GAINESVILLE, FL--(Marketwired - Jan 8, 2015) - Football isn't the only victory on the board this week for Gainesville. Tomorrow, Gainesvillians will get the chance to "chomp" down on a FREE 11-inch customizable artisan pizza to celebrate the grand opening of Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, the nation's leading build-your-own pizza concept.

Blaze Pizza today announced the grand opening of its first store in Gainesville, at 3617 Archer Road, across the street from Butler Plaza, in between Chick-fil-A and Wendy's. The company is offering FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas, from 11 a.m. to 10:30p.m. tomorrow, January 9, to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Blaze is unlike most pizza restaurants in that they offer an interactive, assembly-line format allowing customers to choose from both classic and inventive ingredients including house-made sauces, fresh vegetables and hand-selected meats and cheeses -- all for under $8. Dedicated pizzasmiths then "fast-fire" the 11" thin-crust pies, cooking them to perfection in under 180 seconds.

"Gainesville prides itself on victories in every arena and Blaze is the newest winning combination for the area," said Dennis Sherer, Blaze Managing Partner in North Central Florida. "Blaze offers all your classic 'pizza joint' favorites, but without the wait."

Blaze Pizza makes its own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by critically-acclaimed Executive Chef Brad Kent ("The Pizza Whisperer"), which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust. The location will include 75 seats with seating for another 30 guests on two outdoor patios. The restaurant also boasts gluten-free and vegan options and an assortment of wine and craft beers.

The Gainesville Blaze Pizza is operated by The Millennial Restaurant Group, which plans to develop restaurants in Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia. The partnership consists of James Patterson Sr., Jim Patterson II, Ulysses (Junior) Bridgeman, Wayne Albritton and Collins Cogan.

About Blaze Pizza

The first Blaze Pizza® restaurant opened on August 6, 2012 in Irvine, CA, and quickly gained attention for its chef-driven recipes and "build-your-own pizza" assembly-line format. Described by Zagat as "One of 10 Innovative Restaurants in Los Angeles," Blaze Pizza is developing a cult following as it expands across the U.S. The company currently operates restaurants in 15 states and the District of Columbia, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington D.C. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels), the concept is backed by investors including LeBron James and Maria Shriver. For more information, please visit blazepizza.com and facebook.com/blazepizza.

Millennial Restaurant Group Blaze Pizza, LLC 10000 Shelbyville Rd. 35 N. Lake Ave, Suite 710 Louisville, KY 40223 Pasadena, CA 91101

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2746618

