- Leading Fast Casual Pizza Concept to Debut New Locations Across Texas and Maryland -  

Blaze Pizza, the nation's leading fast-casual franchise pizza concept, announced today the signing of two new multi-unit franchise agreements to significantly broaden the brand's presence across the South-Central and Mid-Atlantic regions. Part of these deal signings includes a noteworthy 10-unit development agreement to open locations in Texas's thriving Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) market in Tarrant and Denton County. Additionally, the growing brand will develop three Blaze Pizza restaurants across Prince George's County outside of Washington D.C. and encompassing Maryland and Virginia suburbs.

Fueling the expansive growth throughout Texas is Shehzaan Chunara and operating partners Karim Vastani and Brad Rodman with the Chunara Group of Companies. Together the industry veterans bring over 25 years of experience in retail franchising. As part of the Chunara Group's more than 160 units and nine brand group of portfolio companies, Karim and Brad will continue to oversee My EyeLab operations and existing Blaze Pizza operations for the five locations the group owns throughout Oklahoma and Arkansas. However, the focus for Karim and Brad will now be growth as they aim to deliver 10 new Blaze Pizza outlets in the greater DFW market.  

"In today's economic landscape, opening a franchise is a big decision and to succeed, you have to have a passion for that brand and the extraordinary support system. When we were introduced to Blaze Pizza's concept and the development team working behind the scenes to help franchisees like us get up and running, we were sold. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is booming and with our experience already operating in the market, we jumped at the opportunity to expand Blaze Pizza's presence here," said Shehzaan Chunara, Vice President of Chunara Group. "Consumers love having the opportunity to customize their orders and Blaze does that better than anybody else. We have no doubt the brand's made-to-order menu and product excellence will resonate across DFW communities."

Leading Blaze Pizza's development in Maryland's populous Prince George's County is owner and operator Kevyn Scott of Gome Restaurant Group. Kevyn comes from a family with strong roots in the food industry watching his grandmother run a successful food truck and his mom and aunts operating their own catering company. Combining his executive leadership skills as a business leader for the past twelve years along with a passion for making people smile through food, he is looking forward to bringing a restaurant brand that offers natural ingredients, plentiful vegetables, and healthy alternatives like Cauliflower crust to his family, friends and neighbors across Maryland. Kevyn also operates two Charleys Philly Steaks in the state.

"As we continue to fuel our expansion efforts, we're looking for strong partners that can help move our brand forward. Kevyn, as well as the team at Chunara Food Group, are the perfect example of the type of groups we want to grow Blaze with," said Ed Yancey, chief development officer at Blaze Pizza. "From day one, it's been clear that they have a strong passion for the brand and our mission to bring clean ingredients and customizable options to consumers across the country. We're thrilled for our new franchisees and look forward to celebrating their success in the months and years to come."

Blaze Pizza is in the midst of an aggressive expansion and is looking to add qualified franchisees to its growing brand. Franchise opportunities remain in markets across the U.S. including Texas, Colorado, Virginia, and key regions throughout the Northeast. Please visit BlazeFranchising.com for more information about development opportunities and stay connected with @BlazePizza on all social media platforms.

Founded in 2011, Blaze Pizza is the nation's leading fast-casual pizza franchise concept with more than 340 restaurants across 38 states and 6 countries. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Blaze Pizza is committed to delivering a one-of-a-kind customer experience and unparalleled high-quality products. Known for its savory artisanal pizzas and customizable made-to-order menu featuring fresh, natural ingredients free from artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and sweeteners, Blaze leads the industry in menu innovation and product excellence. The rapidly growing franchise has received numerous accolades including Entrepreneur's Franchise 500, as well as #1 spots on Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers and Shakers and Franchise Times' Fast and Serious list. Visit blazepizza.com for additional information and stay connected @BlazePizza.