Blaze Pizza closed its only Blount County location in December, with staff clearing equipment from the building as late as Dec. 30. The Hunters Crossing, Alcoa location opened in 2018.
A statement issued by the company called the move “necessary” but did not go into detail on why the business closed its doors. The future of the space was not immediately clear.
“We thank our loyal customers and amazing team members for all the memories over the years,” the company said, adding that Knoxville locations will still serve customers.
Founded in California and now based in Atlanta, Blaze Pizza franchises more than 340 locations nationwide with a fast-casual business model built on customization and assembly-line cooking. The company estimates the cost of franchise investment falls between $565,000 and $1.1 million.
Blaze franchises four remaining locations in Tennessee. Two of those are in Knoxville, with addresses in Cedar Bluff and Turkey Creek.
Mike Forte, franchisee for the Alcoa restaurant, said there are no current plans for another nearby development.
“We have our two locations in Knoxville that are not going anywhere,” Forte said, “but we’re not doing any other locations here right now.”
