Blaze Pizza is relocating the chain’s Pasadena headquarters to Atlanta.
The company announced this week that the move, expected to be completed by September, is part of its growth strategy. The chain is in 39 states with more than 300 restaurants – with roughly one-third of the eateries in California.
Unlike other companies that have departed the Golden State, Blaze’s statement on its relocation sounded sort of sentimental.
“California is where this brand was born more than a decade ago, and we have tremendous heart for communities across the state where so many of our restaurants are,” said Beto Guajardo, CEO of Blaze Pizza. “Moving our corporate headquarters to Atlanta will help us drive our next wave of growth.”
Blaze said that of its approximately 60 corporate employees, the majority will remain remote workers “with the small percentage of Southern California-based employees being offered relocation opportunities at Blaze Pizza’s Atlanta office. The more than 7,500 restaurant-level employees are not part of this reorganization and will not be affected.”
Blaze Pizza was founded in 2011 in Pasadena by Rick and Elise Wetzel of Wetzel’s Pretzels fame. Its first location was opened in Irvine the next year.
The company has gone through some changes in recent years. The Wetzels sold their stake in 2020. CEO Guajardo joined Blaze in January 2023. Shortly after that, Brad Kent, Blaze’s co-founder and the cooking smarts behind the concept, left.
Blaze has attracted some high-profile investors including NBA star LeBron James, former California First Lady Maria Shriver, movie producer John Davis, and private equity firm Brentwood Associates.
And the menu is in transition, too. Earlier this year, Blaze added meatballs. Then last week the chain announced its “most significant menu revamp in its history,” which includes five revamped pizzas: a meat-lover’s pie, a vegetarian pie, a meatball pie, a chicken BBQ/ranch pie, and a four-cheese offering.
This exit follows other Southern California corporate departures in recent months including Neutrogena to New Jersey, QuickFee (Texas), Oak View Group (Colorado), and Unical Aviation (Arizona).
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]