1851

When Elise and Rick Wetzel tried to find a quality pizza place in their area, they only found sit-down options or low-quality take-out. After deciding to eat at Chipotle instead, they were inspired by the idea of bringing the popular down-the-line customization concept to the world of pizza. So, they took a risk and decided to venture into the $40 billion pizza industry with a do-it-yourself model featuring high-quality&nbsp;ingredients. This was in 2012, and it was the beginning of Blaze Pizza.

&nbsp;

&ldquo;There&rsquo;s an opportunity for somebody to really be big,&rdquo; said Wetzel, who previously founded Wetzel&rsquo;s Pretzels, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-14/lebron-backed-pizza-chain-aims-to-top-chipotle-after-sales-surge?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">to Bloomberg.</a> &ldquo;Not just Chipotle, with 1,800 stores. Who&rsquo;s going to be the Starbucks of fast casual? There&rsquo;s going to be a shift soon for people to start thinking above Chipotle.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

By 2014, there were 50 Blaze locations open throughout the U.S., and in that year, those stores posted nearly $1.55 million average sales&mdash;better than Chipotle was doing in 2002, when it was a decade old and had 227 locations. Then, in 2015, Blaze experienced another surge in growth. In a single year, the brand exploded to 150 locations. Sales also grew 205 percent over the prior year&mdash;the largest gain of any restaurant chain measured in the 2016 Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurants Report.

&nbsp;

The reason for Blaze Pizza&rsquo;s explosive growth? Having an in-demand concept doesn&rsquo;t hurt, but the very public endorsement by world-renowned Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player LeBron James likely helped to propel the brand forward over the past year, too. James was an original investor in Blaze Pizza in 2012, with franchise rights for the chain in Miami and Chicago. But in 2015, James decided not to renew an ongoing deal he had with&nbsp;<a href="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/MCD?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">McDonald&#39;s</a>&nbsp;and instead chose to endorse Blaze Pizza.

&nbsp;

&ldquo;I partner with companies that are innovating and challenging the status quo,&rdquo; James said <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-14/lebron-backed-pizza-chain-aims-to-top-chipotle-after-sales-surge?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">to Bloomberg</a>. &ldquo;Most importantly, it has to be something I like and would spend my own money to buy. Blaze checked every box and I&rsquo;m excited about what they are doing.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

In an interview on &quot;<a href="http://www.cnbc.com/mad-money/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mad Money</a>,&quot; Blaze&#39;s Chief Operating Officer Jim Mizes chronicled the evolution of James&#39;s involvement with the company&mdash;from investor to spokesperson and now a franchisee partnered with Larry Levy of Levy Restaurant Groups. This made it clear that James was interested in much more than just having his name associated with the brand and participating in the occasional advertisement&mdash;he was completely invested in Blaze Pizza and its success.

&nbsp;

&quot;He saw what Blaze Pizza and what this category could be, so he started as an investor, and then became a franchisee. And then he was so into Blaze that he came all in,&quot; Mizes said.

&nbsp;

James&#39;s worldwide fame and social media prowess could certainly be a major boon for the budding pizza chain.&nbsp;<a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13835715/lebron-james-invest-endorse-fast-casual-pizza-franchise-blaze?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">As ESPN points out</a>, &quot;James is the second-most-followed athlete on Twitter in the world,&quot; with more than 24 million followers.

&nbsp;

&quot;LeBron came on as a founding investor, and he had been silent and in the background,&quot; <a href="http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/13835715/lebron-james-invest-endorse-fast-casual-pizza-franchise-blaze?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">said Wetzel to ESPN.</a> &quot;Now we&#39;re using him to get our message out there and put the spotlight on our brand.&quot;

&nbsp;

James isn&#39;t Blaze&#39;s only celebrity investor. Journalist Maria Shriver also has a stake in the company. In general, the rich and famous love to throw money at restaurants: Most recently,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.eater.com/2015/9/22/9370781/drake-restaurant-toronto-chef-susur-lee-frings-jayden-serena-opening?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Drake opened a Toronto restaurant</a>&nbsp;in conjunction with chef Susur Lee, and James&#39;s fellow pro athlete Tiger Woods&nbsp;<a href="http://www.eater.com/2015/8/5/9103837/tiger-woods-restaurant-florida?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dropped $8 million</a>&nbsp;on a restaurant venture in Florida.

&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s not a new idea in marketing; celebrity endorsements sell products. And while&nbsp;<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/declaneytan/2016/06/07/after-100-years-in-business-acqua-di-parma-says-no-to-celebrity-endorsements/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093#ffcc3b13f912" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">not all brands</a>&nbsp;subscribe to the celebrity endorsement theory, it&rsquo;s based in pretty simple logic. People idolize celebrities, so when famous people are seen in advertisements promoting a new product, audiences are prompted to buy that product, either subliminally or directly.

&nbsp;

In the case of Blaze Pizza, a fairly new player in the crowded pizza industry, having the backing of James helped to inspire consumer confidence. The brand value added by celebrities is immediate and palpable. When a celebrity signs an endorsement deal with a product, an element of legitimacy is suddenly present in the company, simply because of the power of the name backing it up.

&nbsp;

In fact, <a href="http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/marketing-celebrity-endorsements-push-product/146023/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">according to Ad Age</a>, a brand that inks an endorsement contract with a celebrity or an athlete can see their stock rise up to .25 as soon as the news is made public. This represents an increase in perceived legitimacy from the celebrity&rsquo;s endorsement, even though the product has not changed at all.

&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s no wonder, then, that Blaze Pizza expects to be the fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S., behind Domino&rsquo;s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar&rsquo;s and Papa John&rsquo;s by 2017. And by 2020, Blaze hopes to have 500 locations throughout the country.

&nbsp;

&quot;We got into the game early and have the wind at our backs,&quot; <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-james-leaves-mcdonalds-for-blaze-pizza?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic-6093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mizes told Business Insider</a>. &quot;We&#39;re opening a new restaurant every five days and will just keep growing.&quot;

&nbsp;

Star Power: How Celebrity Endorsements Can Drive Restaurant Sales and Boost Traffic

1851 Franchise

Blaze Pizza is just one of many restaurants using the public backing of celebrities to gain worldwide notoriety.


This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

star-power-how-celebrity-endorsements-can-drive-restaurant-sales-and-boost-traffic

petbar

petbar Franchise - Marc Hildebrand - Nicole Baptiste - San Antonio - 1851 Franchise

Spreading Bark-Side Joy: How Nicole and Marc Bring Trust and Canine Bliss to San Antonio

petbar-franchise-alamo-heights-san-antonio-nicole-baptiste-marc-hildebrand

Wild Bill's Craft Beverage Company

How Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. Built a 23-Year Brand That Empowers Veterans Through Franchising

wild-bills-craft-beverage-co-veteran-franchise-opportunity

Comfort Keepers

Comfort Keepers Franchise - St. Louis Expansion - 1851 Franchise

Why St. Louis Is the Next Major Growth Opportunity for Comfort Keepers®

comfort-keepers-st-louis-franchise-opportunities

Keke's Breakfast Cafe

Inside Keke’s Breakfast Cafe’s Hands-On Training System: How the Brand Sets Franchisees Up for Success from Day One

inside-kekes-breakfast-cafes-hands-on-training-system-how-the-brand-sets-franchisees-up-for-success-from-day-one

Caring Transitions

Caring Transitions Ranks No. 358 on the Franchise Times Top 400 List for 2025

caring-transitions-ranks-no-358-on-the-franchise-times-top-400-list-for-2025

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Amazon outage, AWS outage, Amazon AWS logo

The Day the Cloud Stalled: How Amazon's Outage Impacted Franchise Economy

amazon-aws-outage-franchise-impact-travel-dining-failure

Thursday 1851 Franchise Agg - NASAA’s Noncompete Push

NASAA’s Noncompete Push Puts Franchise Growth on Uncertain Ground

franchise-noncompete-nasaa-advisory-reasonableness-standard

How a Steady Economy Could Help Franchisors Plan Their Next Move

how-a-steady-economy-could-help-franchisors-plan-their-next-move

Bed Bath & Beyond - Franchise Expansion - Retail Strategy - 1851 Franchise

Bed Bath & Beyond Launches Franchise Model as Part of Comeback Strategy

bed-bath-beyond-franchise-expansion-retail-strategy

Senior Entrepreneurship - Franchising - 1851 Franchise

Senior Entrepreneurship Is Rising — And Franchising Is a Key Outlet

senior-entrepreneurship-franchising-silver-startups

image of franchise deep dive from 1851 franchise on doody calls franchise authority brands

DoodyCalls Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

doodycalls-franchise-deep-dive

image of mellow mushroom deep dive into financials article from 1851 franchise

Mellow Mushroom Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

mellow-mushroom-franchise-deep-dive

Photo of Humbug Holiday Lighting team members wearing festive sweaters, beanies, smiling at camera

Happinest Brands Turns the ‘Off-Season’ Into a Bright Spot for Franchisees

happinest-holiday-lighting-franchise-support

How goGLOW Turned Clean Beauty Into a Scalable Franchise and Why It’s Accelerating Now

goglow-clean-beauty-tanning-franchise

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

NJCAR v. Ford - New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

new-jersey-franchise-practices-act-njcar-v-ford

graphic image of an 1851 franchisee spotlight brayden and johnny steven of teriyaki madness

Father-and-Daughter Team Bring Teriyaki Madness to Wichita, Kansas, With Big Expansion Plans

johnny-brayden-steven-teriyaki-madness-wichita

Top Education Franchises To Consider for 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Top Education Franchises To Consider Investing In for 2025

top-education-franchises-investment-opportunities

Star Power: How Celebrity Endorsements Can Drive Restaurant Sales and Boost Traffic

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS