Fat Zach's Pizza, the South Sound chain that started as a food truck in 2019, is opening its first Tacoma restaurant at the Tacoma Mall.
The woodfire pizza shop will take over the former MOD Pizza space at 4502 S Steele St., across from BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, according to South Sound Biz. The Tacoma Mall location will be the company's fourth brick-and-mortar restaurant, joining spots in Sumner, Puyallup and South Hill.
An opening date has not been announced. The News Tribune reported in June that the restaurant was expected to open this fall. No lease terms, square footage or hiring plans have been disclosed.
Owners Zach and Shanna Johns launched Fat Zach's as a food truck in 2019 before opening their first sit-down restaurant in Sumner in March 2020. That put them weeks into business when pandemic shutdowns began.
"We were new enough to the restaurant game that we didn't know any better … We had to move fast. It forced us to get the mobile apps up and running, and we found it worked really well for us," Shanna Johns said in a 2022 interview with South Sound Magazine.
The chain has added two locations since. Fat Zach's is known for oversized woodfire pies, including the namesake Fat Zach topped with Canadian bacon, pepperoni, sausage, and bacon, and the #NBD with a ranch base, mozzarella and pickles, MyNorthwest reported. The menu also includes wings, salads, cannoli and other desserts. Beer, wine and canned cocktails are available at select locations.
"Woodfire pizza is the only kind we do," Shanna Johns told South Sound Magazine.
Beyond the restaurants, the company still runs food trucks for fairs, festivals and catering events, including its trademark charcuterie tables. The Tacoma Mall space gives Fat Zach's a foothold in the city's largest retail center.
