Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza Announces Grand Opening of Third San Diego Area Restaurant

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 7, 2014) - Blaze Fast Fire'd Pizza, the nation's leading build-your-own pizza chain, today announced that it will open its third San Diego area location on Thursday, November 13. To celebrate the grand opening, the new Genesee Plaza restaurant will offer FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas on Friday, November 14 between 11:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. The fast-casual concept, known for its chef-driven menu and casually hip restaurants, has custom-built its newest location specifically to suit the 3,200 square foot space at San Diego's Genesee Plaza (5604 Balboa Avenue), next to Panera Bread.

Blaze Pizza is a modern day "pizza joint" known for its custom-built artisanal pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s'more pies. Each restaurant features an interactive assembly-line 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 under $8. The generously-sized 11-inch 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. Each restaurant makes its 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. For pizza fans with specific dietary needs, Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese. The new San Diego restaurant will also feature a selection of wine and craft beer.

Blaze Pizza launched in the San Diego area last December and its first restaurant, at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets (5620 Paseo Del Norte), quickly became a neighborhood favorite. A second San Diego area location, at 127 North El Camino Real, opened last month to serve Encinitas.

"Our mission at Blaze is really simple -- we're all about bringing the community a place where guests can connect, create and enjoy great pizza at crazy fast speed," said Jim Mizes, president & COO of Blaze Pizza. "If you think about it, there hasn't been a good way to enjoy a made-from-scratch pizza without the wait. Now there is. We believe this will be a game changer in town."

About Blaze Pizza
The first Blaze Pizza^® restaurant opened on August 6, 2012 in Irvine, CA, and quickly gained attention for its chef-driven recipes and "build-your-own pizza" assembly-line format. Described by Zagat as "One of 10 Innovative Restaurants in Los Angeles," Blaze Pizza is developing a cult following as it expands across the U.S. The company currently operates restaurants in 12 states and the District of Columbia, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco 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.