Alright, so I realize Blaze is a chain restaurant but I feel I need to give credit where credit’s due.
I went to Blaze today and the employees were the most cheerful bunch of people-pleasers that I’ve met in recent history. One more chipper than the last – asking about our pizza, throwing away our garbage. They might have hid a dead body for us if we asked nicely.
For the Blaze uninitiated, Blaze Pizza is basically Kramer’s idea from Seinfeld: you build you own pie.
More and more we’re seeing the “Chipotle-ing” of restaurants. That is, build it yourself with the toppings you like best. It’s a phenomenal restaurant model. Now, pizza was just begging for this “build your own” model to come around. There are a multitude of toppings that go great on pizza, and everybody likes it “their way,” right? So why not let the public have what they want!?
And Blaze absolutely crushes it. Think rows and rows of topping choices, with meat of all varieties including obscure options like turkey meatballs. Veggies toppings run the gamut – from fresh basil, to giardiniera, to giant fresh roasted garlic cloves and traditional veggies like green peppers and tomatoes. Cheese options abound, including ovalini mozzarella, goat cheese, ricotta, and a slew of other gooey, melty options. You can even choose from a variety of sauces like spicy tomato and BBQ sauce if you aren’t in the mood for a traditional red sauce pie.
After your Blaze pizza artist adds your toppings of choice to your pie and customizes it to your liking, your friendly wood-burning pizza oven pro bakes your pie until crispy perfection.
I’m always pleasantly surprised by the price. About $10 for a personal pizza that you could easily make into two meals (though to date I’ve never gotten any leftovers home).
The staff is friendly, the pizza delicious, and the modern decor meshes well with the vibe they’re trying to create. As much as I hate to say it (ahem, LeBron James is an investor in Blaze) they make a great pie your way at a great price.
