Pizza Ranch facts for kids
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A Pizza Ranch restaurant in Grand Island, Nebraska
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | Hull, Iowa, U.S. (1981) |
| Founders | Adrie Groeneweg Lawrence Vander Esch |
| Headquarters | Orange City, Iowa, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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216 |
| Products | Pizza, chicken |
| Revenue | US$138.121 million |
Pizza Ranch, Inc. is a popular restaurant chain that started in 1981. It's known for its delicious pizza and chicken, and it also has a fresh salad bar. Many locations offer a buffet where you can eat as much pizza and chicken as you like!
Pizza Ranch is mostly found in the Midwestern part of the U.S. It has over 200 restaurants in states like Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Tennessee, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
How Pizza Ranch Started
Pizza Ranch was created by two people, Adrie Groeneweg and Lawrence Vander Esch. They opened the very first Pizza Ranch restaurant on December 21, 1981, in a town called Hull, Iowa.
Just two years later, in 1983, a second Pizza Ranch opened in Orange City, Iowa. Lawrence Vander Esch later left the company in 2001. Over the years, Pizza Ranch has grown a lot. Its main office, or headquarters, used to be in Hull, Iowa, but it has now moved to Orange City, Iowa.
What Makes Pizza Ranch Special?
Pizza Ranch is famous for its tasty pizza and crispy chicken. It's a "fast casual" restaurant, which means you can get good food quickly, but it's often a bit nicer than a typical fast-food place.
The company is also known for being based on Christian values. Their main goal, or "vision," is "To glorify God by positively impacting the world we live in." This means they aim to do good things and make a positive difference in the communities where they have restaurants.
Pizza Ranch and Politics
Because Iowa is the first state to hold important political meetings called caucuses for choosing who will run for president, Pizza Ranch restaurants in Iowa often get special visitors. With over 70 locations in Iowa, they are a frequent stop for people hoping to become the next U.S. president.
Many presidential candidates, especially from the Republican Party, visit Pizza Ranch. This is partly because the company has a more traditional, or "conservative," way of thinking. However, candidates from the Democratic Party have also visited these restaurants.
A special way of campaigning, called the "Pizza Ranch strategy," became well-known during Mike Huckabee's campaign in 2008. Even though he wasn't expected to win, he visited many Pizza Ranch locations and ended up winning the Iowa caucuses that year. This showed how important it can be for candidates to connect with people in smaller towns and local spots like Pizza Ranch.
See also
