Blaze Pizza, which was founded in California and has hundreds of locations across the U.S., is moving its headquarters to Atlanta, reports the Pasadena Star-News. 

The company announced this week that the move, expected to be completed by September, is part of its growth strategy. The chain is in 39 states with more than 300 restaurants – with roughly one-third of the eateries in California, the article reported. 

“California is where this brand was born more than a decade ago, and we have tremendous heart for communities across the state where so many of our restaurants are,” said Beto Guajardo, CEO of Blaze Pizza. “Moving our corporate headquarters to Atlanta will help us drive our next wave of growth.”

Blaze said that of its approximately 60 corporate employees, the majority will remain remote workers, with the small percentage of Southern California-based employees being offered relocation opportunities at Blaze Pizza’s Atlanta office. The more than 7,500 restaurant-level employees are not part of this reorganization and will not be affected.

Blaze Pizza was founded in 2011 in Pasadena by Rick and Elise Wetzel of Wetzel’s Pretzels fame. Its first location was opened in Irvine the next year.