Pizza Ranch
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | Hull, Iowa, U.S. (1981) |
| Headquarters | Orange City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Key people | Adrie Groeneweg, President and co-founder[1] Lawrence Vander Esch, co-founder[2] |
| Products | Pizza, Chicken |
| Website | www.pizzaranch.com |
The Pizza Ranch, Inc., founded in 1981,[3] is a "fast casual" restaurant chain. Pizza Ranch offers pizza, chicken, a salad bar, and a pizza and chicken buffet.[1] Pizza Ranch has over 160 locations[4] in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Kansas. Pizza Ranch is the largest regional pizza franchise in Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The first restaurant was in Hull, Iowa.[3] In 2001 founder Lawrence Vander Esch was sentenced to 10 years for fondling teenage male employees in Hull after falsely persuading them to donate semen samples for a medical research project.[5] In October 2006 District Court Judge James D. Scott vacated Vander Esch’s convictions, finding that there was essentially consent on the part of the victims even though they were misled.[6]
Pizza Ranch has grown over the years and now has franchises in ten states. Pizza Ranch's specialty is their pizza, and chicken.[1] Their headquarters, formerly located in Hull, Iowa are currently located in Orange City, Iowa.[1]
Pizza Ranch is a Christian based company.[4] This can be seen on their mission/vision posters in their restaurants and on their website. The Pizza Ranch vision is "To glorify God by positively impacting the world we live in."[7]
The chain has become a popular stop for presidential candidates during the Iowa caucuses.[8]
[edit] Menu
Customers have two options; ordering off the menu or (at designated times) eating from the buffet.
The menu features standard pizzeria items: Cheesy Ranch Stix, various options of pizza (including specialities like Texan taco, round up, bronco, and bacon cheeseburger), cactus bread(dessert pizza) and Buffalo wings. Pizza Ranch also offers a salad bar, as well as "Crispy Ranch Chicken" (the company's own recipe for broasted chicken), several wraps, broasted potatoes, chicken fingers, waffle fries, ranch chips, and mashed potatoes and gravy (in some locations). The buffet features the above mentioned items, and may include local specialties daily.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e http://www.usbusiness-review.com/content/view/1259/102/
- ^ Dreeszen, Dave (January 8, 2012). "Why Romney didn't dine at a 'Ranch'". Sioux City Journal. http://siouxcityjournal.com/mobile/article_da1646b2-2ef7-58fa-994e-f44b559baa0d.html.
- ^ a b Beef Industry to Help Launch Pizza Ranch® Steak Pizzas
- ^ a b Lintereur, Josh (February 24, 2010), "Former Ponderosa restaurant will soon become Pizza Ranch", Sheboygan Press, http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20100224/SHE0101/2240397/Former-Ponderosa-restaurant-will-soon-become-Pizza-Ranch, retrieved March 2, 2010
- ^ Vander Esch is denied parole Sioux City Journal August 20, 2005
- ^ Statement of the Attorney General’s Office Iowa Attorney General November 14, 2006
- ^ Home of Legendary Pizza, Chicken, Salad, and Buffet | Pizza Ranch
- ^ Yadron, Danny (December 24, 2011). "Pie in Sky: The Iowa Pizza Circuit". The Wall Street Journal: p. A6.
