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How Blaze Pizza’s founders figured it out

Rick Wetzel joins "A Deeper Dive" to talk about raising funds for expansion, LeBron James and taking on Domino’s. By Jonathan Maze on Aug. 21, 2019

This edition of "A Deeper Dive" is brought to you by PDQ POS.

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Rick Wetzel has started four companies. He believes he got everything right with his latest, Blaze Pizza.

Wetzel, the co-founder of Blaze and Wetzel’s Pretzels, joins the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” this week to discuss a number of topics, including fundraising for new locations, learning from failures, LeBron James and delivery.

Rick and his wife, Elise, founded Blaze in 2011. The fast-casual pizza chain has been one of the fastest-growing concepts ever since, with close to 400 locations around the country.

Wetzel discusses the chain’s evolution and how NBA star James came to invest in the concept, and what impact he’s had on the brand. Wetzel also talks about the brand’s evolution with delivery and its competition with Domino’s.

Please have a listen.

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Fast_Casual  News  A Deeper Dive 
Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants.
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