At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, that message turned their fortunes around. An eavesdropping stranger told them soft fresh-baked bread pretzels were really tasty. old and have 325 restaurants in five countries. In addition, the popularity of Chik-fil-A and Raising Cane's has soared in recent years. And Blaze Pizza doesnt just have the Wetzels Pretzels success to tout; executive chef Bradford Kent is one of the most highly acclaimed pizza chefs in the country, and the brand counts former California first lady Maria Shriver, basketball superstar LeBron James, Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, and Panda Express founder Andrew Cherng among its investors. We only know one speed and that is go very fast. This cookie is set by Hubspot. Jones is a third-generation family coffee grower that roasts its own beans and runs great neighborhood cafs, each with its own cozy, eclectic vibe. This cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz. The Wetzels were hardly alone in realizing that pizza was the next fast-casual frontier. Join us in building healthier businesses and a better world. WebSerial entrepreneurs and spouses Elise and Rick Wetzel co-founded their Pasadena, California-based company in 2011 with a simple, if hardly unique, idea: Let's create the Chipotle of pizza. WebEntrepreneurs Rick and Elise Wetzel may have founded Wetzels Pretzels and Blaze Pizza, each of which has hundreds of locations, but the duo does not consider themselves to be restaurateurs. This cookie is set by the provider Yahoo.com. For Rick and Elise Wetzel, who have grown a business empire with the Wetzel's Pretzels and Blaze Pizza brand, backing this new California-style fried chicken concept is a sort of retirement project. in Eagle Rock. This cookie is set by pubmatic.com for the purpose of checking if third-party cookies are enabled on the user's website. Jul 15, 2019. Smashburger founders Tom Ryan and Rick Schaden launched Live Basil, a two-unit operation based in Denver; Dallas-based Pie Five originally started as an express spin-off of Pizza Inn. Wetzels originally had a third partner, a chef who created a recipe for a simple and tasty pretzel. This cookie is set by the provider Infolinks. Rick and his wife, Elise, founded Blaze in 2011. WebThe fast-casual upstart, Blaze Pizza, has since grown to more than 150 locations nationwide. Rick Wetzel is If you didnt know who For fast-casual restaurants, people are coming in and they want to get that same high-quality pizza dough that theyre looking for, but they dont want to wait a half hour for it to be made and topped and turned in the oven and then rested and then cut, Pote says. from the very first day, the cups are all plant-based so The data includes the number of visits, average duration of the visit on the website, pages visited, etc. Find a good partner. It was so clear to us that fast casual, in terms of a service system, is being adopted at an accelerating rate by many, many Americans, says Live Basils Ryan, who has watched as his better-burger concept, Smashburger, has grown to more than 200 units and nearly $200 million in sales since it launched in 2007. WebSerial entrepreneurs and spouses Elise and Rick Wetzel co-founded their Pasadena, California-based company in 2011 with a simple, if hardly unique, idea: Let's create the Chipotle of pizza. The valuation was confirmed when Blaze Pizza sold an undisclosed percentage of the company to private equity firm Brentwood Associates a few weeks ago that valued the company at around $250 million, sources said. "We're paying it forward," he said. The cookies is used to gather information regarding visitor activity on Issuu products. [Being environmentally conscious] is the That is a different product; that is a different business. All Rick and Elise Wetzel wanted was to have some pizza for lunch. Early this year, the Wetzels bought a 5,000-square-foot building in Eagle Rock and wanted to find a business to fill it. This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users. WebEntrepreneurs Rick and Elise Wetzel may have founded Wetzels Pretzels and Blaze Pizza, each of which has hundreds of locations, but the duo does not consider themselves to be restaurateurs. "I wanted to create a homage to fried chicken, something that we can call our own," Chris said. It register the user data like IP, location, visited website, ads clicked etc with this it optimize the ads display based on user behaviour. They looked around at all of the different food and beverage concepts and saw something missing in the fried chicken category. The restaurant applies the Chipotle model to its ordering process, letting customers choose from among seven meats, 15 vegetables, seven cheeses, and six sauces to build their own customized pies, which bake for about two minutes and sell at around $7. [16] The first Canadian location was opened in Toronto in October 2015,[17] followed by openings a few months later in Calgary in February 2016[18] and Edmonton in April 2016. WebThe chain had grown to $33 million in sales and $1.55 AUV in 2014. Their executives all toss around the words artisan, choice, and control and regularly reference other fast-casual categories, like Mexican, sandwich, and burgers, in conversation. But its not just Millennials who are flocking to these better-pizza brands. [9] During the first year of operation, the Irvine location grossed about $1.8 million and the Pasadena location grossed about $2.5 million. The cookie is used for recognizing the browser or device when users return to their site or one of their partner's site. But youre right, ours is very much a young voice, In his early 20s, he owned a video rental store and later became a brand manager at Nestle. For Rick, leading an organization is all about setting the path and making sure its articulated well. Like any successful strategic leader, he recognizes his strengths and moves out of the way to allow others to lead on areas outside of his expertise. Last year, the couple retired from Blaze Pizza and found themselves bored in their Pasadena home. The company has goals of hitting 1,000 stores and $1 billion in sales by 2022 and eventually an initial public offering, which will be the real cash-out moment. WebBut Blaze has quickly become a leader, with more than 320 national locations, a projected $400 million in sales this year, and plans for an IPO. WebTo contact Elise, send an email message at elisewetzel@rcn.com, elisewetzel@worldnet.att.net, ewetzel@att.net, rick@wetzels.com He is also the father of Susannah Wetzel (the actress who plays Julie ). According to their documentation, whenever HubSpot changes the session cookie, this cookie is also set to determine if the visitor has restarted their browser. This cookie is used for advertising purposes. Last year, the couple retired from Blaze Pizza and found themselves bored in their Pasadena home. ", But Wetzel, who is also an investor in Dave's Hot Chicken, a fast-casual Nashville hot chicken chain, added, "there's a great big gap there. This cookie is set by Casalemedia and is used for targeted advertisement purposes. ), My time at Northwestern was foundational, she says. So James made the leap, left McDonald's and became a Blaze Pizza spokesman. priorities aligned and you know, we try to get home Wetzel: I sold my stake in 2007 to a private equity firm, Levine Leichtman, which paid eight figures for the business. "We want it to be a step above fast-casual.". Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. for the purpose of better understanding user preferences for targeted advertisments. This cookie is set by the provider Pubmatic. line up for the for the concept since the very beginning. And here's the co-founder of Blaze Pizza contacting us.". Webelise and rick wetzel net worthdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by For James and Carter, the true upside of their investment might not be close to being realized. "We want to secure the brand and position ourselves as the leader in this space," Wetzel said. Wetzel: I sold my stake in 2007 to a private equity firm, Levine Leichtman, which paid eight figures for the business. If it wants us to go slow, that's fine. The first Taco/Social opens this fall in Eagle Rock. All these restaurants in townAgnes, Entre Nous, Union, Bacchus Kitchen, AltaEatsare chef-run restaurants. We were exasperated," Chris Dane recalls. And everyone wants to be the Chipotle of pizza. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Wachter was provided a look at the company through movie producer John Davis, who had invested in food businesses, including Wetzel's Pretzels. More Court Records Reviews Contact & Personal Details Relatives & Associates Court & Arrest Records View All This section can be locked, requiring permission to view. LeBron James and his business partners have turned another small investment into a fortune. This cookie is used to set a unique ID to the visitors, which allow third party advertisers to target the visitors with relevant advertisement up to 1 year. It was a mid-2011 weekday, and the Wetzels Pretzels founders were enjoying their 17th year in the pretzel business, a year in which their concept would enjoy roughly $65 million in sales at 192 locations, according to Technomic estimates. "No one was doing it in the middle," Wetzel said. They really do love pizza. "I want this to be an elevated experience and not just a fast casual place," he said. This cookie is used for registering unique ID for identifying the returning user's device. Theyre used to directing what they want because of the technology theyve grown up with, and having those options and choices we think is a big win.. But after their first store opened in South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach, both men would begin their days at Nestle and then hustle down to their business, which they opened with $200,000 in savings. The couple also attribute their local success to their WebAll Rick and Elise Wetzel wanted was to have some pizza for lunch. Weve got huge opportunities in nontraditional markets and internationally. They all bake their pizzas in specialized ovens in just a few short minutes. The pandemic continued, and they wanted to do something more. "The risk-reward equation is not generally that great, and there's a lot of grinding and blocking and tackling, and it takes a while for a concept to go global.". Thought Leadership from Gagen MacDonald and our contributing team members. He and his wife mostly wanted to use their knowledge and give back to a new generation of restaurant entrepreneurs. But the pair started burning through the cash and were forced to cut costs. That seems to be the thread in every successful entrepreneur. I grew up eating it. We cater to all walks of life, all demographics, all genders, and up and down the socioeconomic scale, Andrew says. The restaurant industry overall is forecast to grow only 4 percent in a 10-year period, so less than a half a percent a year, says Bonnie Riggs, restaurant analyst at The NPD Group. Writing, leadership resources, news, workshops and information on where you can connect with us. Unconventional travel with Adnan Juwayhil and his family. because we love Blaze Pizza just as much as they do. She left The Times in 2017. Disneyland: The chain expanded quickly, and in 1997 Hollywood movie producer John Davis came in with $1 million raised from angel investors. Because Blaze is a young and modern brand, these This cookie is used to serve the visitor with relevant contents and advertisement. But it was inevitable. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites. that they deliver a brand experience in every country that This cookie contains partner user IDs and last successful match time. That doesn't include his partnership with restaurateur Larry Levy, who runs franchises in Miami and Chicago for him. This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. Last year, the couple retired from Blaze Pizza and found themselves bored in their Pasadena home. Kuwaits first Blaze Pizza location was an instant success; the lines were, and still are, quite long during the lunch rush hour because diners love the experience of building their own pizza and keep coming back for more. Never miss a Northwestern Magazine story: Get the latest stories from the magazine in your inbox six times per year. This cookie is used for targeting and advertising purposes. He also said they eventually do talk about pizza in It contains the domain, utk, initial timestamp (first visit), last timestamp (last visit), current timestamp (this visit), and session number (increments for each subsequent session). Pasadena Magazines Women in Business Luncheon 2023. The Rose Bowl was created as a marketing stunt to get people from Michigan and Wisconsin and Ohio to come out here in January and see how nice the weather is. Those guys have lots of help, lots of connections. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. But one [segment] that is forecast to grow at a double-digit rate over the 10-year period is fast casual.. Like teenagers: Phelps, 57, is now the companys chief executive, and Wetzel, 54, is president. always look, feel and taste the same. Take Matt Andrew as an example. LeBron's dough rises behind pizza investment, KD stars with Booker in long-awaited Suns debut, LaMelo has surgery on right ankle, out for season, 'Felt like practice': Lillard, McCollum square off, Mitchell fights off injury, hangs 44 on Celts in loss, Embiid (sore left foot) misses win against Heat, Bulls hold on as Ivey's TO gaffe costs Pistons, Sources: Warriors eye Curry return next week, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, Meet the man scouring Nigeria for the next generation of NBA and NFL talent, Roundtable: Early takeaways from Kyrie Irving joining Luka Doncic in Dallas, LeBron James' plan to become King of Hollywood, ESPN.com's sports business reporter since 2012; previously at ESPN from 2000-06, Appears on SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and with ABC News. People are also increasingly looking for fast-casual brands that allow for maximum meal customization. Rick studied marketing at the University of Tulsa and earned his MBA from the University of Southern California. WebAs chief brand officer, Elise works with the marketing team to make sure that they deliver a brand experience in every country that has the same spirit and voice that has gotten guests to line up for the for the concept since the very beginning. [12] The company planned to have at least 500 locations by 2020. This cookie is set by the Infolinks. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Pasadena is a tentpole of the San Gabriel Valley. at heart, explained Elise. Wetzel says he sees everyone from grandparents, families, and first dates dining at Blaze. Christine immediately sent the message to her husband, Chris. White papers, e-books and other publications for changemakers. mode, they were recently named by Forbes magazine as In the last few years, new pizza brands have sprouted up across the U.S. (especially in Southern California), all with the lofty aspirations of being the national better-pizza leader. LG&L Interview. Webelise and rick wetzel net worthdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by On the user 's device use their knowledge and give back to a private equity firm, Levine,... Go very fast they wanted to find a business to fill it the! In recent years a 5,000-square-foot building in Eagle Rock white papers, e-books other... To their WebAll Rick and Elise Wetzel wanted was to have some Pizza for lunch partner! Is go very fast to be an elevated experience and not just a casual! Up for the purpose of checking if third-party cookies that help us analyze understand! 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