Food was good and service was good. seemed like they could struggle to keep things in the chicken the buffet part. it was was thursday at lunch and I was looking forward to trying the chicken wings. the chicken wing tub was empty for the entire forty five minutes that we were there. so I never got to try that even though I was there on the day that they have them. i did enjoy a nice salad and theswert chili pizza. i love that pizza. they seemed to kerp up on the pizza well and had a nice variety. sure would have liked to try those wings. the sauce looked delicious. read more

I've gone to Pizza Ranch many times at different locations and in different states. This was by far the worst experience I've ever had. The pizza they had out was old and cold. I even told the manager that the pizza needed to be removed and replaced with fresh food. She said ok, but did absolutely nothing our entire visit. They did bring out some fresh breadsticks. Whoo Hoo. The only redeeming feature, was I had a fresh hot piece of chicken. The other items on the hot table we're very bland. The salad bar was frest though, and my wife enjoyed that. I got to "Pizza" Ranch for their pizza and I ended up with 2 old and cold pieces of pepperoni. Do your self a favor and find a different locating. They are all over Des Moines. read more

AVOID THIS ONE LIKE A PLAGUE! This one we definitely got a surprise. We were supposed to have a really good deal for the dinner surprise pizza deal for $5.99 and we picked it up and I left a really good review for i thought I was satisfied with the good customer service. But no it was not good, as soon as I got home I opened up and saw that the pizza was frozen. Called their restaurant and told them what happened and how I was unhappy with this, I told them I got home from work and didn't want to cook anything and this how i received for $6 bucks is frozen food? That's the whole point to pick up food from them so that i didn't have to cook anything or heat up my house from the oven since it's already hot outside and inside of my house. I was told by an employee on the phone that they always pack up the leftover food in the pizza box and throw it in the freezer, I told him no and that last time I got the good deal from them is when the food was hot. He told me that the last time it was like was because someone left it under a heater, I told him that's bs and that I payed 6 dollars for something that is completely not hot! Waste of money and who knows how long my pizza has been frozen, 6 months maybe? Anyways I told that was unacceptable and how food was supposed to be hot, he hanged up on me. Worse food, worse customer service I had ever have, never going to that location EVER! I suggested that you guys should go someplace if you don't want to get ur pizza pick up from drive thru or delivery. This place needs better service, better employees, better hot food. I should not receive cold rock food from here on out, don't go here! read more

Britney no longer honors veterans at this location by refusing to apply the veterans discount. In the middle of a pandemic everyone is trying to save where they can. In fact this is not something I use on a regular basis. But given jobs are in flux, etc., just trying to pinch corners. When that is pointed out this Pizza Ranch (Britney) says, "We have to make money too"; Britney says she can't offer a few dollars off for a veteran. Shameful position for a business to put forth in light of the "$1-2 million" Pizza Ranch received as part of the pandemic business bailout (PPP) See screenshot below. read more

Pizza Ranch - Pizza Ranch Loan bailout. - Pizza Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

We stopped here after Adventureland per the kids request. The general manager stopped by to personally thank is for coming out and was very friendly and attentive. Staff was very nice. read more

They usually mess up something on my order but it's always fast and on time the quality is kind of low for pizza Ranch sometimes I get it's a hit or miss read more

Pizza Ranch - New Pretzel crust pizza - Pizza Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

I love Pizza Ranch. I wish they had one near Dallas, Texas :) On Saturday I sampled a variety of their lunch buffet items. Delicious fried chicken and Cactus Bread. The cheese sticks were paired perfectly with the marinara. My family loved the fresh potato chips. It is probably good that I have to travel to visit Pizza Ranch, or I would eat it every day! read more

Pizza Ranch - two slices of pizza on a plate - Pizza Near Me - Altoona, Iowa

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Great store, fairly clean and well ran. They were busy during our visit but the buffett was well stocked. The salad bar needed some help and the ice was out in one of the machines. Their staff is friendly and for the most part it was quick and clean service! read more

First time at Pizza Ranch in Altoona, IA, great first visit, great pizza variety. Staff were friendly and courteous. Not too busy, just right. read more

Quite possibly the worst place ever. 6 YEARS of dealing with horrible customer service, rude manager's, disgusting dinning room and amazing food. I could swear this place off if it wasn't for the delicious food! Tonight I called in at 8:10, she put me on hold until 8:16. I asked for delivery and she said "Sorry, we stop delivering at 8:15." It's a waste to get good customer service there so I just hung up. Pizza Hut gladly takes my money and delivers great food. I was hoping with new ownership, there would be better staff. UPDATE: it's now July 1. Their delivery driver might not be coming in, but they'll take my order, it might be "like at least an hour and a half." Again, apparently Pizza Ranch does not want my money. I get to pick up a newly discovered great chicken location at The Butler Cafe in Bondurant. I suggest you do the same, or drive thru KFC. Pizza Ranch isn't the only good fried chicken. Even Popeyes is right up the road. read more

Buffett was empty more than not. Never any dessert pizza where there was a place for 3. Even the salad bar was empty and staff was rarely seen. No one came to collect dirty plates from our table nor any around us the entire time we were there. More than once people had to request plates or silverware. 2 stars is me being generous. read more

Had a slight error on my delivery order. Called the restaurant and spoke to Bailey. Very impressed with her professionalism and taking extended time to help me understand what happened and how to avoid a reoccurrence next time. Thanks Bailey. Great job helping me. read more

5/9/19-I tried again ordering delivery from Altoona Pizza Ranch. (I just love their food!) As I mentioned earlier, they are now 20% for correct delivery orders. This was the best so far. We got everything we ordered except only 9 pieces of chicken in the 10 piece box. Sigh. I've decided to find it amusing. Holy cow. I am not exaggerating- more often than not, our delivery order is wrong from the Altoona location! Tonight we received our delivery order - missing the salad and the ranch stix. We called, they brought the salad and cheese stix. Wrong again. I give up read more

It's weird. I'm at a pizza place and I only like the chicken. The only good thing is if you request a pizza that isn't on display they will make it for you. I know a lot of groups go here for convenience. read more

We were driving through Des Moines and were looking for a place to eat. This was our third choice as the other two destinations had a substantial wait. We opted for the buffet for this trip. When the question of, "what is Pizza Ranch?" pops up in your mind here is what I found as the best way to describe it. If Cici's Pizza and Old Country Buffet had a child, this is what it would be. At this particular location, they were struggling to keep their heads on their shoulders. Not once did a dirty plate get cleared from our table and there were 5 plus tables that had been stacked with plates from previous diners experience and were yet to be touched. The team there struggled to keep food in the wells, but they fought hard. They brag about their fried chicken and it really isn't half that bad. A bit on the greasy side but it packs a nice crunch. The biscuits were enjoyable as well, not at flaky as other establishments. Waffle fries were over done and fried potato skins were a hit. The pizzas had a nice variety, from toppings to thin crust. Overall, the experience was fine with low expectations. It's not on my radar of must haves by any stretch of the imagination. read more

Pizza, salad bar, ice cream, and chicken buffet. What's not to like? Wait staff picks up quickly (difficult to accomplish at a buffet). Friendly people. read more

I was never told when my order would be ready. After waiting over an hour I called. They said it was ready waiting to be picked up. The chicken was dried up and so hard you couldn't eat it. It had obviously been setting for a long time. read more

This place is terrific. Everyone can be happy and eat. Pizza (all different types!!!), salad, chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, gravy, dessert pizza... All you can eat buffett! The cheese sticks are amazing. The place is clean and Kevin who works in front is very nice. I want a pizza ranch in Utah. They also have gluten free options (although you have to order it separate from the buffet) I guess they have a Mac and cheese pizza! read more

*Duplicate Review* *There is another page for the same location* I have eaten at multiple Pizza Ranches in the area and I would say this may be one of the better ones. It was busy when I went to this location, I usually enjoy going to eat at buffets when the lunch or dinner rush is over They did a good job keeping their pizza stocked with different variety. Food quality shouldn't even be discussed, their chicken is moist and pizzas flavorful, end of story. I have always enjoyed Pizza Ranch more than CiCis, and although Pizza Ranch is more expensive, it is worth the extra cost Staff is always friendly. read more

Get dragged here pretty often by family due to the value of it in regards to feeding a family, but have gotten to the point where I now refuse. Pizza is a joke. Best option they have is the dessert pizza (cactus bread). Used to like the chicken until I got a piece that was almost raw inside. Yeah, no more Pizza Ranch for me. read more

Went here with a friend. No place to park RV's. They serve a buffet lunch with different pizzas. They didn't have a "vegetarian" per se, but they had a "prairie" pizza with olives, onions, and mushrooms. Closest they had. They also had dessert pizzas, interesting. Ok for lunch, not the best to me. read more

Nothing was refilled. Half of the salad bar was empty. Very little in the chicken bar as well. Everything is very greasy even my kids commented on it. They did like the cheesy bread though. read more

Only giving this a 1 star because I have to for the review. We live close by and really like their food. We have visited this restaurant numerous times and have never really been satisfied. The last time we visited I cannot tell you all that was wrong but there was too much wrong. We ordered a special pizza when we arrived and they weren't that busy. We visited the buffet three different times and we're finished with dessert and still had not received our special order pizza. When I went up to my inquire about it the girl running the register was on the phone and continued her private conversation loud enough for me to understand that someone needed a timeout. I continued to wait for her to finish her call as she glared at me numerous times. I left and came back twice before she was finally off the phone. I inquired about our special order and she said she would check in it. I was ready to give up. So she goes in the back and returned with the order almost immediately and gave me my two pieces which were Luke warm like the pizza sat back there for 20 minutes under a heat lamp. I also informed her that the crap they called potato soup had a really bad flavor and she said "Yeah you're like the 5th one to complain about that." You think you would have remove it after the first valid complaint. The whole time we were there the lettuce in the salad bar was empty, the gravy was empty, and there was a third of a dessert pizza that looked like it was aged to perfection. I have complained to Pizza Ranch HQ before on this location and I never heard anything in return, it is like they don't care and between the piss poor service and the attitude from the staff, I am done with this restaurant and to be honest, I may just write off the entire franchise. Pizza Ranch in Altoona needs a ton of fixing! Somebody needs to care. read more

Pizza was not even as good as Dominos, I'm sorry to say. Salad bar was pretty good. Meat station average. The only thing that really stood out for me was the dessert pizza. If they used that style of crust for the regular pizza (but unsweetened) it would be a vast improvement. I need to mention the service too. Aside from folks tending the buffet line we really saw nothing in the way of table service. The plates piled up. It was ugly, folks... read more

Best fried chicken dinner EVER ... sorry mom !!!! Seasoned perfectly and steaming hot AND delivered too ! Awesome Deliciousness !

Charged my credit card twice! When I called to ask for a refund got the third degree. Really!?

I love Pizza Ranch chicken but this location overcooks it 90% of the time. They also play christian rock music which makes me want to stick a fork in my ear. read more

It's ok. I fell in love with Pizza Ranch when we lived in Omaha, Ne and went to the one in Council Bluffs, Ia. Unfortunately NONE holds a candle to that one. It is the best one we have eaten at, and we have been to PR in Omaha, Missouri Valley, Ankeny, and now Altoona. The thing that was most disappointing with this one for me was that they did not play Christian music. The one thing I love about going there is we can go and my kids don't have to hear songs about drinking and sex or "making love" etc. The service was ok, but no one there even so much as smiled. None of them looked like they even liked their job. read more

The buffets are never kept stocked up. The floor has food on it. The ice cream machine was out. Hardly ever saw anyone clearing tables. I had specially ordered a pizza and didn't get it until we were leaving. They did box it up so i could take it home but that didn't help much. Employees hung out by the drive up window eating and gossiping. One guy named Ronnie looked like he didn't want to be doing his job. No smile no friendly service and he didn't start clearing tables until after just about every table had piles of dirty dishes and he only went to the tables where the customers had already left and he was the slowest person i had ever seen. The supposed manager named bailey looked 16 and she appeared to not know what she was doing. The entire time i can hear yelling coming from the back. This place needs to hire people with experience and clean house or shut down read more

The management is terrible! They are not willing to upgrade anything! The old management would let you order more and pay extra, but this management is rude and I hate that is the only place to get chicken near me. They are clueless on coupons and argue with you when you say it's a pizza ranch coupon. I miss the old manager he was great and made sure customers were happy. read more

They where really busy, couldn't find a clean table to sit at. Most of the tables where out of napkins, and they did a very poor job at replenishing the pizza. On a positive note the lady at the front counter was really nice and happy! read more

We took the grandchildren to Jolly Holiday Lights wonderful!!! Then went to Pizza Ranch in Altoona... Friday at 5pm; no chicken, potatoes,or gravy out.. asked staff about it... 25 min. later chicken and fixings arrived to bar. No cheese pizza, ordered supreme pizza never came out while we were there. No lettuce in salad bar. Positive...one the food came out it was good; but when you have 6 children and have to wait for food not good. We should have returned to Ankeny we have never had problems there. read more

Dined at the Pizza Ranch in Altoona last night. The service was great, but they were very slow in putting out pizzas on the buffet line. The best way to get the pizza you want is to order it for your table, and it comes out pretty quickly. It wasn't too crowded either, which was nice. All in all, we had a good experience just would have like to see a faster turn on pizzas on the line. read more

Pizza and cheese bread were decent. Free delivery and Delivery guy was kind. I'd prefer other pizza over it though.

I frequented this location years ago on a weekly basis and at that time was my favorite lunch place. In the last few years it has steadily gone downhill to the point that I would not go back. I tried it today and could not be happier. The new management has the restaurant back to where it was years ago. If you have not been there lately give them another try. I think you will be satisfied. read more

Had lunch today at 11:20 AM. The chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans were cold. The chicken was greaser than it has ever been. There were only three very greasy pizzas on the buffet. The whole time I was there I did not see a server. I have been coming here for years and have never had a situation like this. read more

Honestly I go to Pizza Ranch for 2 reasons- my kids like it and I like the fact they do the fundraiser night and are very supportive of community programs in that way. Well we will find another option to support these programs. Our church youth group recently did one of these community fundraiser evenings. Pizza Ranch has now changed how they do this this night and any patron supporting there group must show a flyer when paying. No problem our youth were adamant about letting our congregation know they needed the flyer. Pizza Ranch was packed that night and all with flyers in hand or on our phone which we were told that was fine. My bill alone was over $100 which at 10% is $10 back to our youth. Our youth received a check this week for only $22.53. So no longer will I or any of my family go to Pizza Ranch. I will also be passing the word around about this short coming. Our youth leader has put in calls and has no luck resolving the issue. Too bad another establishment more worried about money instead doing the right thing. read more

Brian,the manager, is the greatest! He greeted us with such enthusiasm. He made our daughter feel very special on her birthday weekend. We had stopped in because we were traveling home to Texas. When our kids were growing up, we had always stopped at Pizza ranches whenever we were in Iowa visiting family. Love pizza ranch! read more

Our first time to a pizza ranch and pleasantly surprised. Rachel at register was very knowledgeable and curteous. Food was warm and plentiful and both of us got our favorites read more

Ate at Pizza Ranch today for the first time. Was not impressed at all. Food was cold, salad bar was nasty , things spilled all over. They had pizza out that no one was eating. Only thing that was edible was the fruit pizza. Will never go there again. Staff was not friendly at all. What a waste of money. read more