A converted firetruck that spent six years slinging wood-fired pies around Warwick finally has a permanent home. Hook N Ladder Pizza Co., run by former firefighter Shawn Finnigan and his wife Melissa Finnigan, opened its first storefront at 2283 Post Rd. with a grand-opening celebration Friday, October 2.
The move marks the end of a six-year run as a mobile operation, according to Warwick Online, which reports that the business expanded from a firefighter-themed food truck into its first brick-and-mortar location serving pizzas. The truck itself has a story worth telling on its own: before it became a rolling pizza kitchen, the vehicle — designated Engine 76 — served the Quinnville Fire Department in Lincoln, Rhode Island, according to the RI: The Pizza State Facebook page. It was later purchased in Connecticut and renovated, with its 750-gallon water tank removed to make room for a wood-fired brick oven.
That track record wasn't just sentimental. Before settling into its Post Road address, the mobile unit won the regional Motif Food Truck Award four years running through 2025, per the Baked & Brewed Facebook page, a streak that helped build the loyal following the new storefront now serves.
A Storefront Delayed by a Cancer Diagnosis
The path to opening day wasn't smooth. Shortly after signing the lease on the Post Road space, co-owner Melissa Finnigan was diagnosed with stage four neuroendocrine cancer, a development that pushed back the grand opening and prompted an outpouring of local support. Area pizzerias and residents organized a benefit fundraiser in May to help cover medical expenses and startup costs, the same Facebook page notes.
The 2283 Post Road address itself has seen several tenants come and go, having previously housed a Subway sandwich franchise in 2020, according to Wicked Gluten Free. Now the space has been reimagined with red booths, a Forza Forni wood-fired oven, and firefighting memorabilia lining the walls — turnout coats, helmets, axes, and a glowing red Maltese cross among the decor.
Fire-Service Flavors and a BYOB Grand Opening
On the menu are 14-inch wood-fired pies, 15 standard offerings split between red and white sauce bases, with names pulled straight from the firehouse: the Firehouse Margherita, 5-Alarm Supreme, Smoke Eater, and Buffalo Battalion. Warwick Online reports the new location offers wood-fired pizzas, giving regulars from the truck's food-stop days a fuller sit-down menu to choose from.
The restaurant marked its opening with an event called Slices & Sirens.
A Firefighter's Pizza Business
Hook N Ladder's firehouse theme carries the first-responder connection into the storefront.
Hook N Ladder joins Rhode Island's pizza scene. For a shop that started as a converted firetruck parked around Warwick, landing a permanent spot on Post Road caps a six-year journey shaped as much by community support as by wood-fired ovens.
