When new resto Blaze Pizza opens in mid-October, Terps will have yet another pizza place to choose among.
Blaze, located on Route 1 between College Avenue and Knox Road, will join the other pizza restaurants with a unique concept that the general manager, Chris Handlon, knows students will love. The specialty? Guests get to to customize their own personal pizza.
Blaze differs from its competitors because customers get to choose as many toppings as they want on a personal-sized, 11-inch pizza and can watch the assembly and cooking process from start to finish.
“This is gourmet pizza made fast. We don’t sell pizza by the slice, we don’t reheat anything and it’s all made to order,” Handlon said.
Blaze is devoted to preparing affordable, handmade pies with high-quality ingredients, freshly made dough, and a stone hearth oven, Handlon said.
Elizabeth Wilson, a sophomore bioengineering major and pizza lover, said she would definitely try Blaze when it opens.
“Since it’s a new style of pizza restaurant, I can’t wait,” she said.
Sophomore computer engineering major Ryan Eckenrod agreed. “The concept is cool. I would be intrigued to go there based on that,” he said.
Because Blaze does not deliver and relies solely on customers walking in, Handlon knew that the franchise would succeed in a college town where there is a lot of foot traffic.
Handlon emphasized the affordability, speed, and quality of pizza that Blaze has to offer. “For $7.65, what more could you want?” he said.
Toppings include 6 kinds of meat, 5 kinds of cheese, 17 different veggies, and 6 different sauces, so the combinations are endless. From crumbled meatballs to gorgonzola cheese to barbecue sauce drizzle, the toppings allow customers to get creative.
In addition to the build-your-own pizza, the menu offers signature pizzas, salads, and dessert. It even offers gluten-free crust and vegan cheese.
Terps should be looking out for Free Pizza Day soon after Blaze opens, Handlon said. Every customer can get a free pizza simply by liking Blaze on Facebook.
“We gave away 1,645 pizzas in the new Montgomery Mall location about 45 days ago,” Handlon said. “I think we can definitely break that record here.”
Blaze also offers free pizza on March 14, or Pi Day.
The rapidly expanding company hopes to open 1,000 restaurants within 10 years, Handlon said, and College Park will be their 34th location.
“There are pizza places everywhere, but none like this,” Handlon said.
Irene Zaychik, a sophomore undecided major, said that there are enough pizza places in College Park and she would have liked to have a new restaurant that is not pizza.
“I appreciate the idea, but it’s still just another pizza place,” she said.
Eckenrod disagreed, stating, “There’s no such thing as too many pizza places.”