Operations
Blaze Pizza refires brand with new menu, sense of purpose
Blaze Pizza has refired its brand with 14 new menu items and a new logo.
June 20, 2024 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group
Blaze Pizza is firing on all cylinders with a major brand refresh in 2024. This overhaul goes beyond just aesthetics, offering a tastier and more exciting dining experience.
The centerpiece is a revamped menu, kicking off with a brand new "Chef Inspired & Fast Fire'd Signature Collection" of pizzas. These aren't your average pepperoni and peppers. Options like "The Carnivore" with its medley of meats and "The Blazed BBQ" with its smoky, tangy twist showcase bolder flavor profiles. Blaze promises this is just the beginning, with plans to roll out 14 new dishes with premium toppings, grab-and-go options, and even their first-ever dessert throughout the year.
This menu and branding makeover signals Blaze Pizza's commitment to staying competitive in the fast-paced pizza industry. By offering innovative pizzas, convenient options and a modern atmosphere, Blaze aims to attract new customers and solidify its place as a leader in the build-your-own pizza segment.
Alongside the menu revamp, Blaze Pizza is sporting a modernized logo. The brand promises a refresh that maintains its core identity while reflecting a more contemporary and exciting image. This aligns with their focus on offering a vibrant, fast-casual dining experience.
The brand launched 14 new menu items at a media and influencer event at its flagship store in Orlando, Florida, last week. While some were released earlier this month, others are dropping later this summer. The dishes include five signature pizzas, several salads, folded hand-helds, cheesy bread, spicy hot and sweet oils and the brand's first dessert, Cinnamon Bread.
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Cinnamon Bread will be released this summer. Photo: Blaze Pizza |
Beto Guajardo CEO of the company, said when you combine purpose with passion, the brand is an unstoppable force. "I want to work for a company that has purpose," Guarjardo said during the event. "I want my owners to feel purpose. I want my guests to go 'I'm proud to go to Blaze because they have purpose."
"This is the biggest transformation that this company has ever gone through. As others are stepping back and going 'what are we doing?' we are stepping forward and we are saying with a louder voice 'We are here. We have meaning. We have purpose and we are going to reinvent and refire ourselves to deliver a better guest experience with more exciting food and a bigger, broader menu.' It's something everyone's going to want to be a part of."
Christian Kuhn, Blaze Pizza's new chief marketing officer, told Pizza Marketplace in an interview that the brand has had negative eight to six comp growth and the time was ripe for a revamp. "We needed a sense of urgency to tie this and turn it around," he said. "I need to do things to get people to want to talk about us and to try us."
Blaze has not had a new product in 12 years. Releasing 14 in one summer should remedy that, Kuhn said. "We have a great chef. That's why we call these 'chef inspired,'" he added. "We are a build-your-own concept. The signature pizzas are like 6% of our comps. … I need to tell people about our brand, so there's five new pizzas."
Guajardo told Pizza Marketplace: "You don't get hired into a position like this and hang on to the rudder. We're looking to make a difference in the trajectory of the growth of the company. … I did what I could to try to hear the voices of my customers, my guests, my franchisees and my team members."
It became clear to Guajardo that something was missing. The company had become stagnant and the passion was missing. It was time, he said, to reimagine the company.
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Spicy Pepperoni Fast Fire'd Fold is coming soon. Photo: Blaze Pizza |
Sense of purpose
During the event, Blaze Pizza launched a new social responsibility program called Trailblazing Pie-oneers in which the company recognizes "people doing cool stuff in the world," Kuhn said. It could be fun, it could be serious –Folds of Honor, a program that provides funds like college scholarships to the children of fallen soldiers. Blaze gave the organization $10,000. The brand will also start a round-up program at the register in which diners can round up their check totals to Folds of Honor.
Franchisee Wayne Albright also received a check for his program, Flames of Support, an employee-funded program in which they add money to a shared pot for other employees in need.
In franchisees, Guajardo said Blaze looks for a certain level of financial acumen and resources and experience in the food and beverage industry, but those don't get you over the finish line.
"We're looking for people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to have close connections with their communities," Guajardo added. "I don't believe that Blaze Pizza needs to be a brand or a franchise that people look at and they think of this big corporate entity with a lot of stores. I want people to look at Blaze Pizza and say 'That's my local pizza store'. I want the owners to be active in their communities."
Guajardo said he's also passionate about owners who want to create opportunities for their team members, especially their store managers and their shift leaders. "In my long-term dream, we are helping create programs that pull people out of the lower middle class into a living wage — into a real living wage — and on to more financial success."
Future plans
The brand is eventually going to create a pizza portal, Kuhn said, in which employees can put their best pizza creations. Blaze's chef will choose from those for potential menu additions.
"We were a No. 1 pizza concept for a long time," Kuhn said. "We probably lost our eye on innovation. We probably lost our eye on growth. I want you to come back and try our pizzas and remember how good it is and enjoy it with your family and enjoy it with your friends."
New menu items will roll out throughout the summer.
"We're going to increase our consistency," Guajardo said. "We lost our voice in the marketplace. What makes us exciting? What makes us new? This is what we're passionate about."
About Mandy Wolf Detwiler
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.
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