Pizza Ranch is scheduled to open November 9 at 2201 County Highway W in Wisconsin Rapids, bringing its pizza, fried chicken and dessert buffet to a new building near Home Depot. A FunZone arcade is part of the opening, too.
A ribbon cutting is planned for 10 a.m. November 4, with invitation-only lunch and dinner training service before the public opening, according to The Wisco Wire, citing the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.
Angie and Gary Hall of Kellner own and will operate the restaurant. Both bring experience with the chain: March reporting identified Gary as general manager of the Stevens Point-area Pizza Ranch and Angie as a district manager overseeing several Wisconsin locations.
The restaurant’s official page confirms pizza, chicken, salads, sides and desserts, including Cactus Bread with its cinnamon streusel and icing. The reported menu also includes mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, potato wedges, green beans, corn and coleslaw.
Pizza Ranch also offers Buffet Your Way: request a pizza missing from the line and staff will make it and give you the first slice. That should save a few hopeful laps around the buffet.
The restaurant has taken longer to arrive than first anticipated. A March 25 report by Caitlin Shuda of USA TODAY Network, carried by The Daily Reporter, described an 8,137-square-foot building with a September opening target. Crews began clearing land March 24. A May 27 storm knocked down walls and beams, delaying work by a couple of weeks, according to The Wisco Wire. By September, the estimated opening had moved to early November.
The FunZone is expected to start with 25 games, with two larger games arriving during the first couple of weeks. Reported prizes include gift cards and packages featuring local schools, teams and businesses. A party room will have screens for watching the arcade area and for meetings or presentations.
The buffet-and-arcade pairing has become a growing part of Pizza Ranch’s business. The company opened its 100th FunZone in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in February.
Regular hours in Wisconsin Rapids are expected to be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Adult buffet prices are not yet listed on the official local page.
