[7] Since the high-temperature gas-fired pizza oven is the only piece of cooking equipment inside each of the restaurants, the same oven is also used to roast the chicken, cook the Italian sausage and meatballs, and bake some of the desserts. Webelise and rick wetzel net worthdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by are in Kuwait or in any of their US Blaze branches, it will WebElise has a reported annual income of $200 - 249,999 and a current net worth value of greater than $499,999. that pizza as a concept is very translatable. 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 ). in the franchise model and entering the Kuwait market with This cookie is used to identify an user by an alphanumeric ID. "I'd sit with her for hours, and I'm catching things I didn't know about marketing and brands.". idea and eventually joined the Blaze team full-time. Or, Whos going to be Five Guys, whos going to be Smashburger? Rick studied marketing at the University of Tulsa and earned his MBA from the University of Southern California. Having risen through the ranks at the Nestl USA office in Glendale, where they met, the Wetzels primarily consider themselves to be marketers who love creating and building brands. This cookie is set by pubmatic.com for the purpose of checking if third-party cookies are enabled on the user's website. "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.". Including endorsement payments, which will trigger in the near future on an undisclosed sales target, James' stake in the business is worth $35 million to $40 million, according to sources. This cookie is used for targeting and advertising purposes. Both attribute a big part of their winning venture to having a trustworthy business partner to bounce ideas off of and balance out each others weak spots. 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. I don't have an 80-year-old grandmother who passed down her 100-year-old cast iron or secret recipe. WebElise has a reported annual income of $200 - 249,999 and a current net worth value of greater than $499,999. It was one of the top retailers in all of Downtown Disney per square foot, Phelps said. elise and rick wetzel net worth . That doesn't include his partnership with restaurateur Larry Levy, who runs franchises in Miami and Chicago for him. Pasadena is a tentpole of the San Gabriel Valley. Watching people create their own pizza can be quite Sometimes the two are difficult to differentiate. According to market consultant The NPD Group, traffic within the fast-casual industrywhich accounts for 5 percent of outside-the-home eatingincreased 8 percent between March 2012 and March 2013. believe us, check out #blazepizza on social media. via Northwestern Magazine, You must enable JavaScript to submit this form. tables at The Avenues branch. Natasha Trethewey believes in the healing power of poetry as she confronts a family tragedy and the misapprehensions of American history. now they have over five branches open in the Middle East WebIncluding endorsement payments, which will trigger in the near future on an undisclosed sales target, James' stake in the business is worth $35 million to $40 million, according to sources. Lucky Bird will continue serving their signature "California-inspired" famous fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, cast-iron cornbread, fries, macaroni and cheese and healthier sides, such as watermelon and cucumber salad, green bean and tomato salad, coleslaw and more. That name: They wrestled with finding a name that could be trademarked. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. This cookie is used for Yahoo conversion tracking. Explore the flavors of Greece in the heart of Shuwaikh! You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Blaze Pizza is located in the Grand Plaza The Avenues, Murouj Phase 3, and Ahmadi Park. The cofounder and former president of Moes Southwest Grill launched Atlanta-based Uncle Maddios Pizza Joint in 2009 after two years developing the menu and an airtight, 10-year business model. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It was sort of this aha moment when we looked at it: Why cant we do this to pizza, do what Chipotle did to the burrito or Mexican food? Rick Wetzel says. They have two adult children, and he is an avid golfer. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. All these restaurants in townAgnes, Entre Nous, Union, Bacchus Kitchen, AltaEatsare chef-run restaurants. "I wanted to create a homage to fried chicken, something that we can call our own," Chris said. The packaging has been sustainable This cookie is used to serve the visitor with relevant contents and advertisement. Blaze Pizza started with a trip to Chipotle in 2011. order anything you want on the pizza, or really in a way He uses specialty flour and packs in many citrus flavors, lemon and fresh herb seasonings, such as rosemary, thyme and garlic. We love to walk over to the Raymond location and grab a cup with friends. Rick Wetzel is Learn More. The concept is definitely a hit (0:59). Now we have dining options close to home that are as good as the Arts District and Westside. Guss is such a great blend of really good barbeque served in a family setting, and their cast-iron cornbread with pepper jelly is worth the trip alone. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Chris, who grew up in La Caada and earned his cooking chops at two-Michelin star restaurant Providence, and Connie and Ted's, said he's always had a love affair with fried chicken despite his seafood cooking background. It happened before in the better-burger category, it happened in the better-sandwich category, [and] the better-coffee category when Starbucks came on the scene, Andrew says. This cookie is set by the provider OpenX. WebAll Rick and Elise Wetzel wanted was to have some pizza for lunch. But I think that what Weve got huge opportunities in nontraditional markets and internationally. 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. Despite the fact that no brand has even cracked the 30-unit mark, the better-pizza category already accounts for hundreds, if not thousands, of units in development across the country. This cookie is set by bidr.io for advertisement purposes. Alshaya as their partner was their one and only Plan A. That is a different product; that is a different business. "I'm learning everyday," Christine said. Last year, the couple retired from Blaze Pizza and found themselves bored in their Pasadena home. The place where we go to see the Midwestern vibe in action is Handels Homemade Ice Cream for sure. Wetzel: I sold my stake in 2007 to a private equity firm, Levine Leichtman, which paid eight figures for the business. If you dont WebIn 2012, Rick Wetzel set out to do the improbable: convince Americans, who purchase an estimated 3 billion pizzas each year, to buy even more. She previously reported on the California economy and the technology sector. The cookie is used for recognizing the browser or device when users return to their site or one of their partner's site. Rick and his wife, Elise, founded Blaze in 2011. That chef-run scene was not there back then. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Rick acknowledges that these actions help attract great talent, and an exciting, results-oriented work environment is crucial to retaining those talented individuals. The brand has kind of flown under the radar for years, and now its at a point where we have this incredible awareness out there. I think we're moving in that direction where people are eating more chicken than red meat. WebIn 2012, Rick Wetzel set out to do the improbable: convince Americans, who purchase an estimated 3 billion pizzas each year, to buy even more. 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. WebIncluding endorsement payments, which will trigger in the near future on an undisclosed sales target, James' stake in the business is worth $35 million to $40 million, according to sources. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. very welcoming to American brands and that they could [23] In September 2019, Alshaya opened its first Blaze Pizza restaurant in the United Arab Emirates inside an Abu Dhabi shopping mall.[24]. Upon opening the first Lucky Bird in 2018, Chris said he sought tips from chefs in his network to develop a recipe. [3], Customers begin orders by choosing which of the toppings, sauces, and cheeses they would like on their pizza. And they all want to be the Chipotle of pizza. Fast food restaurants have added or emphasized serving the best-fried chicken sandwich to one-up each other. Some of the companys current bestsellers including pepperoni and jalapeo pretzels came later, after they were dreamed up by franchise owners. America, because historically the nation has always been Origin story: In 1994, the two were working in marketing at Nestle USA. 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 ). The stores all boast a wide range of crusts, toppings, sauces, and cheeses. [12] The company planned to have at least 500 locations by 2020. [4][5][6] Pizza are then "Fast Fire'd" in a high-temperature open-flame oven with an average cook time of 3 minutes. Wetzel says he sees everyone from grandparents, families, and first dates dining at Blaze. remain true to the Blaze brand. The rest of the better-pizza category is littered with familiar faces, fat wallets, and operational know-how. in They all bake their pizzas in specialized ovens in just a few short minutes. You have a job at Nestle and you leave that to run a pretzel store. That was sort of the spark that went off.. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. "They are absolutely wonderful.". all are welcome. And so, we but people who are young at heart, young in age or young Elise is teaching Christine the ropes in marketing. [11] At that time, the company had commitments with franchise partners to open 343 restaurants in 39 states. It's a lighter spin on it. It seems to be the right balance of service, convenience, speed, and quality, if you will, that just makes the whole fast-casual segment, regardless of the product, very popular to consumers. The cups have always been plant-based and sustainable. the fastest growing restaurant chain ever. This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments. We met up with co-founders Elise and Rick Wetzel to find out more about their trail-BLAZE-ing (sorry, not sorry) success. This powerful, Running a restaurant is hard work and requires long hours. Rick delegates tasks with ease and is quick to step in and offer guidance and expertise when necessary. Musks master plan for Tesla is built around sustainable energy economy, What to expect from Elon Musks third master Tesla plan, Drugmaker Eli Lilly to slash insulin prices, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? "I'm a Jersey girl. WebElise has a reported annual income of $200 - 249,999 and a current net worth value of greater than $499,999. at night at a reasonable hour and will oftentimes say 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. In his early 20s, he owned a video rental store and later became a brand manager at Nestle. They immediately started sketching out plans for a build-your-own pizza shop. WebView FREE Public Profile & Reputation for Rick Wetzel in Pleasant View, TN - See Court Records | Photos | Address, Email & Phone Number | Personal Review | $200 - $249,999 Income & Net Worth Search by Name, Phone, Address, or Email These were two high-powered food and beverage professionals with decades of experience and success just sitting at home. So now, the two power couples partner and embark on a venture to add their "California-comfort food and California-inspired fried chicken" into the highly competitive fried chicken marketplace. California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Lucky Bird, a Grand Central Market stall, opens a second location and first brick-and-mortar in Eagle Rock, Founded by Chris Dane, Lucky Bird aims to elevate the fried chicken marketplace with a "California-inspired style" fried chicken, Lucky Bird is being backed by the co-founders of Wetzel's Pretzels and Blaze Pizza, Rick Wetzel likens Lucky Bird similar to high-quality eateries such as Mendocino Farms and Tender Greens. The fast-casual pizza chain has been one of the fastest-growing concepts ever since, with close to 400 locations around the country. Lucky Bird's California-style fried chicken isn't as greasy, oily or packed with breading that you might find at other fried chicken spots. "When he invested in us so early on, he established us as the market leader," Wetzel said. With strong financial support and operational systems in place, fast-casual pizza brands are rushing to secure top-shelf, multiunit franchisees and grade-A real estate locations. They looked around at all of the different food and beverage concepts and saw something missing in the fried chicken category. Hope to see Blaze in NH sometime soon! We like to say, this is my other spouse, Wetzel said. In the past couple of years, the sector has grown tremendously. 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. The cookie is set by embedded Microsoft scripts. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. This coookie is used to collect data on visitor preference and behaviour on website inorder to serve them with relevant content and advertisement. Local restaurants with strong brands that could grow beyond the Pasadena area include Guss BBQ and Jones Coffee Roasters. at heart, explained Elise. After Nestle announced that their jobs would be transferred to Cleveland, Phelps and Wetzel opted for buyouts and decided to focus on their own business. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Sources told ESPN that an investment that James, his business partner Maverick Carter and financial adviser Paul Wachter of Main Street Advisors made for less than $1 million in 2012 in upstart fast-casual chain Blaze Pizza has turned into $25 million. [22] In September 2018, Alshaya opened its first Blaze Pizza restaurant in Bahrain. PublicPrivate Court, Arrest or Criminal Records The ID is used for targeting Ads to the user. 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. Rick also cites transparency and optimism as important motivators for his Blaze Pizza employees. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, Stocks slip as stubborn inflation raises rate expectations, TikTok to set default daily time limit of 60 minutes for minors, Column: While workers struggled during the pandemic, CEO pay went up, up, up, Elizabeth Holmes cites her new baby as a reason she should avoid prison for Theranos scam. One concept we wish wed come up with ourselves is Kitchen United Mix on Madison Avenue. The two are now 50-50 partners, Wetzel said. Elise sent Christine Dane, who served as the restaurant's co-owner and creative director, a message via Linkedin. A year later, Blaze Pizza was born. The cookie is set by CasaleMedia. The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. This is a Lijit Advertising Platform cookie. line up for the for the concept since the very beginning. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. Years later, Phelps said, our families told us, We thought you were the dumbest guys we ever met. This cookie is used for advertising campaigns on the website. Rick is providing his distribution, marketing and agency connections. officer, Elise works with the marketing team to make sure Last year, the couple retired from Blaze Pizza and found themselves bored in their Pasadena home. This cookie is used for registering unique ID for identifying the returning user's device. Used by Microsoft as a unique identifier. Sharing the companys financial information and always looking for the silver lining in difficult situations contribute to Ricks leadership style. Were still waiting for Culvers to come to Pasadena! get inspired by the people ahead of them. I asked them if they expected this level of success of hard work, and never turning off their superfast turbo The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form. More Court Records Reviews Contact & Personal Details Relatives & Associates Court & Arrest Records View All This section can be locked, requiring permission to view. 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. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. Shan Li covered the retail and restaurant industries for the Los Angeles Times. This cookie is used to serve the user with relevant advertisement based on real time bidding. But the two have the easy camaraderie of a longtime couple, frequently interrupting each other to add tidbits to stories. "We eat a lot of fried chicken," Wetzel said. Now Blaze is gunning for the pizza delivery giants, introducing larger, shareable sizes. Prior to launching Blaze Pizza, Rick co-founded Wetzel's Pretzels, LLC in 1994 and served as its President. This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website. The cookie stores an ID that is used to display ads on the users' browser. that pizza as a concept is very translatable. in Eagle Rock. He and his wife mostly wanted to use their knowledge and give back to a new generation of restaurant entrepreneurs. The NPD Groups Riggs says the winners in the better-pizza category will be those brands that best create a unique position in the marketplace. Rick Wetzel, Elise Wetzel, Christine Dane and Chris Dane pose behind the bar at Lucky Bird Fried Chicken in Eagle Rock. After the initial investment in 2012, James wasn't allowed to endorse Blaze Pizza, because he had a deal with McDonald's, but news that he was involved was huge, Rick Wetzel said. The cookie is set by CloudFlare service to store a unique ID to identify a returning users device which then is used for targeted advertising. Including endorsement payments, which will trigger in the near future on an undisclosed sales target, James' stake in the business is worth $35 million to $40 million, according to sources. Wetzel: I came home one day and my wife was making pretzels out of a Betty Crocker cookbook. always look, feel and taste the same. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. "There isn't a Los Angeles or California-inspired-style fried chicken place here. "Hi, this is Elise Wetzel," the message read. interesting. Including endorsement payments, which will trigger in the near future on an undisclosed sales target, James' stake in the business is worth $35 million to $40 million, according to sources. in In addition, the popularity of Chik-fil-A and Raising Cane's has soared in recent years. In that same time, traffic at quick-service restaurants was essentially flat. This cookie is set by the provider bidr.io. This cookie is a browser ID cookie set by Linked share Buttons and ad tags. This cookie is used for advertising purposes. This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". This cookie is used to store information of how a user behaves on multiple websites. Wetzel, who had been teased in the schoolyard with Hey Wetzel, you pretzel, kept his mouth shut. We cater to all walks of life, all demographics, all genders, and up and down the socioeconomic scale, Andrew says. mode, they were recently named by Forbes magazine as He also said they eventually do talk about pizza in She left The Times in 2017. Jul 15, 2019. Entrepreneurs Rick and Elise Wetzel may have founded Wetzels Pretzelsand Blaze Pizza, each of which has hundreds of locations, but the duo does not consider themselves to be restaurateurs. It looks like you may be using a web browser that we dont support. We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media. Elise Wetzel co-founded Blaze Pizza, which is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the U.S. And while Southern-style fried chicken is the most popular, Nashville hot-style chicken became all the rage last year, with several chains and mom-and-pops serving their style of the spicy chicken. with millennials who love Instagramming their experience, The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors. Wetzel discusses the chains evolution and how NBA star James came to invest in the concept, and what impact hes had on the brand. The better-pizza executives all speak highly of one another and wish each other success, but just like with any other restaurant category, too many competitors in the same markets will leave someone out in the cold. Much like how improved equipment brought about a pizza boom in the 1980s, innovative ovens developed in the last few years have given fast-casual brands the ability to scale their operations while maintaining consistency. [Being environmentally conscious] is the Elise and Rick were sitting comfortably at one of the They also have helped put a spotlight on the brand, so I kind of can use them like endorsement deals without having endorsements, Wetzel says. They are obviously enjoying what they do, and Pasadena is kind of this Midwestern town plunked down in the middle of the L.A. metropolis. of doing business. ventures need to be backed by passionate, caring people This cookie is used by Issuu analytic system. thats very unusual.. team to create an experience that is enjoyed by everyone. with seven more on the way. Because Blaze is a young and modern brand, these Insights & Events / Let Go & Lead / And a way to give back. definitely done this myself. But while its common for new operators to pay lip service to their pie-in-the-sky goals, fast-casual pizza can actually put its money where its mouth is; the fledgling category is built on the backs of industry veterans with resumes as long and varied as the toppings bars inside their restaurants. "We're doing chicken in a California way," Wetzel said. "The potential on what we could make if we just put the time and effort into it exceeded what McDonald's guaranteed me.". Being in the better-pizza category and being the trailblazer in the better-pizza category is a very appealing proposition.. ), My time at Northwestern was foundational, she says. The cars were all washed. Wetzel discusses the chains evolution and how NBA star James came to invest in the concept, and what impact hes had on the brand. WebThe chain had grown to $33 million in sales and $1.55 AUV in 2014. In 2011 the Wetzels had started thinking about WebWetzel first learned to think about consumer behavior when she studied economics as an undergrad and earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, where she was part of the 28% Club, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the percentage of women students at Kellogg when she attended. Webelise and rick wetzel net worthdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by "We want it to be a step above fast-casual.". This cookie is used to collect information on user preference and interactioin with the website campaign content. It fits into their lifestyle.. [13] As of February 2022, the company has 332 restaurants in North America, 16 of which are located in Canada and the rest in the United States, as well as 10 locations in the Middle East. While most believe this new crop of concepts will force those companies to improve their quality and experience, many say the better-pizza angle is different enough that it will create a new dine-out occasion. 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. Ten years ago, people didnt even know what truffle was, and here we are, its one of our top three selling pizzas, Ryan says. Its just a customized world theyve grown up in; they havent known anything different. the use of high-quality fresh ingredients and the dough priorities aligned and you know, we try to get home Sources interviewed for this story are torn on whether the rise in fast-casual pizza brands will affect major players like Dominos and Papa Johns. "Here we are down on our luck, having had to close our restaurant again because of the pandemic taking its toll not just on us but restaurants everywhere. In the two years prior, traffic increased 6 percent each year. [2] Basketball player LeBron James is one of the original investors in the chain. "I don't feel the need to go as fast [as Wetzel's Pretzels or Blaze Pizza]. The value of James, who currently has 37 million Twitter followers and 32 million Instagram followers, was seen immediately. With 200 stores created in four years, Blaze Pizza recently became the fastest-growing chain in North American food history, according to industry tracking firm Technomic. Wetzel, whom Phelps calls a serial entrepreneur, just launched a fast-casual restaurant concept called Blaze Pizza this year with locations in Pasadena and Irvine. [19] In May 2018, the company opened its first location in the province of British Columbia in the city of Surrey.[20]. But youre right, ours is very much a young voice, That doesn't include his partnership with restaurateur Larry Levy, who runs franchises in Miami and Chicago for him. Webelise and rick wetzel net worthdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by a lucky Google search, and when she approached him they were, you would have assumed they were just two starting a pizza restaurant that operated under a franchise This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. In 2015, James and Carter, with three years and $14 million left on LeBron's McDonald's deal, had a decision to make. This cookie is used to set an unique ID for the visitors which helps third party advertisers to target the visitor with relevant advertisement. 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.. Theres also 12 company-owned stores that employ 150 people. This cookie is set by .bidswitch.net. This cookie collects the statistical data of the visitor for serving targeted ads. Pasadena Magazines Women in Business Luncheon 2023.