100-Plus FunZones!

Arcades Now a Cornerstone for Pizza Ranch Chain

By Matt Harding

Back in 2010, franchisee Todd Pharis brought an exciting new idea to Pizza Ranch – an arcade concept he was eager to launch at his Sioux Falls West location. What started as a bold, local experiment quickly proved to be a game-changer. The arcade’s overwhelming success transformed the guest experience and sparked something bigger. Soon, the brand that had been serving its signature pizza since 1981 leveled up, rolling out the FunZone Arcades concept to locations across the country.

Another influential group that helped take the FunZone concept to the next level was longtime Pizza Ranch franchisees Mike and Angie Christianson, and their COO, Tim Mazzaferro of Wagons West Management. Passionate about pushing boundaries, they brought FunZone Arcades to life across their locations throughout Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota – continually elevating the experience along the way.

That momentum keeps growing. Most recently, Wagons West Management unveiled the largest FunZone Arcade yet in Great Falls, Montana. Spanning 6,000 sq. ft., this next-level arcade features more than 70 games and is nearly triple the size of a typical FunZone, setting a bold new standard for fun.

This past February, the brand reached an incredible milestone – the launch of its 100th FunZone Arcade at the Council Bluffs Pizza Ranch in Iowa. The company says this landmark achievement marks a major moment in the continued growth of their FunZone concept, underscoring just how far the model has expanded and how strongly it continues to resonate with Pizza Ranch guests.

Joe Vander Stelt, who has served as the FunZone brand manager since December 2021, first joined in 2017–2018 as the company continued developing the FunZone franchise model. From the outset, he played a key role in shaping the program, focusing on franchisee feedback, brand standards, vendor management, operations, game selection, design concept and standard operating procedures.

“While Pizza Ranch does not require existing franchisees to add a FunZone Arcade, many choose to do so,” Vander Stelt explained. “In fact, approximately 60-70 FunZones have been added to previously opened Pizza Ranch restaurants, reflecting strong franchisee enthusiasm for the concept. It is now a brand standard that all our new Pizza Ranch locations open with a FunZone Arcade.”

A key factor in the success of the Pizza Ranch FunZone Arcade brand has been its strong network of vendor partners who help bring the concept to life. Vander Stelt explained the company maintains multiple vendor relationships that compete for franchisee business, “an approach that provides operators with flexibility and choice while driving continued innovation and service quality.”

Among those partners, Betson Enterprises plays a significant role as a strategic provider of arcade equipment, with Ron Hunt noted as instrumental in supporting the brand’s growth and success. The company also works closely with Shaffer Distributing, another valued partner in expanding the FunZone footprint.

On the redemption side, BMI Merchandise and Redemption Plus help ensure a strong and engaging prize experience for guests. Vander Stelt emphasized that these relationships go far beyond traditional vendor arrangements – they function as true strategic partnerships that have directly contributed to the brand’s growth.

On the card system and cashless front, Embed is FunZone’s exclusive card system and cashless platform provider, and has been so since the very beginning, providing a foundational technology backbone for the guest experience.

A FunZone for Everyone

Pizza Ranch is a family-owned, faith-based company driven by its mission, “To give every guest a legendary experience,” and its vision, “To glorify God by positively impacting the world.”

In alignment with those guiding principles, the company says it has intentionally focused on expanding into markets where demand for family entertainment is high, but offerings are often limited. This is particularly true in Midwest communities and smaller markets with populations of 20,000 or less, Vander Stelt said, adding, “Our FunZones are helping recreate these community hubs for social engagement.”

This strategic growth also extends into additional border states within the company’s footprint, including new locations planned in Texas this year, and future expansion into Idaho and Tennessee. Overall, the company anticipates opening 12-20 FunZone Arcades annually over the next three to five years.

The first Pizza Ranch opened in 1981 in Hull, Iowa. The spark of the idea came to Adrie Groeneweg when he was just 19 years old and working part-time as a welder. He picked up a job (and experience) working part-time for a pizza place in a nearby town and then convinced his father, Bill, to help him get a start in his own pizza business. Fun Fact: It was Adrie’s parents who suggested a Western theme. The integration of the FunZone Arcade came in 2010 (see the other timeline photo at right.)

What sets Pizza Ranch apart in the competitive restaurant-and-entertainment space, Vander Stelt noted, is its foundation as a restaurant-first brand. “There are many other pizza arcades and lots of concepts that have done pizza and arcade, but we were a restaurant first for 30 years, so we do the food side of the business very well. The arcade enhances our guest experience.” He added that this impact is measurable, with locations featuring FunZone Arcades consistently outperforming those without in both traffic and revenue.

A key driver of this evolution has been company founder and president Adrie Groeneweg, whose leadership has emphasized adaptability and responsiveness to guests and franchisees. “One of the things that makes Adrie such a great leader and has brought him a lot of success is a willingness to adapt and change the Pizza Ranch model for our guests and franchisees and their needs,” Vander Stelt shared.

From introducing buffet service and chicken to launching FunZone Arcades, many of the company’s most impactful innovations have stemmed directly from franchisee input and guest feedback. As Vander Stelt summarized, “It’s all about adapting and changing and listening to our community.”

If you want to learn about FunZone Arcades, visit: www.pizzaranchfunzone.com, and to learn more about becoming a Pizza Ranch franchisee, visit: www.pizzaranchfranchise.com.