Pizza Ranch

Pizza Ranch, Inc., founded in 1981, is a Midwestern fast casual restaurant chain with more than 200 locations. It specializes in pizza and chicken.

Pizza Ranch was founded by Adrie Groeneweg and Lawrence Vander Esch. Vander Esch left the company in 2001 after being arrested and sent to prison for sexual abuse involving obtaining semen samples of his teen employees. The first restaurant opened December 21, 1981, in Hull, Iowa. The second Pizza Ranch opened in Orange City, Iowa in 1983.

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

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. 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.