Austin, Texas-based Via 313 started out as a single food trailer built for $30,000 back in 2011. By the time PMQ Pizza first featured founders Zane and Brandon Hunt for our September 2021 cover story, they’d grown the Detroit-style pizza concept to five brick-and-mortar locations. But the brothers never doubted Via 313’s capacity for further expansion. “It’s gonna be an empire,” Zane said at the time.
Since partnering with Savory Fund, a private equity firm with over $750 million in assets, and getting a large influx of capital for expansion, the Hunt boys are well on their way, having just opened their 25th location and taken the brand to Colorado and Utah. Not only that, they’ve returned to their roots with a new food truck. But this one won’t just pop up here and there around Austin. It will roam the entire state of Texas, featuring a limited menu of Via 313’s signature square pies at events, breweries and private gathering.
On November 8, the Via 313 Food Truck will make its first pit stop at 512 Brewing Company’s 17th Anniversary Party. Entry is free, with new beer releases and live music throughout the day, and pizza service starting at 2 p.m. The first 15 fans in line will score a free slice of the Cheese Pizza or the Detroiter.
Related: Video: How to Make Via 313’s The Detroiter
For its subsequent food truck events, Via 313 will serve up clues to its future statewide whereabouts on its Instagram account. Fans can also join the “Cheese Pull Challenge” by stretching and measuring their slice and posting it on social for a chance to win free pizza for a year. Full contest details and official rules will be shared on socials ahead of the event.
“The food truck marks an exciting new chapter for us,” Brandon Hunt said. “Our original trailer was where it all started, but it stayed in one spot. Now, we finally get to take our pizza on the road—connecting with new communities, joining local events and celebrating how far Via 313 has come.”
Baked in heavy pans similar to the auto parts trays found in Detroit in the 1940s, Via 313’s focaccia-like dough develops into a caramelized, cheesy crust—and has quickly become a local and national favorite. Brandon and Zane have also been featured speakers at PMQ’s Pizza Power Forum, held annually in Atlanta.
