Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Blaze Pizza

  • Los Angeles – Blaze Pizza (Pasadena)

    Los Angeles – Blaze Pizza (Pasadena)

    [I originally posted this in July 2018 about a visit in January 2018, I’ve reposted it to fix some broken image links]

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    Just after I arrived in Pasadena it started to rain. The roads started flooding with the quantity of rain, so it seemed that an early lunch would be a rather good idea. This pizza restaurant, which is part of a national chain, seemed well reviewed and was on the way to my hotel. This restaurant is their outlet on East Colorado Boulevard, which is also on the historic route 66.

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    Firstly, the service was quite ridiculous insomuch as it was near perfect. There’s often talk from restaurants in the UK how they want their staff to engage with customers, to build up a rapport, to be conversational and welcoming. It rarely happens. Here, they had it down to a fine art.

    I took a leaflet by the door to get an understanding of the different pizza options available. The process is similar to Subway, that you walk down a line and select the pizza and other items that you want, before paying at the end. I mentioned to the first staff member that it was my first visit, and she proceeded to offer a comprehensive introduction to how the process worked.

    Then, after she had introduced herself and the concept, she then introduced me to the other staff members along the line. She was conversational and friendly, it is hard to imagine a friendlier introduction to a restaurant, but it never felt over the top or forced.

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    There’s an open and slightly industrial feel to the whole restaurant, which soon got much busier. The pizzas are cooked in just a few minutes and customers go and collect them from the counter.

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    Unlimited Dr. Pepper, a side salad and a pizza, all of which were at the temperature I expected, were neatly presented and tasted of an excellent quality. The pizza base was thin and crispy, the toppings were evenly spread and there was a depth of taste to both the pizza and the salad.

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    I think that covers most eventualities.

    This was my first visit to a Blaze Pizza outlet and I discovered later on that Pasadena was the home of the chain, which might explain the near perfect customer service. It’s a shame that I don’t live closer (it’s hard to justify popping over to Pasadena for lunch) as I’d have this as my go to fast service restaurant….

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 30 (Blaze Pizza in Newark)

    2022 US Trip – Day 30 (Blaze Pizza in Newark)

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    As it was day 30 of this trip and I was about to head to the airport, I decided against doing anything exotic and different but instead went to one of my favourite chains. I was pleased that staff member made such enthusiastic comments about my English accent and I privately agreed with the server’s suggestion that it was marvellous to hear someone speak English properly. Only privately though, I didn’t want to upset anyone else nearby by stating that she was correct.

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    I’ve written about Blaze Pizza before numerous times, not least earlier on this trip in Charlotte and in their original unit in Pasadena. It’s a simple concept, pick the base you want, the toppings and they make it in just a few minutes. Drinks, like they usually are in the United States, are refillable and cheap. Unusually, they also spelt my name correctly and that’s visible to the bottom right of the pizza.

    I’ve just had a look at how the chain is getting on and things look bright, they’re signing up new franchisees at some pace and opening additional units across the country. I’m not really in the market to open a restaurant in the United States, but if I had to pick a franchise I suspect that this would be high up my list. Over 70% of their franchise holders operate multiple units which is usually a positive sign, they’re competent enough to be able to manage them in a professional way. My only negative comment is that they’re blocked Europeans from visiting their web-site for reasons unknown, perhaps forgetting that makes it impossible for anyone to order on-line if they’re roaming.

    It also seems, if my visit was anything to measure matters by, that this unit was doing well with plenty of lunchtime customers eating in or taking their pizzas away. I can also confirm that Dr. Pepper complements a sausage, banana pepper, jalapeno, pepperoni and olive pizza perfectly.

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 12 (Blaze Pizza in Charlotte)

    2022 US Trip – Day 12 (Blaze Pizza in Charlotte)

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    Blaze Pizza is one of my favourite chains in the United States, I remember my first visit to their outlet in Pasadena and that’s also where the company started out. It’s all a lot more expensive than I remember what with inflation and the poor exchange rate, but it’s still realistically priced.

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    There was a bit of a queue, but there were plenty of team members and the operation seemed efficient. The dough is made in the little kitchen area to the right, then on the main ‘production line’ the team members ask customers what toppings they like. It’s effectively a Subway for pizzas. I was behind one of the most complex orders known to man (or woman) which seemed to involve about 62 different toppings all presented in a certain way, but the team members remained cheerful and helpful.

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    After walking down the counter, then there’s a few minutes waiting for the pizza to be cooked. The anticipation….

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    And the final result, with banana peppers, jalapenos, sausage, pepperoni and olives. Very delicious and of course piping hot given it had just been handed to me out of the pizza oven. The cost was about £11, which given the exchange rate at the time caused by the bloody mini budget, which I thought was entirely reasonable. They have over 300 locations now across the United States and this wasn’t my final visit to them on this trip. Indeed, writing this up is making me want to return to the United States and I accept that’s a bit excessive just for a pizza.