Walter Morrison flew a Lockheed P-38 in World War II. After he was shot down over southern Italy, he got a marinara recipe from Italian sheepherders, and that recipe became the family marinara at Mofos Pizza. His grandchildren, Melissa Negrillo and Justin Morrison, now co-own Mofos, and their family opened its first restaurant in Incline Village in 1986. Negrillo told the Nevada Appeal that Mofos plans to open at 444 E. William St. in Carson City.
About sixteen hundred street numbers east, a pizza dough made with Irish red ale is already coming out of the ovens at 2010 E. William St. That ale comes from The Fox Restaurant & Brewery, which has been brewing in Carson City since 2008.
Neither new pizza kitchen on East William Street is a first try. Each one comes from a family operation with years in Northern Nevada and lands on a busy road through town. The Fox's beer crosses town from downtown Carson Street, and the Mofos marinara comes down from the lake.
Flat Earth Became Fox & Fire in Stages
A Fox Family Group runs The Fox in Carson City and a second Fox in Midtown Reno, which opened in 2023. On May 5, 2026, the company announced it had bought Flat Earth Pizza at 2010 E. William St. Flat Earth had built its following on a brick oven pizza program at that same East William Street spot, and the release said those customer relationships were a big reason for the purchase.
The handoff was slow on purpose. Carson Now reported that Flat Earth would stay under its own name and owners through July 31. The Fox group would take over on Aug. 1 and keep the Flat Earth name for a 60- to 90-day transition while it put in Fox & Fire's systems, branding and staff. Today the location runs as Fox & Fire Pizzeria & Taproom, with dine-in, pickup and delivery. It is the group's third concept and its first built around pizza and a taproom.
Founder Jim Phalan explained the plan in the announcement, as quoted by the Nevada Appeal:
"We're not just converting a pizza shop. We're building a craft concept with real identity behind it — beer we brew, dough we make and a team we train ourselves."
The Beer Goes Into the Crust
Phalan's quote mentions beer, dough and staff, and the beer and dough are tied together. Phalan and Executive Chef Albert led the changeover. According to the release, Albert spent six weeks working out a New York-style dough brewed with the group's Seamus O'Faolain Irish Red Ale. The company called it a first for the Carson City market.
Fox beer is on draft at the counter too. The Fox brews on-site in Carson City and self-distributes to its own locations, so the ale in the crust and the taps come from the same brewery. On its website, Fox & Fire describes the beer as locally brewed, with rotating seasonal choices on draft.
The May announcement also planned a hidden bar at the William Street location, pouring Fox beers and slated for September. The release called it the location's "primary revenue and experience driver." Don't mix it up with The Fox's Den, the hidden bar at the original downtown Fox at 310 S. Carson St. The Den is its own room under the same owners.
What Ordering Looks Like at 2010 E. William
Some people remember Flat Earth's dining room. Fox & Fire works differently, and the restaurant spells out the steps on its homepage:
- Order at the counter.
- Find a seat.
- Wait for your number to be called.
- Pick up your food.
There are no servers, which the restaurant calls part of the point. Its tagline is "Order. Eat. Drink. Hang out."
The menu includes New York-style and Sicilian pizzas. Named pies include The Nevada, The Brewmaster, The Garden, The White Fox and a Margherita. On the website, an 18-inch cheese pizza is $14.95 and an 18-inch pepperoni is $19.95, both available for pickup or online ordering. The rest of the menu has smoked wings, garlic knots, house and Greek salads, and two skillet cookies called the Chocolate Chip Ember and the S'mores Ember.
The best deal is lunch. Every day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., $9.95 gets you a slice, a small salad and a drink. It is dine-in only. Compared with the $14.95 whole cheese pie, the lunch special is a cheap way to try the ale dough before ordering a full 18-inch pizza for the office or a family dinner.
Mofos Brings a Family Marinara Down the Hill
The second recipe is the marinara from the opening. The Tahoe Daily Tribune's reprint of the Nevada Appeal story says Mofos plans to open in Carson City in late November or early December 2026. It will take over the building at 444 E. William St. that Big Chicken used to occupy.
Mofos has grown slowly. It started at 868 Tahoe Blvd. in Incline Village in 1986, and the family's second location, at 18180 Wedge Parkway in Reno just north of the Mt. Rose Highway, opened in 2021. That's 35 years at the lake before opening a second store, and Carson City will be the third. Negrillo told the paper that everything is made from scratch and that the family focuses on high-quality food in a family-friendly setting.
The Carson City menu plans go past pizza. The family has announced:
- Pizza and pasta dishes, with the family marinara
- A salad bar
- Desserts
- Hours of 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week
- A staff of 25 to 30, with applications at mofospizza.com
The Two Addresses, Side by Side
| Fox & Fire Pizzeria & Taproom | Mofos Pizza | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 2010 E. William St. | 444 E. William St. |
| Building's past | Flat Earth Pizza | Big Chicken |
| Family roots | The Fox, Carson City, since 2008 | Incline Village, since 1986 |
| Signature | Dough made with Seamus O'Faolain Irish Red Ale | Walter Morrison's marinara |
| Style | NY-style and Sicilian, counter service | Pizza, pasta, salad bar, desserts |
| Hours | $9.95 lunch combo, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. daily | 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. daily |
| Status as of this post | Open for dine-in, pickup, delivery | Planned for late Nov. or early Dec. |
The two places add different things to East William. Fox & Fire is a taproom first, with slices, wings and its own beer, built to be a place where people stay for a while. The Mofos plan centers on a full-service family menu, with pasta and a salad bar next to the pizza and dinner served until 8:30 p.m. They don't overlap much. A lunch slice at one end of William and a pasta dinner at the other would cover both.
Pizza Season Lines Up With the Holiday Calendar
Mofos's planned opening window falls in the middle of Carson City's December events, so either kitchen fits easily before or after one. Carson Now's holiday calendars for November and December list these dates:
- Carson Christmas Craft Fair, 11th annual, at the Carson City Community Center on Nov. 21, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 60 local artisans, crafters and businesses
- Holiday Pop-Up Market at the Elks Lodge, 515 N. Nevada St., Nov. 27 to 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily
- Silver & Snowflake Festival on the Capitol Grounds, Dec. 4, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with a tree lighting and student caroling
- Silver Bell Limited holiday train rides from the Nevada State Railroad Museum, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
The craft fair and pop-up market both close by mid-afternoon, and Fox & Fire's $9.95 lunch runs until 4 p.m. Silver & Snowflake and the Silver Bell Limited are early evening events. Mofos's planned hours run until 8:30 p.m., which would leave time for dinner after the 5:30 train ride.
At Tahoe Baines Group, we keep up with changes like these because a new lunch spot or a family recipe arriving on William Street is part of everyday life in Carson City. If you're thinking about where you'd like to live in Carson City, or what your home there is worth, request a free home valuation or market consultation and we'll talk through what's changing near you.