Fat Zach's Pizza Will Open Fourth Location This Fall
The Washington-based chain is expanding into a former MOD Pizza space at Tacoma Mall.
Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in Openings & Closings
Live Poll
Do you feel new restaurant openings are improving the local business landscape in your area?
Fat Zach's Pizza will open a new restaurant at 4502 S Steele Street in Tacoma this fall. This expansion marks the fourth brick-and-mortar location for the Washington-based chain.
Why it matters
The company continues its transition from a food truck startup to a regional multi-unit operator. This site at Tacoma Mall follows their existing presence in Sumner, downtown Puyallup, and South Hill.
This new restaurant at Tacoma Mall brings the total number of brick-and-mortar locations to 4. The business began operations in 2019.
The players
Fat Zach's Pizza
A Washington-based pizza chain that operates through both brick-and-mortar restaurants and mobile food trucks.
Zach and Shanna Johns
The owners and operators of the Fat Zach's Pizza brand.
The details
The new site occupies the space previously used by MOD Pizza. The chain maintains a hybrid operating model, utilizing both permanent restaurant storefronts and mobile food trucks to scale.
Timeline
2019: Fat Zach's Pizza began as a food truck.
Fall 2026: The Tacoma restaurant is scheduled to open.
Market Landscape
This move marks the company's entry into a larger regional retail hub. It follows the broader trend of regional fast-casual chains scaling their operations by backfilling existing retail infrastructure.
Owners in the local hospitality space should monitor how the chain repurposes the previous tenant's kitchen layout for their own operational needs. Evaluate existing retail leases for similar high-traffic site opportunities.
The takeaway
Operators scaling from food service mobile units to permanent sites should focus on the site acquisition strategy used here, which targets existing restaurant footprints. Monitor how the company balances its food truck capacity with the management demands of a fourth physical location.
Further reading
For more on shifts in local retail, visit Openings & Closings.
Source note: This article includes information reported by My Northwest.
Live Poll
Do you feel new restaurant openings are improving the local business landscape in your area?
