By 1986, Blackjack had grown to six corporate stores and one franchisee. The company's slogan was 'Finally, there's a new game in town.' The first Blackjack Pizza store opened on June 29, 1983, in Federal Heights with a second store opening in Greeley by February 1984. Both blackjack and dominoes are games, so he wanted to indicate that Blackjack Pizza was an alternative to Domino's Pizza. Schmuhl named the pizza restaurant after the blackjack game to indicate it was fast food. In exchange for equity, his parents, Jim and Wilma Schmuhl, gave him $10,000 to start Blackjack Pizza. After receiving a business degree in 1981, there were few jobs available, and Schmuhl wanted to provide another option to the major pizza companies. While a University of Northern Colorado college student, Vince Schmuhl was a delivery driver for Domino's Pizza. On January 1, 2013, Blackjack Pizza was acquired by Askar Brands. The pizza chain is the largest in Colorado with 800 employees, some of whom work part-time. Blackjack Pizza is a Colorado-based pizza delivery chain founded in 1983 by a former Domino's Pizza employee, Vince Schmuhl, because Domino's Pizza was the only major pizza delivery company in the Rocky Mountain region and he thought customers would appreciate an alternative.