Pizza Ranch says sales have been good despite the economy. This is due to its increased focus on service, as well as an extensive menu.

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The economy has an impact on every business in America, but Orange City, Iowa-based Pizza Ranch Inc. could be considered particularly vulnerable. The Midwestern pizza and buffet chain is facing minimum wage increases, sky-high food costs and banks’ reluctance to help people open new franchisees. Yet, thanks to an increased focus on service, CEO Adrie Groeneweg says, sales have been good.

“This past year we focused more on service,” Groeneweg explains. “We have a Buffet-Your-Way, where customers can ask for any pizza they want and we will bring it out to their table. People have just been saying, ‘Wow, I can’t believe you do that here. It’s been good for us.”
However, Groeneweg adds, “You can get good food at a lot of different places – it boils down to how you’re treated.”

Pizza Ranch acknowledges this by making sure a manager visits each customer’s table to see that patrons are happy and have been treated well. The company also utilizes secret shoppers and trains its employees extensively.

“Before a store opens, we have [its] management team come down for four weeks of training,” Groeneweg explains. “When the store actually opens, we are there for a week to [continue to] train before they’re open, and then we are there for the next two weeks to help.”
In addition, Pizza Ranch has an internal training certification and is in the process of putting a certified trainer in every store to guide employees “the way they need to be trained,” he says.

A Good, Hometown Place
Although service is its hallmark, Pizza Ranch’s food is its secret weapon. “We are a pizza place, but we offer a buffet,” Groeneweg says. “What sets our buffet apart is [that] we have great pizza, but we [also have] great chicken.”

In addition to pizza and chicken, Pizza Ranch buffets include a salad bar. “We’re very geared towards family – we are a pizza place, but you could almost call us a family restaurant,” Groeneweg says. “We’re a place to take the kids and have a great time, and our food is great. We’re a good, hometown place that people can appreciate.”

What makes Pizza Ranch unique, it says, its host of dining options. “Where else but Pizza Ranch can you get a pizza/chicken/salad bar buffet, carry out your pizza or have your box of chicken delivered right to your home?” the company says.

Pizza Ranch’s  people distinguish it further, it says. “The owners, managers and employees of Pizza Ranch strive to make their customers feel special, and it shows,” the company declares.
“Pizza Ranch gets hundreds of letters and comment cards every month about the extraordinary hospitality found across Pizza Ranch territory.”

Groeneweg says the company is known for its crispy ranch chicken, a broasted chicken dish, and lately, customers have been leaning more toward comfort ingredients, such as pepperoni and plain beef. However, “people like to try different things [and] anything that seems to be spicier is popular,” Groeneweg adds.

Rapid Growth
Groeneweg founded Pizza Ranch in Hull, Iowa, in 1981 at the age of 19. The first menu was developed by Groeneweg’s mother, and it included six specialty and single-topping pizzas. The sauce and dough were made from scratch, and the cheese was grated by hand, while other ingredients were purchased or pre-made. Today, the company has 12 house specials and three different crust styles.

Pizza Ranch now extends into eight states and is the largest regional pizza chain in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota. The company recently opened its first franchise restaurant in Emporia, Kans. It has 145 locations, and its goal is to have 250 within five years.

Although Pizza Ranch is aggressively working to grow and prosper, its main concern is not necessarily the bottom line, Groeneweg says – the operation is focused on a higher purpose. “We have a mission here at Pizza Ranch – our vision is to glorify God by positively impacting the world we live in, and it’s something we take very seriously,” he explains. “We live in a world of … I’m going to call it greed. People can call it success, but it’s all about money.

“We want to be different,” he continues. “We’re all about people, not the bottom line. We do take [profit] seriously, but we feel we are doing that with people.”

One way Pizza Ranch backs this up is at its annual awards banquet, Groeneweg says. Its biggest award – the BRAD award – goes to the restaurant operator who gives the most to his or her community.