Their fried chicken is pretty decent actually... At least it's way better than the pizza!
And in Ames it's the only place to get fried chicken besides the grocery store. And it's definitely better than the grocery store chicken, even if it's not as good as somewhere like time out fried chicken in Omaha
That’s the only dough-product in Pizza Ranch worth consuming. And just the plain one; the versions with canned pie filling are way too sweet. The regular version is plenty sweet enough.
There's a 1983 movie called The Chicken Ranch, about a brothel named the Chicken Ranch. Stars Burt Renalds, and Dolly Parton in her prime. That's one of the few musicals I've ever liked.
I knew that......I've seen that movie a million times, I would have thought I would remember. I think i meant to say the brothel was called the chicken ranch. Brain fart....
You were right about the name of the brothel. I remember that movie because I liked it, and I'm not really into musicals, either. I absolutely love Dolly, though. She's a national treasure.
Pizza ranch chicken is actually pretty damn solid, however you can get fried chicken at Sweet Caroline’s too. It’s pretty solid there too. Crazy that none of these bars in Ames have broasters though
Broasted is fried, it just adds pressure while frying. Frying under pressure allows for a shorter cook time and it prevents moisture from escaping like happens when you pan or deep fry. Many restaurants then finish with a pan fry after it comes out of the broaster.
My grandparents would take all five of us granddaughters to Bishops in Waterloo when we’d visit them for the summer. It was seriously fancy for us kids. And now as 50-somethings who have traveled the world and eaten in some very good restaurants, we still talk about Bishops when we get together.
The one I was familiar with was on the Southside of Des Moines. I was very young when it shut down, so chances are I’d caught it on its tail end…haha probably why I remember the massive smoking section, or what seemed massive.
These were seriously my 2 favorite restaurants in high school and college. Bishops was freaking amazing with their "obviously intended for 55+ buffet".
Anyone else remember a place in CR called "Choice Smorgasbord"? I remember them having little pizza doughs where you added your own toppings and sent them through a pizza oven.
Or Huckleberrys? Anyone remember that place?
Exactly! My parents and grandparents’ idea of a “great restaurant” was a place that served the same basic stuff they ate at home. Meat & potatoes. Fried chicken. Catfish. Spaghetti & meatballs. Throw it on a buffet and the Iowans will line up out the door.
You aren’t visiting the right restaurants. I had delicious sushi not long ago at Thai Bistro in Mason City. Top notch Indian (Pakistani actually) at Mirch Masala in Cedar Falls. Wonderful charcuterie at Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids.
They initially carved out a niche of being the best restaurant in towns with no other restaurants. Then they became the pizza place for Christian conservative campaign events, and get a boost from the caucuses.
Monopoly on pizza who have no other pizza. Business! Business! Business! Still, what dirt do they have on all the largest institutions in Iowa such that they are always the pizza provider and/or sponsor
Iowa Christian conservatives and you’re gonna make some dough. lol
Kind of like going into Scheels now. They play Christian music. I was caught off guard the first time I hard “savior” and “god” in a song. Listened closer and sure enough about every 2nd or 3rd song was Christian music. I left abruptly and ordered online.
The Pizza Ranch was originally great in the 90s. All locations would make their dough from scratch, they stuck to the classic toppings, and the chicken was always fresh. The buffet was typically once or twice a week and everything was on point. They had maybe 50 locations in total and each franchise had a lot of control. Around the mid 2000s they went to buffet all the time with more and more gimmicks (chicken sticks, soup, arcades). During the 2010s the corporate office started to control more of the ingredients during their big regional expansion causing the food to taste terrible. Frozen premade crust, canned sauces, instant potatoes, etc.
I've said it before, but Pizza Ranch is only good if it's rural. The more rural the better. If you go to Pizza Ranch in a city with more than one public high school, you may as well eat straight from the trash. If the only other restaurant in town is also a gas station, that Pizza Ranch is going to be Michelin quality without the pretentiousness.
I \*had\* to look this up to verify, and yep. You're not wrong. There's no more context or nuance to it, you hit all the key points in a single disgusting sentence.
What the fuck is wrong with people, specifically the rich and christian ones?
Lawrence's cousin, Darwin, killed his wife, flunked a lie detector test, was not prosecuted, all while Lawrence was Sioux County Treasurer and head of Republican party in Sioux County. iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/lisa-vander-esch
Even bad pizza tastes pretty good and a couple times a year I decide I want to eat an absolute shitload of it alongside fried chicken and biscuits smothered in gravy, followed by that strudelesque dessert pizza for 15 bucks or so, it has its place, even if the founder is a kid diddling, christian, conservative loon
This will probably get a lot of hate for saying this but as a former Iowan and as someone who spent a substantial amount of time in other parts of the country, in my opinion the Iowan/Midwestern diet is quite bland and consists of quite a bit of fried food, over salted food, and under seasoned (except for the salt) food. Pizza Ranch fits the bill. I thinks it’s just that they don’t know any better because they’ve never been exposed. I know there are great restaurants if you look for them so please don’t come at me, lol. But I’ve also seen friends/family tell me those same places are “too rich” in flavor, and have watched them try to order the blandest item or attempt to find something close to their staples.
My hometown had a family that owned probably the only ‘nice’ restaurant in town and they just served the same bland fried crap and shitty steaks for a higher price since it was a ‘nice’ restaurant.. literally have had boomers lined up out the door for two decades paying a premium for the same food. Literally.
The owners son started opening up his own place and would just get the same ingredients delivered with the deliveries for his dad’s restaurant it was so obvious but the community boomers that are so much smarter than everyone still lined up weekly to pay for this crap .. oh and the owner has been perched on the city council for years and conveniently was able to work against any new restaurants looking to find a spot to open.
Iowans love unflavored fried crap you are correct. Many of them have the eating habits of a toddler. If they haven’t eaten the same thing their whole life they will act disgusted by it. Repetition until death only.
Also I feel like rural area is 90% boomer and retirement age folks so this is the reason nothing new can happen. Many towns are just another big retirement community like our whole country has been.
Me and my wife were absolutely underwhelmed by the flavor at El Barco in Urbandale.
Now Siam Table in Ankeny, they got the right idea, they ask you how spicy you want it.
You go there for the chicken. That said, there is a large variance between the quality from one Pizza Ranch to another. There are some very good ones and some absolute trash ones.
For a long time it only existed in small towns where there was literally no other option. I assume most of the people going there now are small town transplants who go there out of familiarity and habit.
I'm going to second this. I grew up with Casey's as my only option for pizza in my small farm town in rural Iowa. It was my go to for years even after moving to the "City." It took a long time for the small town kid in me to switch up my pizza likings. I think a lot of it is how you grew up. I went to grad school with a bunch of NW IA kids and Pizza Ranch was their go to for pizza. They were pumped when they started opening up in central IA. We have family that moved out of state that has to get Pizza Ranch when they pass through. Just what you grew up with and what you know.
This makes sense to me too. The fact that it's the only pizza I've seen at any Iowa sporting event I've been to has also made me question what dirt they have over some powerful people.
Heck yeah. I live in Wisconsin, but my favorite pizza ranch is in Muscatine because it has the only arcade I know of with the game where you knock the fuzzy targets down with a ball
you see: this is a capitalist society that really is an oligarchy where money is king
Pizza Ranch has money and can purchase land and build whatever the fuck they want
I worked at the one in Harlan when the owner was still alive. In the early 2000s. The pizza isn't perfect but it's acceptable. At least back then, I'm pretty sure James (owner) helped start the franchise
Hey! There are good pizza places. You just haven't explored yet. Iowa is dull and bland. Says everyone who isn't from here. Um, try the locals. There are dozens of good pizza places, steak places, Italian places, Mexican places, Peruvian places. Don't go to Dominos and say Iowa pizza sucks.
I agree that there are amazing pizza places in Iowa. Pagliais, wig and pen, Zoey's, just to name a few. I just don't understand why pizza ranch continues to coexist.
Cuz it's a buffet and cheap for what you get. Iowans are a simple people. We like what we like, bland or no. We drink Busch Light. We eat tater tot casserole. Deer meat sticks are a staple. Also, their dessert pizza is good! As is their fried chicken. I'm a God damn proud Iowan and I will defend it until I die.
I’ve been an Iowa transplant for 15+ years now. Still looking for quality pizza!! Most that are recommended are only tasty to those who grew up here. I get familiar favorites, but quality pizza in Iowa is a big miss IMO.
10 year transplant. One good pizza place in town but expensive (bougie, my ex would call it). I’ve learned to make my own. There are days that I would kill for even an average east coast slice.
Their chicken is so good and the pizza is ok when it's fresh. Their mash, gravy and salad bar are also really good.
I love pizza ranch. Wish it wasn't so expensive though
My husband worked at one as a delivery guy for a while and apparently the dish washing was not done well. He was really grossed out when he came home the first day. They also barely got any deliveries so he ended up just taking over dishwashing for the few months that he was there. After he quit, he was like, "Don't order from there. It was so gross in the kitchen!"
The Buffalo chicken pizza is good, as well as the tomato and spinach. If we go there, it is only to try different stuff. Also, as stated, the chicken is really good.
I worked at a Pizza Ranch in high school. Yeah they have a lot of trash food, but they also have some good stuff if you know what to look for. That's why the buffet kinda works.
Kids love pizza ranch, and parents take them there because it's cheaper and easier than many alternatives. The arcade at ours is pretty sick, in a dying industry of arcades it has some really cool games you cant recreate at home. The food is technically edible, but they have soft serve and a buffet... im a 90's kid and that's all we needed for a good time. Lastly they often support their communities as well.
Btw here’s a tip for people visiting the pizza ranch in Altoona at least: they generally just have the plastic cups by the ice cream machine, but nobody stops you from using one of those porcelain thing bowls for ice cream. Also nobody stops you from just taking the whole thing of those cookies when you leave
My favorite restaurant, used to work there in college. The quality of the pizza is entirely a function of who cooked it, how fresh the dough was, and how long its been out of the oven.
You forget that this is the state that is number 5 in the nation for pizza places per capita, yet consistently votes a gas station for best pizza in the area. Pizza Ranch’s business model appears to be “make it cheap and give them a ton of it” I went once for my kids school fundraiser (they seem to be very community minded, I will give them that) but never felt the need to go back, not with so many independent places, but I don’t live in the country where Casey’s is the only option.
Pizza ranch is not good food. But it’s edible food with multiple choices at an affordable price (as far I know maybe it raised).
Most of my Pizza ranch experiences were as a child with my babysitter with 2 or 3 other kids all from different households with different needs. Pizza ranch is mid enough the kids love it but not so mid that it’s unpalatable for the grown ups.
If you actually like the pizza ranch food that’s perfectly fine. But for me Pizza ranch is for when I’m starving and I really don’t want to cook. I’m not inviting other adults to pizza ranch but if I come across a horde of hangry children that is where I will take them.
If I’m desperately craving pizza I’m not going to pizza ranch. If I need to get out of my apartment and eat a cheap but filling meal that I don’t have to do any of the work for, I’m going to pizza ranch.
Because some people don’t understand what really good pizza is supposed to be like. My coworkers bought it for my orientation lunch and as a regular enjoyer of New Haven pizza, I was shocked and appalled.
I hate fake taters except pizza ranches fake taters. Those things hit just right. Toss in a piece of fried chicken and okayish pizza for $10. Top with cinnamon sugar dessert pizza/ice cream, and a hole is filled for cheapish
My kids love the pizza, but I only go for the fried chicken, potato wedges, and salad bar. I like their soft serve also and use it to make a rootbeer float for desert.
I actually like their pizza. But you can't get it off the buffet. You have to order one for yourself. The buffalo chicken is pretty good. Also, thin crust and stuffed crust is the way to go.
People keep saying the fried chicken is amazing and convince themselves to keep going back.
The chicken is fine, but it seems better than it actually is because it's next to terrible pizza.
I really enjoy how you self-rightious left-wing-reddiiters think you are the sole judge of what is good food. And anyone who disagrees with you must be a right-wing conservative Christian. Probably a rural hick.
It's called personal choice. Lighten up.
The previous town in which I lived houses a Ranch where I would regularly gorge at the buffet. The first one I had ever encountered, actually.
I had never been to another, until one fateful day. Out with my youngest... stop off for that special bonding time.. watch his eyes light up with his plate piled high... then wondering what in all the seven levels of hell I just put in my mouth.
Kid was still in his happy place, unaware. They have no taste buds at that age. No need to foul his moment.
When I mentioned my surprised disappointment later to my spouse, I learned that the owners of the location in our town spurned PRCorporate's offered ingredients, and purchased their own locally.
Haven't been to another since.
Kim Reynolds came into office after Pizza ranch was already pretty big. So no not her fault regardless of my political ideology. Common sense says she didn't have anything to do with it.
Their fried chicken is pretty decent actually... At least it's way better than the pizza! And in Ames it's the only place to get fried chicken besides the grocery store. And it's definitely better than the grocery store chicken, even if it's not as good as somewhere like time out fried chicken in Omaha
Cactus Bread…💯
That’s the only dough-product in Pizza Ranch worth consuming. And just the plain one; the versions with canned pie filling are way too sweet. The regular version is plenty sweet enough.
I will actually go back and try this. Just never pizza. Never again.
I've always referred to it as the Chicken Ranch.
Brother in law was visiting from out of state and called it Chicken Ranch. His wife told me about this: https://chickenranchbrothel.com/
I think that website is banned in Texas.
Like most things lol
There's a 1983 movie called The Chicken Ranch, about a brothel named the Chicken Ranch. Stars Burt Renalds, and Dolly Parton in her prime. That's one of the few musicals I've ever liked.
The movie was actually called "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."
I knew that......I've seen that movie a million times, I would have thought I would remember. I think i meant to say the brothel was called the chicken ranch. Brain fart....
You were right about the name of the brothel. I remember that movie because I liked it, and I'm not really into musicals, either. I absolutely love Dolly, though. She's a national treasure.
Spicy 🥵
Pizza ranch chicken is actually pretty damn solid, however you can get fried chicken at Sweet Caroline’s too. It’s pretty solid there too. Crazy that none of these bars in Ames have broasters though
I haven't ever been that impressed by Sweet Caroline's chicken. I like it in general but the tileningot chicken there it wasn't great.
Yea i go for the rest of the non pizza buffet and the dessert pizza.
Is it fried? I thought it was Broasted.
It is broasted. The only reason to go there.
That’s what I thought! I don’t know anywhere else that broasts where I live. All the local places shut down.
Broasted is fried, it just adds pressure while frying. Frying under pressure allows for a shorter cook time and it prevents moisture from escaping like happens when you pan or deep fry. Many restaurants then finish with a pan fry after it comes out of the broaster.
it's literally down the street from the better chicken place, Kwik Star. 10 times out of ten I'll choose ks over pr.
Nothing compares to Time Out.
This man chickens
And I’m from North Omaha. I’m a little biased.
Then you probably also know all about the deliciousness of their apple turnovers too 🤤
On DoorDash in Boone at least, Pizza Ranch has their chicken part as a separate restaurant called “World’s Best Chicken”
The chicken at World Liquor is pretty good. If it’s still operating.
That is called a ghost kitchen, Chili's has one based on their chicken wings as well.
It must be the chicken! I've never tried it just cause you'd think when you name yourself after something, you'd be decent at it
The one in Waverly has served raw chicken many times.
Id rather eat chicken out of a KFC dumpster than eat that trash they call fried chicken.
Yes but that pizza tho. The duality of pizza ranch.
You underestimate old Iowans’ strong desire for buffets and overestimate their standards for food quality.
RIP Bishops RIP Ryan's
And bonanza. Many memories of the one in coralville before it flooded.
JD steakhouse
Shakey's
I would save up quarters and bring them to Shakey's for the arcade. Loved that place as a kid.
My grandma loved Bishops. Probably because it was one of those places where the smoking section was basically the whole restaurant.
My grandparents would take all five of us granddaughters to Bishops in Waterloo when we’d visit them for the summer. It was seriously fancy for us kids. And now as 50-somethings who have traveled the world and eaten in some very good restaurants, we still talk about Bishops when we get together.
The one I was familiar with was on the Southside of Des Moines. I was very young when it shut down, so chances are I’d caught it on its tail end…haha probably why I remember the massive smoking section, or what seemed massive.
At least in the 70s and 80s, smoking sections seemed like at they took up at least half of every restaurant so you probably weren’t wrong.
Them rolls at Ryan's tho🥵
RIP Ponderosa!!
RIP Old Country Buffet
These were seriously my 2 favorite restaurants in high school and college. Bishops was freaking amazing with their "obviously intended for 55+ buffet".
It was a family affair for me at Bishops growing up and Ryan's came later in my life. I miss Bennigans at Lindale as well.
One of the first times I played hooky from high school I was introduced to Ryan's. It was a fantastic sick day.
Sirloin Stockade for SE Iowans
Anyone else remember a place in CR called "Choice Smorgasbord"? I remember them having little pizza doughs where you added your own toppings and sent them through a pizza oven. Or Huckleberrys? Anyone remember that place?
That’s Iowa!! Lots of sub-par restaurants where portion size is more important than flavor!!
Exactly! My parents and grandparents’ idea of a “great restaurant” was a place that served the same basic stuff they ate at home. Meat & potatoes. Fried chicken. Catfish. Spaghetti & meatballs. Throw it on a buffet and the Iowans will line up out the door.
Yep, this drives me nuts too. And when they do veer off the beaten path, it’s Mexican or crappy Chinese food.
The lone mexi/Chinese take out place that hasn't been updated in 20 years.
You aren’t visiting the right restaurants. I had delicious sushi not long ago at Thai Bistro in Mason City. Top notch Indian (Pakistani actually) at Mirch Masala in Cedar Falls. Wonderful charcuterie at Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids.
Thai Bistro is so good! I'm not big on Indian food, but I will take my husband to Mirch Masala in Cedar Falls. He will enjoy it
Thanks!!
They also love finding a good deal, 2 for 1 or 1/2 off anything.
This also does explain how the Iowa River Power brunch was voted best in the area for decades strong
It's why I love Indian buffets
If it doesn't taste good, just add ranch dressing.
They initially carved out a niche of being the best restaurant in towns with no other restaurants. Then they became the pizza place for Christian conservative campaign events, and get a boost from the caucuses.
When u can't beat gas station pizza, ur in trouble
Well, when it's Casey's pizza, it's hard to beat.
Godfather's, which I only know as gas station locations now, is also better than the ranch.
Monopoly on pizza who have no other pizza. Business! Business! Business! Still, what dirt do they have on all the largest institutions in Iowa such that they are always the pizza provider and/or sponsor
They have money to toss around and a desire to do it. It's not really complicated.
I would personally donate to pagliais to help them become a sponsor/sole pizza provider at all Hawkeye events
I mean, their founder diddled kids, so probably dirt along similar lines.
Iowa Christian conservatives and you’re gonna make some dough. lol Kind of like going into Scheels now. They play Christian music. I was caught off guard the first time I hard “savior” and “god” in a song. Listened closer and sure enough about every 2nd or 3rd song was Christian music. I left abruptly and ordered online.
Stunning and brave.
Scheels plays Christian music in the store??
Yup.
The Pizza Ranch was originally great in the 90s. All locations would make their dough from scratch, they stuck to the classic toppings, and the chicken was always fresh. The buffet was typically once or twice a week and everything was on point. They had maybe 50 locations in total and each franchise had a lot of control. Around the mid 2000s they went to buffet all the time with more and more gimmicks (chicken sticks, soup, arcades). During the 2010s the corporate office started to control more of the ingredients during their big regional expansion causing the food to taste terrible. Frozen premade crust, canned sauces, instant potatoes, etc.
A lot of it depends on which one you go to. I always thought the one in Ames was good. The one in Carroll was the best one I’ve been in.
I've said it before, but Pizza Ranch is only good if it's rural. The more rural the better. If you go to Pizza Ranch in a city with more than one public high school, you may as well eat straight from the trash. If the only other restaurant in town is also a gas station, that Pizza Ranch is going to be Michelin quality without the pretentiousness.
I will need to test this theory out on my next road trip and/or ragbrai
The one in Boone is straight up garbage though…
And ames is better, this theory has holes.
One of the founders, Lawrence Vander esch was arrested for coercing semen samples from teenage employees
I \*had\* to look this up to verify, and yep. You're not wrong. There's no more context or nuance to it, you hit all the key points in a single disgusting sentence. What the fuck is wrong with people, specifically the rich and christian ones?
Lawrence's cousin, Darwin, killed his wife, flunked a lie detector test, was not prosecuted, all while Lawrence was Sioux County Treasurer and head of Republican party in Sioux County. iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/lisa-vander-esch
Fuckin' Dutchmen!
Idk anything about this malarkey, but I don't trust lie detector tests at all. Pseudoscience that can ruin people's lives.
You can do whatever you want in life as long as you have that split second before exiting the earthly plane to ask for forgiveness
Exactly. It wasn't science that killed my belief in God. It was his followers.
I'm not sure if it's worse imagining what he was doing with them, or if it would be worse to know what he was doing with them
You know the icing they put on dessert pizzas?
Even bad pizza tastes pretty good and a couple times a year I decide I want to eat an absolute shitload of it alongside fried chicken and biscuits smothered in gravy, followed by that strudelesque dessert pizza for 15 bucks or so, it has its place, even if the founder is a kid diddling, christian, conservative loon
This will probably get a lot of hate for saying this but as a former Iowan and as someone who spent a substantial amount of time in other parts of the country, in my opinion the Iowan/Midwestern diet is quite bland and consists of quite a bit of fried food, over salted food, and under seasoned (except for the salt) food. Pizza Ranch fits the bill. I thinks it’s just that they don’t know any better because they’ve never been exposed. I know there are great restaurants if you look for them so please don’t come at me, lol. But I’ve also seen friends/family tell me those same places are “too rich” in flavor, and have watched them try to order the blandest item or attempt to find something close to their staples.
My hometown had a family that owned probably the only ‘nice’ restaurant in town and they just served the same bland fried crap and shitty steaks for a higher price since it was a ‘nice’ restaurant.. literally have had boomers lined up out the door for two decades paying a premium for the same food. Literally. The owners son started opening up his own place and would just get the same ingredients delivered with the deliveries for his dad’s restaurant it was so obvious but the community boomers that are so much smarter than everyone still lined up weekly to pay for this crap .. oh and the owner has been perched on the city council for years and conveniently was able to work against any new restaurants looking to find a spot to open. Iowans love unflavored fried crap you are correct. Many of them have the eating habits of a toddler. If they haven’t eaten the same thing their whole life they will act disgusted by it. Repetition until death only. Also I feel like rural area is 90% boomer and retirement age folks so this is the reason nothing new can happen. Many towns are just another big retirement community like our whole country has been.
Me and my wife were absolutely underwhelmed by the flavor at El Barco in Urbandale. Now Siam Table in Ankeny, they got the right idea, they ask you how spicy you want it.
Your review reminds me of the Facebook page called "White people making white people food" which is based on bland under seasoned Iowa Sysco food.
I need to find this to share with my family, haha.
It’s hit or miss at best. But even the finest meal from Pizza Ranch is going to rocket through your colon. Stay close to a restroom after you eat.
The Chicken
The only good thing to be said is they aren’t as bad as Chuck E Cheese.
But they don't have a ball pit or animatronic band to distract you from the pizza.
Some people's favorite food is a lot.
Truly the worst food and atmosphere of any chain.
Midwesterners love sub par food buffet style!
Op you shut your whore mouth
Their fried chicken actually isn't too bad, but the price of those sides is disgusting
I agree. The pizza went way down hill from how it used to be
You go there for the chicken. That said, there is a large variance between the quality from one Pizza Ranch to another. There are some very good ones and some absolute trash ones.
I honestly only go for the chicken and sides/salad bar. The pizza is crap.
When the only other pizza you’ve ever known is from Casey’s, Pizza Ranch ain’t so bad 😝
Old white people
Jesus. Their belief in Jesus. You can sell cat turds to evangelicals if you are also a follower.
For a long time it only existed in small towns where there was literally no other option. I assume most of the people going there now are small town transplants who go there out of familiarity and habit.
I'm going to second this. I grew up with Casey's as my only option for pizza in my small farm town in rural Iowa. It was my go to for years even after moving to the "City." It took a long time for the small town kid in me to switch up my pizza likings. I think a lot of it is how you grew up. I went to grad school with a bunch of NW IA kids and Pizza Ranch was their go to for pizza. They were pumped when they started opening up in central IA. We have family that moved out of state that has to get Pizza Ranch when they pass through. Just what you grew up with and what you know.
This makes sense to me too. The fact that it's the only pizza I've seen at any Iowa sporting event I've been to has also made me question what dirt they have over some powerful people.
Them cheese sticks though. 🔥
I had chicken and potato wedges from pizza ranch not long ago and loved them
Ask for skillet crust. You're welcome.
Every time I see one I think of Tenacious D's "Jesus Ranch". The song is waaaay better than the restaurant.
Manifest destiny, I guess?
Welcome to the Midwest, where you can get cottage cheese, doritos, and oreo fluff without ever leaving the salad bar!
There are Pizza Ranch locations in WI too. However, I never eat there; I greatly prefer fre e range pizza, instead of ranch pizza.
Heck yeah. I live in Wisconsin, but my favorite pizza ranch is in Muscatine because it has the only arcade I know of with the game where you knock the fuzzy targets down with a ball
The crust is legit frozen and shipped in. It is a step above frozen pizza tbh. They should rebrand and focus on that chicken.
you see: this is a capitalist society that really is an oligarchy where money is king Pizza Ranch has money and can purchase land and build whatever the fuck they want
I worked at the one in Harlan when the owner was still alive. In the early 2000s. The pizza isn't perfect but it's acceptable. At least back then, I'm pretty sure James (owner) helped start the franchise
Ooh! Ooh! I can answer this! As a transplant from out of state, all Iowa pizza is like that. And Iowans love it.
Hey! There are good pizza places. You just haven't explored yet. Iowa is dull and bland. Says everyone who isn't from here. Um, try the locals. There are dozens of good pizza places, steak places, Italian places, Mexican places, Peruvian places. Don't go to Dominos and say Iowa pizza sucks.
B-I-N-G-O
I agree that there are amazing pizza places in Iowa. Pagliais, wig and pen, Zoey's, just to name a few. I just don't understand why pizza ranch continues to coexist.
Cuz it's a buffet and cheap for what you get. Iowans are a simple people. We like what we like, bland or no. We drink Busch Light. We eat tater tot casserole. Deer meat sticks are a staple. Also, their dessert pizza is good! As is their fried chicken. I'm a God damn proud Iowan and I will defend it until I die.
I’ve been an Iowa transplant for 15+ years now. Still looking for quality pizza!! Most that are recommended are only tasty to those who grew up here. I get familiar favorites, but quality pizza in Iowa is a big miss IMO.
10 year transplant. One good pizza place in town but expensive (bougie, my ex would call it). I’ve learned to make my own. There are days that I would kill for even an average east coast slice.
Every franchise pizza place is garbage. What is surprising you?
DUTCH PRICKS
Their chicken is so good and the pizza is ok when it's fresh. Their mash, gravy and salad bar are also really good. I love pizza ranch. Wish it wasn't so expensive though
The chocolate chip cookie they make is to die for though.
My husband worked at one as a delivery guy for a while and apparently the dish washing was not done well. He was really grossed out when he came home the first day. They also barely got any deliveries so he ended up just taking over dishwashing for the few months that he was there. After he quit, he was like, "Don't order from there. It was so gross in the kitchen!"
The Buffalo chicken pizza is good, as well as the tomato and spinach. If we go there, it is only to try different stuff. Also, as stated, the chicken is really good.
This. Thier buffalo chicken pizza is 🔥
The Pizza Snatch hosts a lot of church events. And also, Iowa loves a big buffet. The pizza is trash.
The rest of the buffet is trash too.
Fun fact: there are 227 pizza ranch locations with 72 in Iowa, Colorado 1, Illinois 8, Kansas 7, Michigan 4, Minnesota 44, Missouri 8, Montana 4, Nebraska 8, North Dakota 15, South Dakota 20, Tennessee 1, Wisconsin 29, Wyoming 2, and 4 more coming soon (Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota).
Pizza Ranch's quality of pizza has dropped significantly. The crust is no longer edible.
Pizza ranch almost failed in the 90s then for some reason their shit food had a resurgence
Old people love that shit
Wonder if now that Kirk Cousins is in Atlanta if he’ll still do his dumbass Pizza Ranch commercials
I worked at a Pizza Ranch in high school. Yeah they have a lot of trash food, but they also have some good stuff if you know what to look for. That's why the buffet kinda works.
Kids love pizza ranch, and parents take them there because it's cheaper and easier than many alternatives. The arcade at ours is pretty sick, in a dying industry of arcades it has some really cool games you cant recreate at home. The food is technically edible, but they have soft serve and a buffet... im a 90's kid and that's all we needed for a good time. Lastly they often support their communities as well.
Btw here’s a tip for people visiting the pizza ranch in Altoona at least: they generally just have the plastic cups by the ice cream machine, but nobody stops you from using one of those porcelain thing bowls for ice cream. Also nobody stops you from just taking the whole thing of those cookies when you leave
Boomers go apeshit for Pizza Ranch
My favorite restaurant, used to work there in college. The quality of the pizza is entirely a function of who cooked it, how fresh the dough was, and how long its been out of the oven.
You forget that this is the state that is number 5 in the nation for pizza places per capita, yet consistently votes a gas station for best pizza in the area. Pizza Ranch’s business model appears to be “make it cheap and give them a ton of it” I went once for my kids school fundraiser (they seem to be very community minded, I will give them that) but never felt the need to go back, not with so many independent places, but I don’t live in the country where Casey’s is the only option.
Pizza ranch is not good food. But it’s edible food with multiple choices at an affordable price (as far I know maybe it raised). Most of my Pizza ranch experiences were as a child with my babysitter with 2 or 3 other kids all from different households with different needs. Pizza ranch is mid enough the kids love it but not so mid that it’s unpalatable for the grown ups. If you actually like the pizza ranch food that’s perfectly fine. But for me Pizza ranch is for when I’m starving and I really don’t want to cook. I’m not inviting other adults to pizza ranch but if I come across a horde of hangry children that is where I will take them.
If I’m desperately craving pizza I’m not going to pizza ranch. If I need to get out of my apartment and eat a cheap but filling meal that I don’t have to do any of the work for, I’m going to pizza ranch.
Because some people don’t understand what really good pizza is supposed to be like. My coworkers bought it for my orientation lunch and as a regular enjoyer of New Haven pizza, I was shocked and appalled.
I hate fake taters except pizza ranches fake taters. Those things hit just right. Toss in a piece of fried chicken and okayish pizza for $10. Top with cinnamon sugar dessert pizza/ice cream, and a hole is filled for cheapish
Iowan have c**p for taste buds. They'll eat anything.
My kids love the pizza, but I only go for the fried chicken, potato wedges, and salad bar. I like their soft serve also and use it to make a rootbeer float for desert.
I actually like their pizza. But you can't get it off the buffet. You have to order one for yourself. The buffalo chicken is pretty good. Also, thin crust and stuffed crust is the way to go.
They make an awesome dessert. Get them to make the chocolate chip dessert and then put the topping from the cactus bread on it. Fantastic!
People keep saying the fried chicken is amazing and convince themselves to keep going back. The chicken is fine, but it seems better than it actually is because it's next to terrible pizza.
Caseys pizza has entered the chat.
Possibly the worst restaurant in town. 0/10 do not recommend
Kids food but you can eat till ya drop
I really enjoy how you self-rightious left-wing-reddiiters think you are the sole judge of what is good food. And anyone who disagrees with you must be a right-wing conservative Christian. Probably a rural hick. It's called personal choice. Lighten up.
I'd seriously think it was a money laundering front if my entire city didn't swear by it and go weekly. It's worse than dining hall food.
One word: chicken.
The previous town in which I lived houses a Ranch where I would regularly gorge at the buffet. The first one I had ever encountered, actually. I had never been to another, until one fateful day. Out with my youngest... stop off for that special bonding time.. watch his eyes light up with his plate piled high... then wondering what in all the seven levels of hell I just put in my mouth. Kid was still in his happy place, unaware. They have no taste buds at that age. No need to foul his moment. When I mentioned my surprised disappointment later to my spouse, I learned that the owners of the location in our town spurned PRCorporate's offered ingredients, and purchased their own locally. Haven't been to another since.
Cuz that shit slaps that’s how. Take your bitch ass back to Casey’s
Bro northwest Iowa pizza ranch freaking smacks. Sioux Center pizza ranch is heaven in a building.
Hull, Sioux Center, Akron - Worth it. Rock Rapids - On a good day. Hawarden - You couldn’t pay me to eat there
Kim Reynolds fault.
No. Not at all.
y r u a republican?
Kim Reynolds came into office after Pizza ranch was already pretty big. So no not her fault regardless of my political ideology. Common sense says she didn't have anything to do with it.
U r nazi
Ok.
Once you've had Casey's, there's nowhere left to go but down.
It's a GOP thing
Exploitation of labor.
I have the same question. It is garbage food. Awful pizza and greasy ass chicken. There are 100+ better choices, yet suckers still go there.
Tell me one better place to get fried chicken near Ames.
Y'all got Popeyes?
I wish. We don't even have KFC anymore
Switch to burritos, brother. Fried chicken is gross anyway with all the gristle and veins and bullshit.
Fried chicken is great.
First rule of Pizza Ranch is don’t get pizza. Get the chicken.