Adrie Groeneweg: Multi-Generational Community Integration Drives Long-Term Enterprise Resilience

As a part of our series about 5 Things You Need To Run A Highly Successful Family Business, I had the pleasure of interviewing Adrie Groeneweg.

As President and Founder of Pizza Ranch, Inc., Adrie Groeneweg has led the company from the opening of the first restaurant in 1981 to today. Adrie now oversees the chain of 210+ restaurants in 14 states with annual revenues of over $260M. A true entrepreneur, Adrie exemplifies the Pizza Ranch vision, and is committed to providing a legendary guest experience and supporting the success of each Franchise Owner.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit of your “personal backstory? What is your background and what eventually brought you to this particular career path?

At just 19 years old, I was dividing my days between welding and working at a pizza parlor in the nearby town of Sioux Center. I began to notice a lot of people from my hometown in Hull, Iowa driving to Sioux Center for dinner at that pizza parlor. That night, I went home and shared my observations with my father, Bill.

My father saw a lot of potential in the pizza business and in me, so he found a building in Hull that had capabilities to be converted into a restaurant. From there, my father signed the note at the bank for this new business venture and the rest is history. My family came up with the Western theme decor and I created the recipes myself. Pizza Ranch welcomed its first guest on December 21, 1981.

Can you tell us a bit about your family business and your role in it?

My role has evolved over the years with Pizza Ranch. Presently, I spend most of my time listening to the needs and suggestions of our franchisees and managers. I’ve always believed the franchisees know the business best and it is their great ideas that have driven the success of Pizza Ranch.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?

Maybe others won’t find it interesting, but the most memorable things to me are all of the firsts. The first time we printed all of our locations on a napkin, the first radio ad, the first television ad, you know? I won’t ever forget seeing those become real for us.

What do you think makes your company stand out?

I believe Pizza Ranch’s vision of glorifying God by positively impacting the world, and mission of giving every guest a legendary experience are main differentiators in how we approach the business. Another stand out attribute is that our customer base is multi-generational. Our “Buffet Your Way” concept includes a wide selection of pizzas, crispy chicken, fresh salads, sides, and desserts. There’s something for every family member at Pizza Ranch. Some of our locations also have FunZone arcades. The arcades are interactive and provide entertainment for the whole family, which further adds value to the already legendary Pizza Ranch experience.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

We are extremely proud of the growth and demand for FunZone Arcades within our Pizza Ranch restaurants and have plans to open approximately 21 FunZones over the next year alone. Our FunZones also set Pizza Ranch apart, as it’s a place where families can gather for great food and a legendary experience to make memories. Who doesn’t love pizza and prizes?

We have also expanded recently to the Nashville market which is an exciting opportunity for us. Other key areas we are continuing to grow into are Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, northern Arkansas and southern Kansas.

Food innovation is also a big priority. When introducing new items, we have found a way to offer something delicious for the entire family, while keeping the buffet a focus. We have our staple menu favorites like the Bronco Pizza and Buffalo Chicken Pizza, as well as the Crispy Ranch Chicken. We are continuously reimagining the different food and sauce options as limited time offers, which our customers really enjoy.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Hands down, that’s my dad. The first time he talked to me about the Pizza Ranch idea I said no. I didn’t think it would work in our small town. This was back in the early 1980’s when people were struggling with a significant farm crisis. Anyone who lived during that time would remember interest rates at 17.5%, so it was a big risk trying to start something new like this.

I knew he was serious when he brought up the idea multiple times. Dad was always a risk taker, it’s just who he was. He signed for the building, got the initial equipment, signed the bank note and said, “Here you go.” The rest is history.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I would like to think that Pizza Ranch’s purpose is to make a difference in each community we serve, and making the world a better place by living out our vision and mission each day.

We created a program called “Community Impact Nights” that has been successful in bringing communities together to drive awareness to charitable causes at the local level. People in our communities have the opportunity to host charitable events and fundraisers at their local Pizza Ranch, which brings comradery and positive interaction between neighbors.

Internationally, we are a proud partner of the Tesfa Foundation since 2012. The Tesfa Foundation built and runs schools in the region of Ethiopia where Pizza Ranch sources its coffee. This was spearheaded by our Senior Vice President & Chief Brand Officer, Jon Moss. Pizza Ranch restaurants contribute fifty cents for every pound of coffee they use to help operate three schools which also provide a lunch program for the children.

Other organizations we partner with regularly include Wildwood Hills Ranch, Lifewise Academy, Kids Against Hunger and much more.

Ok thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main parts of our interview. How do you define a family business? How is a family business different from a regular business?

You know, I’ve never known anything other than a family business as I’ve been part of Pizza Ranch my entire adult life. I’m very thankful to have a brother working alongside me and I have three sons who want to carry this business into the future. I’m confident they’ll improve upon many things, especially when it comes to our vision and mission. And they’ll even do some things different than I would have done, and that’s okay too.

In your opinion or experience, what are the unique advantages that family-owned businesses have?

One of the best advantages I’ve seen over the years is how the communities will rally around a family-owned business. The places that become the most integrated with the lives of its community members receive the most support from those same people. We’ve seen many instances where a tragedy has fallen upon one of our franchisees or restaurants, and it’s the loyalty of the guests in those communities that help build the restaurant back up and support the franchisee during a challenging time.

Something that we’ve learned at Pizza Ranch is that we can’t just do what we want, we have to be thinking of our franchisees first and how all of our choices impact them.

What are the unique drawbacks or blind spots that family-owned businesses have?

My sons are learning from me and have through the years. We’re all cut from the same cloth with similar backgrounds and worldviews. Could this be a blind spot? Maybe not, but it could be.

What are some of the common mistakes you have seen family businesses make? What would you recommend to avoid those errors?

No answer

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders of family businesses to help their employees to thrive?

Don’t give your children responsibility that they can’t handle, especially in a position of authority. Have your kids prove themselves and work extra hard to make their own name so that they earn respect. Your kids need to live and learn, start them from the bottom and have them work their way up.

How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean with a story or example?

Over the years I have come to realize being transparent, hiring great people and listening are my greatest contributions as a leader. Our managers and franchisees know the business best and it is important we look to them for ideas and ways we can continue to innovate.

Here is our main question. What are the “3 Things You Need to Run a Highly Successful Family Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

1. A shared dream. Your family, especially those who want to share in the business, need to have the same dreams and passions for the business.
2. Well trained and capable next generation. Like I mentioned before, having that next generation work their way up instead of handing them responsibilities before they’re ready helps set them up for success.
3. Trust. Everyone needs to trust each other and the decisions that are made for the business.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed,” which goes along one I say frequently, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.” Being willing to try new things is something that Pizza Ranch has done from the beginning and is part of who we are.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

Tim Tebow. Love the guy, love what he stands for.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

When I think of all the people who work for us in the restaurants and being able to bring together people from all walks of life and giving them a safe place to be, a place for them to earn for their families, to learn a lot about life, that has real impact. For those lessons and experiences to be passed on to their next generations, the value of education, family, work ethic is what I want to bring to people.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Visit www.pizzaranch.com and follow us on social media @pizzaranchrestaurants

Thank you so much for sharing your time and your excellent insights! We wish you continued success.