Franchise Deep Dive: Pizza Ranch’s Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data

Pizza Ranch is a restaurant franchise concept that is primarily located throughout the Midwest and Great Plains region. Pizza Ranch is known for its buffet-style dining and a menu that includes pizza, fried chicken, salads and desserts.

Pizza Ranch was founded in Hull, Iowa in 1981 by Adrie Groeneweg, who sought to meet the demand for a good pizza restaurant in his community. Groeneweg opened the restaurant with his family, and the franchise remains family-owned and operated to this day. The brand began offering franchise opportunities in 1984 with its first franchised location in Mountain Lake, Minnesota.

As of October 2023, there are more than 210 Pizza Ranch locations spanning 14 states. The brand is actively offering new franchise opportunities in markets across the Midwest .

Pizza Ranch operates with a family-friendly, buffet-style dining model at a fixed price. In addition to dine-in, Pizza Ranch provides carryout and delivery services. The brand also features a “FunZone” arcade in roughly 59 of its locations, which provides families with entertainment options beyond dining, making it an attractive destination for families with children.

For prospective franchisees, Pizza Ranch does not require its owners to have previous experience. They provide all the necessary training programs to get new owners up and running. This training takes place over five weeks, and is split between classroom training at the brand’s restaurant support center in Orange CIty, Iowa and hands-on training at one of the restaurants. The brand also has flexible build-out options, and offers freestanding locations or in-line and end-cap locations.

Pizza Ranch does not have a publicly available Item 19. However, according to the brand’s consumer-facing website, the top 10% of franchise owners see earnings that outpace the industry by 11%. Additionally, Pizza Ranch claims that between 2013 and 2022, its franchisees saw a 71% in growth in sales.

The initial investment required to open a Pizza Ranch franchise can range from $1,135,500 to $3,947,500. This investment is broken down into the following costs:

• Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment: $622,500 to $694,000
• Arcade Games: $330,000 to $360,000
• Leasehold Improvements: $0 to $1,037,100
• Construction Costs: $0 to $1,672,000
• Architect and Engineering Fees: $46,000 to $110,000
• Pre-Opening Training Expenses: $51,500 to $74,000
• Food Used During Team Member Training: $7,000 To $9,000
• Startup Costs: $23,500 To $43,500
• Interest on Pre-Opening Loans: $5,000 to $35,000
• Working Capital (Three Months): $20,000

Pizza Ranch also requires its franchisees to have a minimum net worth of $1 million and at least $400K in liquid assets.

The initial franchise fee required to operate a Pizza Ranch franchise is $30K. Franchisees must also pay an ongoing royalty of 4% of gross revenues.

• Adrie Groeneweg — President and Founder
• Jon Moss — SVP and Chief Brand Officer
• Scott Groeneweg — Executive VP
• Ross Groeneweg — Chief People and Strategy Officer
• Mark Souba — Chief Development Officer
• Kelley Crawford — VP of Supply Chain and Procurement
• Dean Kooima — VP of Finance
• Scott Schell — Chief Relations Officer
• Jeff Van Schepen — VP of Business
• Perry Krosschell — Chief Vision Officer