The numbers keep rolling in for Via 313. This August, the Detroit-style pizzeria opened its 20th location—a new store in Webster, Texas—and reached a milestone 125,000 members on its loyalty and rewards app.
According to a press release, 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, nondescript trailer in Austin, Texas, with Detroit-born brothers Brandon and Zane Hunt, both of whom will be speaking at PMQ’s upcoming Pizza Power Forum, taking place September 4-5 in Atlanta.
Related: It’s time to sign up NOW for PMQ’s Pizza Power Forum and start building the pizzeria of your dreams
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 the Food Network and “Best Gluten-Free Pizza” from USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Contest. It’s also gained a devoted following in The Lone Star State while expanding into four new major markets, including Houston, San Antonio, Denver and Salt Lake City, as well as additional stores in Austin. 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,” Brandon Hunt said. “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,” said Andrew K. Smith, managing director of Savory. “It was an experience I will never forget because there’s nothing else like it.”
“I’m born and raised in Chicago, so I know pizza,” Smith added. “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 more than $100,000 to 20-plus organizations.
“We grew up poor in Detroit, and we know how hard life can be sometimes,” Zane Hunt said. “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.”
