Pizza Ranch, Inc., founded in 1981, is a Midwestern fast casual buffet restaurant chain with more than 200 locations. It specializes in pizza and chicken. Pizza Ranch has over 200 locations in Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Tennessee, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Pizza Ranch is a Christian-based company. The Pizza Ranch vision is "To glorify God by positively impacting the world we live in [through pizza]." Because Iowa has the first caucus for US presidential primary elections, Pizza Ranch's more than 70 locations in Iowa are a frequent stop for presidential candidates, particularly Republicans due to the chain's conservative bent.

History

In 1981, Pizza Ranch was founded by Adrie Groeneweg and Lawrence Vander Esch. The first restaurant location opened on December 21, 1981, in Hull, Iowa. In 1983, two years later, the second Pizza Ranch opened in Orange City, Iowa. In 2001, Vander Esch left the company 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. The charges were later vacated on a technicality, but Vander Esch did not return to the company. In 2005, the chain's headquarters, formerly located in Hull, Iowa, moved to Orange City, Iowa. In 2008, the 'Pizza Ranch strategy' was first noted in Mike Huckabee's campaign at the 2008 Republican caucuses; Huckabee went on to win the caucuses despite being a longshot candidate.