LeBron James and Blaze Pizza

Blaze’s Competition

Next, let’s look at the competitors that Blaze Pizza. In doing so, we have to attempt to define the category of restaurant Blaze falls. Technically, Blaze is in the “fast-casual pizza” dining classification. Its fully customizable approach is a direct contrast with Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, and Little Caesars. As Kevin Alexander from Thrillist puts it,

“It basically exists in a weird middle ground between a fast-food pizza experience and a sleek, modern update of a family pizzeria.”

-Kevin Alexander, Thrillist

Furthermore, Alexander points out that Blaze is not alone in this middle ground pizza/fast food category. And additionally, some of Blaze’s direct competitors have NBA player backing. MOD Pizza, which has over 400 locations in the US and UK, is Blaze’s largest direct rival. Pieology, which has Kevin Durant as an investor, has around 150 locations. PizzaRev has close to 50 stores and 800 degrees, a Dwayne Wade-backed venture, has around 15.