Blaze Pizza opened on Friday, Oct. 17th, bringing a new build-your-own pizza experience to College Park.
Though its general manager said Blaze Pizza has seen increased traffic since opening last month, competing restaurants along Route 1 have denied any loss in business.
Blaze remains steadily busy, serving approximately 500 people a day Monday through Thursday and between 3,000 and 4,000 customers a week, general manager Jon Miele said.
Blaze Pizza is different from some of the other pizza parlors on Route 1, such as Pizza Kingdom or Domino’s. It offers a build-your-own preparation line that allows customers to choose from a wide variety of sauces, cheeses and toppings to create their pizza.
“The only thing I’ve seen like it is Chipotle,” said sophomore computer science major Nicole Torres. “Being able to have it specially made draws people here.”
Blaze strives for a personal relationship with customers, Miele said. Everything from its “vibe-y” music to its industrial loft style make customers comfortable, he added.
“Blaze offers a different atmosphere,” Miele said. “We want a guest connection. We want to be more than just fast food.”
It may be because of this different atmosphere, however, that Blaze has not drastically impacted the business of some of the local eateries such as Pizza Kingdom.
“Every restaurant has a different recipe and quality of food,” said Ali Farhan, owner of Pizza Kingdom. “They can’t really be compared [to us]. Our weekly and nightly business is the same.”
Other local businesses, such as Noodles & Company and Domino’s, made similar comments on customer trends after Blaze’s opening.
“We haven’t been affected, no decrease in business,” said Byron Myrick, Noodles & Company general manager.
Last Saturday, Blaze sold around 1,200 pizzas, Miele said, making it their busiest Saturday yet. And on normal days, the restaurant makes anywhere from 850 to 900 pizzas, which Miele argued is a good indication that Blaze has affected the Route 1 restaurant scene.
“We’re the new thing in town that everyone wants to check out,” Miele said.
Blaze is very popular among students, some of who have noticed the large crowds there.
“The lines have been very long,” said sophomore finance and supply chain management major Joey Kader. “[They’re] even too long and stretch outside the building and around the corner, all the way to Cluckers.”
Blaze is busiest for lunch from noon to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Miele said. On Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant is “mobbed” from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and there’s a huge rush near closing once the bars let out, from midnight to 1 a.m.
“I’ve had people take out money and stick it to the door to get me to let them in,” Miele said.
