The fast-growing national pizza concept Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza is set to light up its ovens for the first time in Lexington in mid-July.
The Louisville-based franchise group Millennial Restaurant Group is scheduled to open its eighth Blaze Pizza location on South Limestone Avenue this summer. The swiftly expanding fast-casual pizza chain, headquartered in Southern California, has been billed as the next Chipotle, with made-to-order, 11-inch pizzas built in assembly-line style and cooked in three minutes in an open-flame oven for a pricepoint of under $8. In addition to pizza, the restaurant’s menu also offers a variety of salads and accommodates a variety of dietary needs, including gluten-free and vegan options.
The chain, which counts LeBron James among its early investors, opened 50 new locations across the country in 2014, and it is planning for up to 70 more by the end of 2015.
Millennial opened its first Blaze Pizza location on Shelbyville Road in Louisville in October 2014. Since then, the group has added new locations in Florida and Tennessee. The franchise also has a targeted opening for its second Louisville location next month at Middletown Commons.
Rodney Poston, operating partner for Millennial Restaurant Group, said the franchise expects its concept to be very popular among Lexington’s collegiate crowd, in particular.
“Blaze Pizza is a favorite of Millennials,” Poston said. “We are affordable for college students, ... We offer a nice environment, and I think the big thing for us is going to be the ability to customize your product and the speed [of service].”
Poston added that his group plans to grow the concept in the local market beyond South Limestone in the future.
“We are really just trying to look for the right locations, but we plan on expanding in Lexington,” Poston said.
For more information on Blaze Pizza, check the restaurant’s website at www.blazepizza.com.