California-based pizza company, Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, is bringing its two-minute pizzas to Chicago.
With the help of its affiliate, Levy Family Partners, Blaze Pizza will develop 15 franchise stores in Chicago and 10 in Miami, with the first locations opening before the end of this year.
The build-your-own pizza chain has quite a few competitors -- Giordano's, Lou Malnati's and Home Run Inn, to name a few -- in a city known for its pizzerias. Created by Elise and Rick Wetzel, who is also the founder of Wetzel's Pretzels, Blaze Pizza takes a faster approach to pizza prep.
According to a press release from Levy Family Partners, Blaze features an assembly-line format similar to Chipotle where customers watch as their pizza is prepared. The process starts with a dough ball that's pressed into an 11-inch crust and finished off with a choice of more than 40 toppings. The pizza is cooked in an oven and ready to eat in 120 seconds.
Gluten-free dough and vegan cheese will be available. Along with its fast-paced pizzas, Blaze also sells salads, beer, wine, lemonade and desserts, including a signature s'mores pie.
Exact locations and opening dates for Blaze Pizza in Chicago have not been confirmed. For updates and additional information, visit the Blaze Pizza website.
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