With 20 stores in five major metros, the Detroit-style pizzeria powerhouse is winning awards and regulars
The numbers keep rolling in for Via 313. This August, the Detroit-style pizzeria opened its 20th location in Webster, Texas and reached a milestone 125,000 members on its loyalty and rewards app. The company has grown more than 300% in the past three years, landing it on the coveted 2024 Inc. 5000 list, which chronicles the fastest-growing companies in America.
Via 313 started 13 years ago in a small, non-descript trailer in Austin, Texas. Founded by Detroit-born brothers Brandon and Zane Hunt, the pizzeria began with a passion for sharing the style of pizza the Hunts knew and loved growing up. Their name says it all: Via, which means ‘by the way of,’ and ‘313,’ which is the area code of their hometown of Detroit.
Since then, Via 313 has won numerous awards on both local and national stages, including “Top 10 Pizzas of the Year” from Food Network and “Best Gluten-Free Pizza” from USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Contest. It’s also gained a devoted, dedicated following in The Lonestar State, as well as expanded into four new major markets including Houston, San Antonio, Denver, Salt Lake City, as well as additional stores in their hometown of Austin, Texas. With this exceptional trajectory, Via 313 has pulled in additional veteran leadership to help accelerate its growth.
“We couldn’t have predicted what Via 313 would become all these years later,” said Brandon Hunt, co-founder. “The dream we had was a simple one — to share the best pizza we could create with the rest of the country. We’ve truly been blown away by the love. It’s always humbling when people catch the vision — and keep coming back again and again.”
In 2020, Via 313 partnered with Savory Fund, an innovative private equity firm that invests in emerging restaurant concepts. Together, they have expanded the concept into new markets while making the brand more efficient for both growth and scale.
“I will never forget the first time I had a slice of The Detroiter in the summer of 2020. It was an experience I will never forget because there’s nothing else like it,” said Andrew K. Smith, managing director of Savory. “I’m born and raised in Chicago, so I know pizza. Or at least I thought I did. Partnering with the Hunt brothers and their unforgettable brand has been both rewarding and incredibly fun. There’s no limit to what this brand can do, and we are only scratching the surface at this point.”
There’s also no limit to what they’ll give back. With its “Better Giving Through Pizza” initiative, Via 313 has made supporting local causes a foundational ingredient of the company. Every month, each market picks a local charity to receive a portion of proceeds from that month’s Limited-Time Offerings. And for each new store, 25% of sales on grand opening day go to an additional chosen charity. In the first six months of 2024 alone, Via 313 has donated over $100,000 to 20-plus organizations.
“We grew up poor in Detroit, and we know how hard life can be sometimes,” said Zane Hunt, co-founder. “Giving back is just a part of our DNA, and no matter how big we get, every single community Via 313 is a part of will continue to honor that.”
To learn more about Via 313, visit Via313.com.
Before Detroit-style pizza became a hit outside of the Motor City, trailblazers Brandon and Zane Hunt decided to bring their hometown pizza to Austin, Texas. Since 2011, they’ve built an Austin icon that locals and tourists flock to for genuine Detroit-style pizza. Via 313 currently operates 20 full-service restaurants and two permanently placed trailers throughout Texas and Utah, with several more locations in the pipeline. Via 313 was dubbed “one of the very best pizzas” by Food and Wine Magazine, named “Independent Pizzeria of the Year” by Pizza Today™ and recognized as one of the “Top 10 Pizzas in America” by Food Network. It also won “Best Gluten-Free Pizza in America” by USA Today. For more information, visit Via313.com or follow Via 313 on Instagram, Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter).
Savory is an innovative private equity firm that combines over $750 million in assets under management with a growth playbook and expertise that has been developed over 16 years of operating in the restaurant industry. Savory partners with high-potential, profitable, emerging restaurant brands, to deliver financial capital, industry expertise, growth and revenue opportunities, profitability enhancements and new location development. The Savory team contributes directly to all aspects of growth and replication by using a proven playbook and methodology. Founder involvement in the expansion of a brand is a central theme of the Savory approach as founders carry the tribal knowledge around the uniqueness that has energized early success and is essential to future growth. Savory is currently invested in the following brands: Swig, R&R BBQ, PINCHO, Via 313 Pizzeria, Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food, 86 Repairs, Saigon Hustle, Hash Kitchen, The Sicilian Butcher, Houston TX Hot Chicken and South Block. For more information, visit SavoryFund.com.
- More from Via 313
