Blaze Pizza, a booming artisan-style pizza chain, is a well-known favorite amongst Cal Poly students and the rest of the SLO community. Beyond the commonly recognized features of assembly-style ordering, three-minute cook times and one-price toppings, here are five aspects of Blaze Pizza you may not have known about to enhance your next experience:
1. Blaze has become the fastest-growing food chain in the US of all-time
In early November, Blaze announced that it had debuted its 300th restaurant. Founded with two California locations in 2012, Blaze Pizza has rapidly expanded over the last six years, opening restaurants in 42 states and five countries. In recognition of its impressive growth and popularity, the brand was recently ranked “the fastest growing restaurant chain ever” by Forbes Magazine. The company is on track to exceed 750 restaurants by 2022.
2. Ecopacking
Blaze utilizes packaging that is recyclable, compostable and/or made from post-consumer reclaimed materials. Their straws, lids, utensils and cups are derived from plant-based ingredients instead of petroleum in order to leave a smaller footprint than most other commonly available choices.
3. Vegan Friendly
The dough used for every Blaze pizza is prepared daily using filtered water, unbleached flour, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and a touch of sugar. Blaze also offers a gluten-free dough, which is vegan as well, and can provide a soy-free vegan cheese option and a variety of fresh vegetables. For specific vegan information about each ingredient, you can visit the “Special Diets Wizard” on the allergen section of the Blaze website.
4. 100% Clean Ingredients
Blaze believes in providing ingredients without artificial flavors, colors or preservatives so that all ingredients for their pizzas and salads meet health-positive standards and taste delicious. To further their devotion to customer health, all of the meats served at Blaze are nitrate-free. The high-quality ingredients compliment the fresh, never-frozen dough used for every pizza.
5. SLO’s Favorite Choices
At the San Luis Obispo location, students and families alike tend to order lots of veggies and pesto-glazed crust. Many people take advantage of the assembly-style freedom and choose both marinara and alfredo sauces for the base of their pizzas. To top it off, Blaze offers a sprinkle of English sea salt to tie all of the delicious flavors together.