes for the same pizza occasion at lower price points and serves as a key benchmark for category pricing power.
• California Pizza Kitchen: Premium-casual pizza concept with a dine-in orientation and CPG frozen pizza line. Adjacent in quality positioning and pizza-centric menu and offers a useful benchmark for premiumization potential within pizza.
• Domino's Pizza: Largest US pizza chain by unit count and digital sales. Represents the dominant QSR alternative customers trade between, and shares the digital-first ordering and loyalty infrastructure that shapes the broader pizza category.
• Papa John's: Major QSR pizza chain with a quality-positioned brand, franchised US model, and strong digital ordering. Direct competitive overlap in the upper end of the QSR pizza segment and a relevant benchmark for royalty economics.

Emerging players

• CAVA: Fast-casual Mediterranean concept that — while not a pizza competitor — exemplifies the operating model, digital loyalty, and unit-economics profile that capital markets and the fast-casual sector benchmark against. Useful for valuation context and fast-casual format comparability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@blazepizza
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlazePizza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blaze-pizza-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/blazepizza
• Xx.com/BlazePizza

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blaze Pizza