Pizza Moda will be reopening as a vegan Italian restaurant under the wing of sister restaurant The Butcher’s Son.

Located in West Berkeley, Pizza Moda officially closed Dec. 8. Its owner, Elliot Harrison, is set to open a vegan Italian restaurant named The King’s Feet with his new business partners Peter Fikaris and Christina Stobing, the co-owners of The Butcher’s Son.

The Butcher’s Son is a vegan restaurant located on University Avenue in Downtown Berkeley. In an effort to narrow the gap between vegans and non-vegans, The Butcher’s Son is based on the concept of a butcher’s modern son who doesn’t eat meat. The name embodies the transition between generations, encouraging people to achieve a healthier and more substantial life, according to the restaurant’s website.

While Pizza Moda was not entirely vegan, it had “moda,” or vegan-friendly, options on its menu.

“There’s not really a vegan Italian thing happening in the Bay Area,” Harrison said. “We’re trying to come up with something new that isn’t really represented in the Bay Area.”

This is not the first time Pizza Moda has undergone change. In 2018, Jeff Davis, the former owner of Pizza Moda, decided to sell the business to someone else.

Harrison had been working as a server at Pizza Moda for about five years before he and Davis began discussing a transfer of ownership. Harrison officially became the owner of Pizza Moda in November 2018. After failing to meet previously planned goals during his ownership, Harrison decided to try a different concept.

Davis encouraged Harrison to connect with Fikaris, who used to be a Pizza Moda customer, leading the two to start their collaboration in July 2019. According to Harrison, it had been a “really lengthy ongoing conversation,” which resulted in Harrison and Fikaris becoming business partners and opening The King’s Feet. The restaurant will expand by offering a brunch service if the enterprise succeeds, Harrison said. Fikaris, who is a vegan, was in charge of creating the menu.

“This project is an opportunity for Pete (Fikaris) to be creative outside of his space with The Butcher’s Son,” Harrison said.

Stobing said she is excited to have a completely new menu, especially one with vegan-friendly Italian food.

Harrison and Fikaris decided on the name of The King’s Feet because they felt it was “interesting” and “catchy.” An exact opening date for The King’s Feet has not been set, but Harrison said the opening will likely be within two weeks.

“We’re very excited about it and are eager to get the doors open as soon as possible,” Harrison said.

The owners of The Butcher’s Son are considering opening a location in Los Angeles, but there are no concrete plans as of press time, according to the restaurant’s website.