Things are going smoothly for Emporia’s Pizza Ranch, according to owner Rich Avery.
About 600 customers bellied up to the buffet bar over the weekend for the “soft” opening of the restaurant at 3000 W. 18th Ave. It opened its doors to the public at 11 a.m. today.
According to the company’s Web site, Pizza Ranch started in Hull, Iowa, in 1981 and is the largest regional pizza chain in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Emporia’s Pizza Ranch is the first in Kansas. Emporia’s Hastco company put up the building, according to information in Gazette files.
The restaurant offers more than just pizza, Avery said.
“We have chicken, too, with mashed potatoes and veggies,” he said. “We have an afternoon and evening buffet, along with a salad bar. And everything we offer is available for delivery.”
Avery said Emporia is just the right place for an expanding franchise.
“... We drove through a lot of towns in Kansas, like Lawrence,” he said. “We liked Emporia right away. It’s a nice place, and we felt like the town and its demographics would be a good fit for the company.”
During an interview in August, Avery said he was looking forward to working with community groups as part of the company’s policy of community outreach.
“One of our biggest things is to work with a lot of organizations, like schools and booster clubs. We offer a lot of fundraising opportunities for these groups.”
For instance, he said, one activity the company offers is to have members of a certain group come in and work in the dining room for an afternoon or an evening. The company then donates a portion of the sales to the group.
“We also sell pizza through concession stands and we’ll donate those proceeds.”
Comments
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
Happiness09 (anonymous) says...
I hear that the manager of Pizza Hut is not too thrilled about the Pizza Ranch opening. In fact, the story is that she had refused to serve the construction workers that were working on the site when the Pizza Ranch was going in. Anybody else hear about this?
December 29, 2008 at 4:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Hope none of the workers were minorities. She would put her company in great $$$$$ danger
December 29, 2008 at 5:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
This is great news! It's very difficult to find pizza or chicken in that area of town. That's just great!
December 29, 2008 at 6:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sunshine (anonymous) says...
just what we needed...another pizza place and another chicken place...i would much rather have a place that serves healthier food. my family will not be patronizing pizza ranch.
December 30, 2008 at 9:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
sunshine
Just out of curiosity, what type of healthier food?
Subway has kinda healthier food but that wasn't their initial intent, it's more of a marketing after thought.
It would be nice to have a place that served healthier food but the market doesn't seem to be there.
I have to admit though as a short fat guy I will probably have to try Pizza Ranch but not for a few months as the diet starts Monday. Hopefully I will be able to change my habits enough that when I do try it I can control myself and not eat an entire large pizza and a whole fried chicken myself, but I've said that before.
December 30, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sunshine (anonymous) says...
seriouslyfolks
I was thinking along the lines of a Jason's Deli...there are much healthier choices there. Subway isn't too bad..but not much on variety if you want healthy. I have been on a crusade to change my eating habits and consequentally my families too. We have made alot of changes and that includes not eating out as much and making good choices when we do. Unless this Pizza Ranch offers good salads then it will not be for me. I do like Papa Johns and Wheat State because as far as pizza goes I can build my own and therefore choose not to have all the bad stuff. Good luck with your diet! I am convinced now more than ever that it is all about your mind set. The longer you go the easier it gets.
December 30, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sunshine (anonymous) says...
correction: it's Papa Murphy's not Papa John's...see this is how rarely we go out to eat. BTW..i have lost about 45 lbs since May...alot due to not eating out.
December 30, 2008 at 12:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
sunshine
Good luck to you as well!
Your right, not eating out is the healthiest way to go. Unfortunately it's so easy just to go out and not have to worry about cooking and cleaning up after. Self discipline is definitely the key.
December 30, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pollyanna (anonymous) says...
It used to drive me crazy the way my mom made stuff ahead and froze it for later in the week. Now that I've been a working mom for the last ten years..guess what? Turns out the lady is/was a genius.
We've also made a family vow to cut back on the fast food and eating out. Has helped the pocketbook and our waistlines, too! Hardest part for me has been planning and organizing meals and doubling healthy recipes to store in the freezer. I agree with seriouslyfolks that self discipline as well as organization is the key!
December 30, 2008 at 1:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OutsiderJ (anonymous) says...
I had lunch at Pizza Ranch today. Good pizza. I recommend the barbeque chicken, the roundup, and the taco pizza. The fried chicken was good too (not like mom used to make), but pretty good for a restaraunt. The salad bar looked ample and the folks I was with that used it said the veggies were nice and fresh.
December 30, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LifeGoesOn (anonymous) says...
i tried the pizza ranch today, Good salad bar, fresh. pretty good chicken, better than KFC. The pizza.... I'll stick with Pizza Hut.
December 30, 2008 at 9:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mommy_15 (anonymous) says...
My family tried Pizza Ranch on Monday. It was REALLY good! I think the pizza was WAY better than Pizza Hut! I liked the fact that you could request a certain kind of pizza for the buffet. I also liked that fact that it was not just pizza! The mashed potatoes and gravy were AWESOME and so was the chicken!
I also agree with eating at home but eating out once or twice a month is okay by me.
December 31, 2008 at 9:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyon (anonymous) says...
I ate at Pizza Ranch about a week ago with my family. It was good and bad. First, I felt it was waaaay over priced! The pizza was average, too much sauce and not enought topping.
The service was good and enjoyed the salad bar.
Soo overall I give it a 6 and we won't be returning, as it was too expensive for a family of four for pizza.
Nice try Emporia, but a no go....How about a Red Lobster, Italian Garden or a Chilies?
January 6, 2009 at 1:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Where is good pizza dirt cheap?
January 6, 2009 at 4:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pingeon (anonymous) says...
lyon - You cannot have choice and quality without a higher price. Red Lobster and Italian Garden won't even consider Emporia. Their prices are higher than Pizza Ranch and the town won't support it. I'm sorry you didn't like Pizza Ranch, but it is comical you name 2 other restaurants that are higher priced you would like to see after saying Pizza Ranch cost too much.
January 6, 2009 at 6:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaGarrison (anonymous) says...
good salad bar, didn't see low fat dressing. several people told me pizza tasted "weird". i got the chicken, potatoes and corn - tasted just like my high school's lunches... way too costly to go back. worth a try but wouldn't do it again. managers are nice.
January 8, 2009 at 11:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )