Blaze Pizza, a Pasadena, Calif.-based fast-casual pizza concept whose celebrity investors include NBA star LeBron James and TV journalist Maria Shriver, will make its Arizona debut Thursday in downtown Tempe.
It takes over the former Zia Records building on the southwest corner of University and Maple, just west of Mill Avenue.
Like the many other fast-casual pizza concepts that have sprouted up in the Valley, Blaze allows diners to choose the toppings for their 11-inch pizza, then cooks the pizza in an 800-degree oven in just 180 seconds.
Blaze claims to be the country’s fastest-growing pizza concept. Since its launch in 2011, it has opened 116Â locations and plans to add another 96Â by the end of this year.
Other Valley locations are in the works in Phoenix, Glendale, and Avondale.
Blaze Pizza’s hours are 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10:30 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday.
