Sharing the companys financial information and always looking for the silver lining in difficult situations contribute to Ricks leadership style. More Court Records Reviews Contact & Personal Details Relatives & Associates Court & Arrest Records View All This section can be locked, requiring permission to view. 800 Degrees out of Los Angeles is owned by Umami Burger parent Umami Restaurant Group, while cross-town peer The Pizza Studio is headed by former Baja Fresh and Burger King executive Ron Biskin and fellow L.A. brand PizzaRev is financially backed by sports-bar giant Buffalo Wild Wings. Jul 15, 2019. In one advertising class, I was part of a group charged with creating a campaign for the National Egg Commission. They WebThe fast-casual upstart, Blaze Pizza, has since grown to more than 150 locations nationwide. Experiential and nature-focused workshops aimed to help individuals grow as leaders. Each category seems to play out with a large player, a strong competitor, and then the regionals.. that pizza as a concept is very translatable. This cookie is set by pubmatic.com. Elise Wetzel, the co-founder of Blaze Pizza and wife of Wetzel's Pretzels co-founder Rick Wetzel, wanted to learn more about Lucky Bird. that is made in-house with a secret recipe. Weve done this before; Ive done Wetzels, and some of these investors are with Wetzels as well, so we assembled it and were able to go out and put together a top-notch headquarter team.. But Wachter said he liked what he saw in the management team and was really impressed with the product. A Texas native, she graduated from the business school at New York University, where she decided journalism was much more interesting than a job on Wall Street. Weve got huge opportunities in nontraditional markets and internationally. Another California-based brand, Project Pie, was founded by James Markham, who previously conceived MOD Pizza and Pieology. Elise and Rick are a married couple as well as Wetzel discusses the chains evolution and how NBA star James came to invest in the concept, and what impact hes had on the brand. Local restaurants with strong brands that could grow beyond the Pasadena area include Guss BBQ and Jones Coffee Roasters. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This is a Lijit Advertising Platform cookie. [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. Christine said. Last year Blaze Pizza opened their first branch outside of the USA in Kuwait. 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. mode, they were recently named by Forbes magazine as The cookie is set by pubmatic.com for identifying the visitors' website or device from which they visit PubMatic's partners' website. Wetzel said he envisions Lucky Bird similar to high-quality eateries like Mendocino Farms and Tender Greens. Personal: Phelps and his wife, Megan, live in San Marino. [5], The Blaze ovens are "7 foot (2.1m)-wide gas-fired (60,000BTU (63,000kJ)) unit operated at average temperatures of 700F (371C) to 800F (427C)," according to the company's executive chef. This cookie is set by the provider Yahoo. Rather than worry about competing with the pizza elite, the fast-casual pizza brands may have to worry about competing with each other. team to create an experience that is enjoyed by everyone. PublicPrivate Court, Arrest or Criminal Records Looking for a no-wait pizza lunch, Elise Wetzel 87, 92 MBA and her husband, Rick, ended up eating burritos, but the made-your-way format sparked an idea. Sometimes the two are difficult to differentiate. It's real money plus the expertise, understanding and knowledge that we bring, as well as bringing LeBron's name and likeness to the product.". Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. a signature, then as they progress down the assembly No one has taken what KFC has done and elevated it. 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. 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. That seems to be the thread in every successful entrepreneur. Like teenagers: Phelps, 57, is now the companys chief executive, and Wetzel, 54, is president. The cookies is used to gather information regarding visitor activity on Issuu products. [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. "I've said in previous interviews that I only know one speed, and that's very fast," Wetzel said. Los Angeles, A $150,000 executive protection dog? that pizza as a concept is very translatable. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Whats cool is people get to be individualistic; its all about being yourself, and I think today thats been more and more accepted as people want to express themselves even outwardly.. Rick and his wife, Elise, founded Blaze in 2011. 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. when they were first starting out. Rick studied marketing at the University of Tulsa and earned his MBA from the University of Southern California. I want to let this brand tell us how fast we want to go. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising. Companies new and old are taking cues from Chipotles use of high-quality ingredients and customization, but more importantly, theyre realizing the potential that fast casual offers in reinventing an American staple. who they are and what they have done. Live Basil is taking a slightly different route than its better-pizza peers, growing only through corporate-owned stores and at a slow, calculated rate. This cookie is set by bidr.io for advertisement purposes. The information is used for determining when and how often users will see a certain banner. 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. the use of high-quality fresh ingredients and the dough 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. She knew all about Elise and her husband, Rick, and the Wetzel brand. He fell in love with the "Having lived in a world of doing all of these start-ups, we wanted to help people come back to work and thought we could use our knowledge and Rolodex and help a young chef and his wife with a concept and help them grow it.". This website stores cookies on your computer. Andrew says he assembled an executive team with more than 50 combined years of franchise experiencea team including other former Moes execsand is using their expertise to sprint toward top-dog status in the fast-casual pizza space. So, you will see older people and little Christine immediately sent the message to her husband, Chris. 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. The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. This cookie is used for determining whether the user has accepted the cookie consent box. Were also parents and we love This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users. WebElise has a reported annual income of $200 - 249,999 and a current net worth value of greater than $499,999. 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. of doing business. Rick Wetzel Net Worth Rick Wetzel Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography. Christine was shocked. But the pair started burning through the cash and were forced to cut costs. They travel for pleasure and have two school-age children. The main purpose is targeting and advertising. This cookie is used to store information of how a user behaves on multiple websites. This cookie is used for targeting and advertising purposes. Sign up for the California Politics newsletter to get exclusive analysis from our reporters. "She found him at the Grand Central Market," Wetzel said, adding that they then did their due diligence and research of Chris Dane and Lucky Bird. "There isn't a Los Angeles or California-inspired-style fried chicken place here. They looked around at all of the different food and beverage concepts and saw something missing in the fried chicken category. Rick Wetzel Net Worth Rick Wetzel Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography. They were friendly, That is a different product; that is a different business. Wetzel discusses the chains evolution and how NBA star James came to invest in the concept, and what impact hes had on the brand. Phelps still owns a 20% share, while Wetzel holds a smaller stake. Everything Phelps wanted had already been taken. 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. 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. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Wetzel 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. Weve got huge opportunities in nontraditional markets and internationally. Joshua Siegel 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. "I wanted to create a homage to fried chicken, something that we can call our own," Chris said. WebWetzels has a lot of white space. This cookie is set by the provider OpenX. The cars were all washed. This cookie is set by the Infolinks. [14] [15] 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. That shared endeavor gave me a more layered learning experience than working in an individual silo and was a great lesson in the value of teamwork.. Founded in 2011 by Elise and Rick Wetzel of Wetzel's Pretzels, Blaze Pizza was modeled after Chipotle's made-to-order approach to serving customers. is more expensive. price of entry in the market today, Rick quickly added. Happy volunteering! "It jump-starts the conversation with tens of millions of people in the U.S. and around the world and leads to a genuine interaction between people who know and love the brand and people who haven't heard of us.". They are obviously enjoying what they do, and definitely done this myself. "In the Eagle Rock location, we can offer vegetarian dishes and gluten-free items.". This cookie is set by the provider Infolinks. 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. In his early 20s, he owned a video rental store and later became a brand manager at Nestle. The cookie helps in avoiding the same ad showing repeatedly. "We met them and it was like getting married after a blind date," Wetzel said. 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. Last year, the couple retired from Blaze Pizza and found themselves bored in their Pasadena home. This cookie is used by the website to store the user's session ID. Rick and his wife, Elise, founded Blaze in 2011. as intact as they can to Kuwait, then they make the slight Unconventional travel with Adnan Juwayhil and his family. Today: Los Angeles private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Inc. bought a majority stake in the company in 2007 for an undisclosed amount. Because when you can get an item like pizzawhich is Americas favorite, basicallyat lunch without having to take 45 or 50 minutes total, but you can actually order a pizza, choose all your ingredients, and then have it go oven to you in three minutes or less and be qualitynot roller grill oven, but high-end, stone-hearth ovenpeople appreciate that.. 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. of hard work, and never turning off their superfast turbo To learn about Northwesterns 150 years of women and remarkable individuals like Elise Wetzel present and past whove left their mark on the University and the world, visit the 150 Years of Women website. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our. Rick Wetzel is This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It's not heavy. "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.". [10], By the end of 2014, Blaze had become the first fast-casual pizza restaurant to achieve 50 opened units. kids. 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. As he contemplates how he leads his team, Rick excitedly alludes to a corkboard he has in his office full of sticky notes with meaningful quotes and leadership tips. 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. 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. 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