Top 250 Franchise by Entrepreneur – Rank no. 179 – Pizza Ranch – US

Products & Services: Pizza, chicken, salad bar, buffet

Number of Locations: 174

Total Investment: $1.02M – 2.59M

Founded: 1981

Began Franchising: 1984

About Pizza Ranch
At age 19, Adrie Groeneweg opened the first Pizza Ranch in Hull, Iowa, offering pizza recipes developed by his mother Lorraine. The midwest pizza chain’s menu has since expanded to include chicken, buffalo wings, dessert and salad. Customers can order from the menu or eat from a buffet. Franchising began in 1984, and the company’s headquarters has moved from Hull to Orange City, Iowa.

Where Seeking Franchisees: Franchisor is seeking new franchise units in the following states:
Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Midwest, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin.
Startup Costs, Ongoing Fees and Financing
Total Investment: $1,030,800 – $2,595,000
Franchise Fee: $30,000
Ongoing Royalty Fee: 4%
Term of Franchise Agreement: 10 years, renewable
Financial Requirements
Liquid Cash Available: $275,000 – $465,000
Operations
29% of all franchisees own more than one unit. Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 75 – 95. Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators).
How This Franchise Supports Franchisees
Training: At franchisee’s location: 2 weeks. At headquarters & in training restaurant : 6 weeks.
Ongoing Support: Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
Marketing Support: Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising,
Franchise Ranking History
Franchise 500®: #179 (2013), #190 (2012), #193 (2011), #230 (2010), #305 (2009),

The Pizza Ranch, Inc., founded in 1981, is a “fast casual” restaurant chain. Pizza Ranch offers pizza, chicken, a salad bar, and a pizza and chicken buffet. Pizza Ranch has over 160 locations in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Wyoming. Pizza Ranch is the largest regional pizza franchise in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota.

History

The first restaurant opened December 21, 1981 in Hull, Iowa. The six original house pizzas were the Round Up, Sweet Swine, Texan, Bronco, Prairie and Sagebrush. In the beginning Pizza Ranch only offered a Tuesday night Buffet while the rest of the dining hours were for take out or dine in orders. The second Pizza Ranch opened in Orange City in 1983 where the first noon buffet was introduced. In 1987, with the addition of a Sioux City restaurant, the menu expanded to offer chicken.

Pizza Ranch has grown over the years and now has franchises in ten states. Pizza Ranch’s specialties are their pizza and chicken. Their headquarters, formerly located in Hull, Iowa, is currently located in Orange City, Iowa.

Pizza Ranch is a Christian based company. 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.”

The chain has become a popular stop for presidential candidates during the Iowa caucuses.

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.

Source: wikipedia