SARASOTA TO GET FIRST NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED BLAZE FAST-FIRE’D PIZZA THIS JANUARY; New Fast-Casual Pizza Concept Breaks Ground at University Town Center

SARASOTA – There’s not enough water surrounding Sarasota to put out the “blaze” that will hit in just over one month. Pizza lovers, get ready for a newer, faster experience with the nation’s leading build-your-own pizza chain – Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza!

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. The Kentucky-based Millennial Restaurant Group, which is franchising the concept in four states, today announced the groundbreaking of the Sarasota restaurant to be located in University Town Center at 215 N. Cattleman Road, right off of Interstate 75 and University Parkway. The 2,500-square-foot restaurant will include 60 indoor seats with another 45 seats on the outside patio.

You may be asking yourself, what makes Blaze different? Blaze Pizza uses an interactive assembly line format that allows guests to create their own artisanal pizzas. Customers choose from a wide variety of house-made sauces, fresh vegetables and hand-selected meats and cheeses – all for under $8. The 11” 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” in under 180 seconds.

“The Sarasota community is no stranger to great food,“ said Dennis Sherer, Millennial Group Managing Partner for Blaze Pizza in Florida. “That’s why we couldn’t be more excited to add Blaze Pizza to the mix. Blaze serves custom artisanal pizzas, without the wait.”

Blaze Pizza makes its own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by critically-acclaimed Executive Chef Brad Kent (“The Pizza Whisperer”), which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust.  The restaurant’s menu of pizzas and salads uses fresh ingredients ranging from inventive to classic and accommodates a range of dietary needs, with gluten-free dough and vegan cheese.  The restaurant will also offer a selection of wine and craft beers.

The Sarasota Blaze Pizza will be operated by The Millennial Restaurant Group, which plans to develop restaurants in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Florida. The partnership consists of James Patterson Sr., Jim Patterson II, Ulysses (Junior) Bridgeman, Wayne Albritton and Collins Cogan.

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 14 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 and Maria Shriver. For more information, please visit blazepizza.com and facebook.com/blazepizza.