Savory Tuesday announced its investment in Via 313, an award-winning restaurant concept specializing in Detroit-style pizza based in Austin, Texas. Together, Savory and Via 313 will look to further grow the highly touted brand into new locations. This is the second investment in the past month for Savory (Crack Shack was the first). The inaugural $90 million fund was announced in June and has now officially closed at $100 million.
Via 313 owners Brandon and Zane Hunt grew up in Detroit and were inspired to bring their hometown’s signature take on pizza––with its rectangular shape and thick crust that is both crisp and chewy––to their new home in Texas. They opened the restaurant’s first location in 2011, a small trailer in downtown Austin, and quickly added a second trailer before the end of the year. Since then, the Hunt brothers have expanded into three brick-and-mortar locations. In August 2020, Via 313 earned the national accolade 2020 Pizzeria of the Year by Pizza Today.
Andrew K. Smith, managing director of Savory, says, “I grew up in Chicago and have always had an affinity for pizza. Despite the crowded fast casual pizza industry, I believe there is a large hole in the market for the nostalgic pizza experience I grew up on. When I met Brandon and Zane Hunt, who introduced me to Via 313, my eyes were opened to the amazing and creative Detroit-style pizza heritage. I knew I had to work with the Hunts and expand their dream to more cities across America. By combining all of our collective experience, we have an opportunity to lead out on this segment of Detroit-style pizza.”
Savory pairs its team of industry veterans with access to growth capital, filling a major gap in the food and beverage industry. The team’s decades of experience and success include real estate selection and negotiation, development and construction, project and event management, talent recruiting, leadership training and development, supply chain/procurement, human resources, accounting, strategic financial planning and facilities management.
“The management team at Savory has a deep understanding of our industry and a clear plan for where we need to go next,” says Brandon Hunt. “Taking these next steps together will allow Zane and me to focus on improving our passion for the best Detroit-style pizza and finding the most interesting and exciting flavors from across the country.”
“We were the first to call it ‘Detroit-style pizza’ outside of our hometown over nine years ago. It simply didn’t exist. We are excited to expand this experience into more communities and states with the help of Savory and their team,” adds Zane Hunt.
Via 313 joins Savory’s current portfolio, including The Crack Shack, Mo’ Bettahs, R&R BBQ, and Swig. Savory’s portfolio of brands has seen remarkable growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, exceeding pre-pandemic sales as well as sticking with an aggressive growth plan with more than 45 current sites in development moving into 2021.
