Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Announces Grand Opening of First International Location in Canada

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 5, 2015) - 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 first international location, in Toronto, Canada, on Thursday, October 8th. To celebrate the grand opening, the restaurant will offer FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas on Friday, October 9th from 11:00 a.m. to midnight to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. The highly anticipated restaurant, which features a thoughtfully designed 2,500 square foot interior with seating for 50, is located in the heart of Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square (10 Dundas East), near the CF Toronto Eaton Centre at Yonge and Dundas.

Blaze Pizza is a modern day "pizza joint" that has been inspiring excitement and cultivating fanatics for its custom-built artisanal pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s'more pies since it opened its first location in Irvine, California in 2012. 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 carefully sourced 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. The Toronto restaurant will use Canadian flour to make its dough from scratch with 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. For pizza fans with specific dietary needs, the restaurant will offer gluten-free dough and vegan cheese.

"We're thrilled to be bringing Blaze Pizza to Canada, and couldn't ask for a better place to begin than the food-forward city of Toronto," said Jim Mizes, president & COO of Blaze Pizza. "At Blaze, we're all about carefully sourcing ingredients, cooking by fire, and letting guests enjoy high-quality artisanal pizza at crazy fast speed. We think that the authenticity of our food, plus our service culture that genuinely focuses on the happiness of our guests and crew, will be key to our success in Canada."

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, including an oversized wall graphic featuring the Toronto skyline, which was custom-built to suit the space.

Blaze Pizza is being developed in Canada by Five Star Blaze Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cypress Five Star, LLC, led by Robert Baxter, Blair Walker and Darven Erickson. Cypress Five Star, LLC has operated restaurants in Canada for more than 5 years, employing nearly 1,000 residents in its 42 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. Now ranked as the overall #2 fast-casual brand in FastCasual.com's annual Top 100 list, Blaze Pizza is building momentum and developing a cult-like following as it expands across the U.S. and beyond. The company currently operates 88 restaurants in 21 states and the District of Columbia, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Washington D.C. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels), the concept is backed by investors including LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and movie producer John Davis. For more information, please visit blazepizza.com and facebook.com/blazepizza or click here to view a company video.

Blaze Pizza®, Fast-Fire'd®, the horizontal logo design, and the proprietary names "Pizzasmith", "Intelligent Choices For Our Pizzas, People & Planet" and related trademarks are the property of Blaze Pizza LLC.