Kea, the leading conversational AI for restaurants, has partnered with VIA 313, the cult-favorite Detroit-style pizzeria, to elevate its guest experience through voice 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, replicating its signature hometown hospitality at scale. 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.
“No matter how big we grow, every community we serve deserves the same warm, attentive experience,” said Kiplan Welsch, President at Via 313. “Partnering with Kea gives us the confidence to scale without sacrificing service; it’s like having a super-reliable team member on every shift.”
As regional chains scale rapidly, they often face new operational hurdles, including high volumes of phone orders with limited front-of-house staff. When the phone is neglected, restaurants risk upsetting customers and losing revenue. Kea’s AI solution acts like an on-demand, virtual restaurant employee, ensuring every customer call is answered quickly, correctly, and with care. As a result, VIA 313 staff can focus on guests dining in, creating the nostalgic, family-style experience the pizza brand is known for.
Kea’s partnership with VIA 313 builds on its proven success with fast-growing brands like Hopdoddy and Blaze Pizza. Now Kea works with over 30 brands and drives millions in revenue for restaurants. With a 99.3% order accuracy rate, Kea consistently matches–if not exceeds–the performance of traditional phone interactions, minimizing the risk of human error. Kea integrates with over 11 leading POS systems–including Toast, Square, Clover, and Olo–enabling new restaurants to onboard in less than 1 hour.
“Pizza is one of the most call-heavy categories in the restaurant industry, with billions in sales coming through to-go orders,” remarked Adam Ahmad, Founder, and CEO of Kea. “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.”
As regional and national pizza chains look for scalable ways to maintain top-tier service, voice AI is fast becoming the go-to solution. Kea offers a free 15-minute demo so you can try it before you buy.
