Blaze Pizza tapped Johnny Jones to serve as senior vice president of development for the fast-casual restaurant chain.

Prior to joining Blaze, Jones served as vice president of real estate and development for Inspire Brands, the multiconcept operator of such chains as Jimmy Johns and Buffalo Wild Wings, among others. In this previous position, Jones led all aspects of real estate development and construction management, including executing profitable franchise development deals and growth strategies, and real estate negotiations.

Additionally, Jones held positions at SONIC Drive-In as senior director of real estate and development and manager of graphic information systems, working closely with the real estate team to identify potential restaurant locations, strategic placements and optimize market penetration.