Dive Brief:
- Blaze Pizza has hired John Owen, former chief operating officer of Scooter’s Coffee, as a CEO, effective Jan. 5, according to an emailed press release.
- Owen will succeed Beto Guajardo, who has led the chain since January 2023.
- Like much of the fast casual pizza segment, Blaze has struggled in recent years, shrinking from roughly 340 stores in 38 states and six countries in 2022 to about 250 stores in about 30 states and three countries, according to the announcement of Owen’s appointment.
Dive Insight:
Owen’s appointment is intended to position the brand for domestic growth and international expansion, said Rahul Aggarwal. Aggarwal is a member of Blaze’s board and a representative of Brentwood Associates, a private equity firm with a stake in Blaze.
Owen brings significant experience in restaurant operations. As COO at Scooter’s, he “oversaw all national, corporate, and field operations, as well as information technology and Scooter’s vertically integrated supply chain” and “helped drive double-digit growth in both same-store sales and total store counts,” according to the press release.
This is the second time in a year that Blaze has brought on a Scooter’s exec to help turn around its operations; last June the chain appointed Jaime Denney as its COO, following a stint as vice president of franchise operations at Scooter’s.
Before Scooter’s, Owen held roles at Subway — leading its Russian business — and McDonald’s, where he spent 18 years, according to his LinkedIn profile, ultimately rising to corporate vice president of strategy and execution.
Between stints at major brands, Owen has worked as an executive consultant with franchisors, multi-unit operators and suppliers, according to his LinkedIn page.
While Blaze has struggled with a declining unit count, losing 31 stores in the U.S. in 2024, according to its most recent franchise disclosure document, the chain is far from alone. Many build-your-own and fast casual pizza brands have struggled to recapture growth momentum coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, Pieology filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections after failing to secure enough investment for an ambitious unit turnaround plan. Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings struggled with slipping sales in the leadup to the 2024 bankruptcy of its parent company, BurgerFi. Mod Pizza, meanwhile, shut down a number of underperforming stores before an acquisition by Elite Restaurant Group helped it avoid Chapter 11 in 2024.
&Pizza, a relative success in the sector, has turned toward franchised development and shifted away from some traditional markers of fast casual pizza — like ultra-thin crusts that lost heat rapidly in delivery — in an effort to adapt to the off-premise dominated post-COVID-19 consumer landscape.
Blaze has sought to adapt to the pressures facing pizza by overhauling its loyalty program and launching a significant menu renovation. In conjunction with the CEO appointment, Blaze is launching a protein-heavy LTO pizza it markets as being GLP-1 friendly. That pizza, the Protein-zza, is made with a cauliflower crust topped with a double portion of chicken, mozzarella, onions, mushrooms, fresh basil and buffalo sauce drizzle. The new menu item positions the brand to take advantage of consumer desire for higher-protein menu items.
