Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza, the nation’s leading fast casual artisanal pizza specialist, today announced plans to open a new restaurant at Disney Springs in Walt Disney World Resort at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The build-your-own pizza chain, known for its chef-driven recipes and casually hip restaurants, will occupy a new 5,000 square foot building with seating for approximately 200 guests. The target open date is May 2016.
Downtown Disney is currently undergoing the largest expansion in its history, to be renamed and re-imagined as Disney Springs, an exciting new waterfront district for shopping, dining and entertainment.
“We are excited to be part of the new Disney Springs expansion where we get the chance to introduce our super-fast artisanal pizza to guests from around the world,” said Rick Wetzel, co-founder of Blaze Pizza. “True to Disney’s high standards, we are building an amazing flagship restaurant that will include interesting architectural elements, great service and fantastic meals.”
About Blaze Pizza
Blaze Pizza is a modern day “pizza joint” known for its 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 one low price. 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 first Blaze Pizza® restaurant opened on Aug. 6, 2012, in Irvine, Calif., and quickly gained attention for its chef-driven recipes and “build-your-own pizza” assembly-line format. Now ranked as the overall #2 brand in Fast Casual’s annual Top 100 list, Blaze Pizza is building momentum and developing a cult following as it expands across the country. The company currently operates 72 restaurants in 20 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.