Via 313, the Detroit-style pizza brand founded in Austin, Texas, by brothers Brandon and Zane Hunt, is now using a voice AI-powered system to field incoming phone orders, according to a press release.
Kea, a leading conversational AI for restaurants, said the partnership will elevate Via 313’s guest experience through automation.
Now answering 100% of inbound calls, Kea’s AI takes orders on behalf of VIA 313 restaurants using a tone and script tailored to the brand, the company said. The AI adoption comes on the heels of Via 313’s $32.5 million capital raise, “reflecting the brand’s investment in and commitment to operational excellence and guest satisfaction as it expands,” the press release states.
Related: How Two Brothers Built Via 313 from the Ground Up (Peel: A PMQ Pizza Podcast)
“No matter how big we grow, every community we serve deserves the same warm, attentive experience,” Kiplan Welsch, president at Via 313, said. “Partnering with Kea gives us the confidence to scale without sacrificing service; it’s like having a super-reliable team member on every shift.”
Using an automated phone system will ensure that calls to Via 313’s restaurants don’t go unanswered, which can upset customers and lose revenue, and lets staff focus on dine-in guests.
Kea’s also has partnerships with Blaze Pizza and Newk’s Eatery as well as burger concepts like Hopdoddy Burger Bar.
“Pizza is one of the most call-heavy categories in the restaurant industry, with billions in sales coming through to-go orders,” KEA founder and CEO Adam Ahmad said. “There are over 40,000 independently owned pizzerias in the U.S., and, until now, the kind of voice AI that boosts efficiency and offers great service was only accessible to big enterprise chains. We’re changing that, bringing cutting-edge tech to family-style operators like VIA 313 so they can not only survive but thrive.”
Via 313, which started out as a humble food trailer in Austin, is partnered with Savory Fund, a private equity firm that invests in emerging restaurant concepts.
