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Pizza Ranch

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Pizza Ranch, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
Founded1981;43 years ago(1981),inHull, Iowa,U.S.
FoundersAdrie Groeneweg
Lawrence Vander Esch
HeadquartersOrange City, Iowa,U.S.
Number of locations
216
ProductsPizza,chicken
RevenueUS$138.121million[1]
Websitepizzaranch.com

Pizza Ranch, Inc.,founded in 1981,[2][3]is aMidwesternfast casualbuffetrestaurant chain with more than 200 locations. It specializes in pizza and chicken.[4][5]

Pizza Ranch was founded by Adrie Groeneweg[6]and Lawrence Vander Esch. Vander Esch left the company in 2001 after being arrested and sent to prison for sexual abuse involving fraudulently obtaining semen samples of his teen employees under the pretense of a prostate study.[7][8]The first restaurant opened December 21, 1981, inHull, Iowa.[9][10]The second Pizza Ranch opened inOrange City, Iowain 1983.[11]

Pizza Ranch has over 200 locations[12]inIowa,Arkansas,Colorado,Illinois,Kansas,Michigan,Minnesota,Missouri,Montana,Nebraska,Tennessee,North Dakota,South Dakota,Wisconsin,andWyoming.The chain's headquarters, formerly located in Hull, Iowa, moved to Orange City, Iowa in 2005.[13][14]

Pizza Ranch is a Christian-based company.[15][6]The Pizza Ranch vision is "To glorify God by positively impacting the world we live in [through pizza]."[6]

Because Iowa has the firstcaucusforUS presidential primary elections,Pizza Ranch's more than 70 locations in Iowa are a frequent stop for presidential candidates, particularlyRepublicansdue to the chain's conservative bent.[16][17][18]The 'Pizza Ranch strategy' was first noted inMike Huckabee's campaignat the2008 Republican caucuses;Huckabee went on to win the caucuses despite being a longshot candidate.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Pizza Ranch Inc Revenue and Financial".Hoovers.RetrievedFebruary 9,2016.
  2. ^Dreeszen, Dave (September 12, 2012)."Pizza Ranch to add Sioux City location".Sioux City Journal.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  3. ^Askew, John (September 17, 2007)."Meanwhile at the Pizza Ranch…".Iowa State Daily.Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2018.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  4. ^Kennedy, Wally (November 23, 2013)."Range Line to be home of still more pizza".Joplin Globe.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  5. ^Korbelink, Jeff (February 27, 2014)."Pizza Ranch offers pizza and chicken".Lincoln Journal Star.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  6. ^abcSemuels, Alana (December 26, 2011)."Easy as pie: Iowa's campaign trail runs through Pizza Ranch".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  7. ^Lynch, James Q. (March 8, 2015)."Pizza Ranch is new territory for Bush campaign adviser".Cedar Rapids Gazette.RetrievedJuly 31,2023.Lawrence Vander Esch from Sioux County spent time in prison on charges that he sexually abused male employees.... In addition, the charges against Vander Esch, who was released from prison in 2006, have been vacated by a district court judge citing an Iowa Supreme Court ruling. Vander Esch, Kochel pointed out, is no longer with the chain of 180 restaurants across the Midwest.
  8. ^Dreeszen, Dave (January 8, 2012)."Why Romney didn't dine at a 'Ranch'".Sioux City Journal.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  9. ^Viccaro, Eric (May 26, 2010)."In part, Madsen owns local Pizza Ranch spot".Sioux County Index Reporter.New Century Press. Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 2014.RetrievedJuly 5,2014.
  10. ^Turner, Terry (March 4, 2004)."Pizza Ranch opens in Sergeant Bluff".Sioux City Journal.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  11. ^Anderson, Doug; Schlak, Tim; Grond, Greta; Kaltenbach, Sarah (2014).Orange City: Images of America.Arcadia Publishing.ISBN9781467111584.
  12. ^Eggmeier, Pam (January 22, 2017)."Pizza Ranch set to open Monday in Sterling".The Prairie Advocate.Archived fromthe originalon February 13, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 12,2017.
  13. ^Gearino, Dan (November 18, 2005)."Pizza Ranch gets state loan for move".Sioux City Journal.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  14. ^Oechslin, Russ (April 27, 2008)."Pizza Ranch grows into eight states".Sioux City Journal.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  15. ^Dreeszen, Dave (January 7, 2012)."Pizza Ranch again blazes trail to White House".Sioux City Journal.RetrievedMay 1,2014.
  16. ^"Trump picks up the tab and the Pizza Ranch endorsement".www.cbsnews.com.January 16, 2016.RetrievedMarch 2,2023.
  17. ^Masters, Clay (August 11, 2015)."Pizza Ranch: Fueling Campaigns On Cheese And Chicken".NPR.RetrievedJune 5,2022.Many of the Republican presidential candidates have a hefty goal in Iowa ahead of its first-in-nation caucuses: make a campaign stop in all of the state's 99 counties. Along the way, presidential hopefuls are turning to the Iowa-based restaurant chain Pizza Ranch, whose ubiquity and inexpensive cuisine have made it a staple of the caucus campaign trail.
  18. ^Hafner, Josh (May 4, 2015)."To scarf up Iowa votes, candidates' first stop is pizza".USA Today.RetrievedJune 5,2022.But candidates of all political stripes visit Pizza Ranches: Democrat Hillary Clinton was the first to set foot in one ahead of 2008, according to Des Moines Register data. Democrats Joe Biden, John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson also appeared at Pizza Ranches for their '08 campaigns.
  19. ^Adam Wren (January 13, 2024)."The Iowa Pizza Chain That Explains How Our Politics Became So Dysfunctional".Politico.RetrievedJanuary 14,2024.
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