It’s been years in the making. And this Thursday, finally, Moto Moda is opening the combination pizzeria/vintage motorcycle shop of Jimmy Pruitt and Andy Mumma’s dreams.
The two met in 2011 and have been combining their love of good food, good drinks, vintage and classic transportation, and good neighborhood hangs ever since. Pruitt operated his Moto Moda shop, selling vintage motorcycle bikes, clothing and helmets from an Airstream near the flagship Barista Parlor in East Nashville and in a small shop near Chopper. Mumma is the owner of Barista Parlor, Chopper and Maiz de la Vida.
They wanted a brick-and-mortar spot, and in 2018 were part of an effort to rezone Riverside Village to allow a multi-use development at that corner with Moto Moda in the old Fond Object space. That didn’t happen — the area has now been developed without the residential piece, but plenty of restaurants.
Pruitt and Mumma found the perfect location for their brainchild: a 1940s-era trucking company, with original garage doors that open to let in light (and presumably, motorcycles), similar to that Barista Parlor aesthetic. The 5,000-square-foot space will be home to a pizzeria with a full bar and the motorcycle shop selling bikes and apparel. Mumma has a lot of experience working on adaptive reuse spaces, and the new Moto Moda will fit in. The space includes a dog-friendly patio and skylights indoors for even more natural light.
The property's development was delayed by pandemic-related issues, but that means the property cost the team less than it would now to build a space in Wedgewood-Houston. The delay will be a benefit for customers, as Mumma promises a spot affordable for locals, with $7 happy-hour drinks and other pricing that make it possible to come for repeat business, rather than solely for a special night out.
“We want to be a little gem in the neighborhood,” Mumma says, “elevated but accessible.”
Moto Moda will be open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner, with lunch focused on pizza by the slice and dinner for whole pies. The vibe is meant to be that of an Italian American getaway, somewhere you ride your bike with your friends, then sit with a slice and an Aperol spritz. Walk-ins are welcome and reservations are available at dinner.
Pruitt and Mumma brought in Wes Scoggins (also known as the Jewish Cowboy) as their executive chef. Scoggins has a lot of pizza experience, including helping to open Pinky Ring Pizza in Madison and working at Roberta’s at Urban Cowboy in East Nashville.
“There is a lot of good pizza in Nashville,” Mumma says, “but not a lot of New York-style pizza.”
The plan is to have six fixed pizza varieties on the menu (including classics like cheese, pepperoni, sausage and meatball, and alla vodka) and six rotating seasonal pies. Mumma’s favorite is The Red Line, made with mozzarella, soppressata and shaved fennel.
Working with Nashville’s Bootleg Biology, Scoggins developed a proprietary naturally fermented dough using a blend of wild Texas yeast and wild Nashville yeast. He named the fermentation after his grandmother Juanita.
“This is some of the best dough I have ever done,” he says.
In addition to pizza, the menu will include antipasti and a full bar menu of classic spritzes, amari, Negronis, and bourbon and tequila cocktails.
Thanks to the “not-tourist pricing,” the neighborhood vibes and the pizza recipes, Pruitt and Mumma promise you don’t need to be a fan of vintage transportation to be into Moto Moda. If you do like motorcycles, well, that’s an added bonus.
Moto Moda is located at 722A Merritt Ave.
