Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Announces Grand Opening of

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 7, 2017) - 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 its third Alberta location, in Edmonton, on Thursday, August 10 ^th . To celebrate the grand opening, the South Edmonton Commons restaurant will offer FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas on Friday, August 11 ^th from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. The highly anticipated restaurant, which features a 2,200 square foot interior with seating for 50 and an additional outdoor patio which seats 40, is located at 1338-99 Street NW, near Walmart.

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 a very affordable price. 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. All of the pizza and salad ingredients are free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and for pizza fans with specific dietary needs, Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese. The new Edmonton restaurant will also feature a selection of wine and draft beer.

"Our mission at Blaze is really simple -- we're taking pizza back to its roots," said Jim Mizes, CEO & President 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.

Blaze Pizza is looking forward to continuing to build 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.

Blaze Pizza is being developed in Canada by Five Star Blaze Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cypress Five Star, Inc. Cypress Five Star, Inc., has operated restaurants in Canada for more than 6 years, employing over 1,000 residents in its 51 Canadian restaurants. The development area for Blaze Pizza includes the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

About Blaze Pizza

The first Blaze Pizza ^® 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. Recently named '#1 Brand of the Year' in the 2017 Fast Casual Top 100, the fast-growing chain currently operates over 200 restaurants in 34 states and Canada, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas, Boston, and Toronto. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels), the concept is backed by private equity firm Brentwood Associates and founding investors that include LeBron James, Maria Shriver, movie producer John Davis and Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner. For more information, visit www.blazepizza.com or www.facebook.com/blazepizza or click here to view a company video .

Blaze Pizza®, fast-fire'd®, the horizontal logo design, the proprietary name "pizzasmith" and related trademarks are the property of Blaze Pizza LLC.