Pizza Ranch — Restaurant in Little Falls

This particular trip to this specific location on February 24th was nothing short of disastrous. We arrived at the counter at 1:07, did not receive any senior discount, and did not receive the $5.00 discount we had coming from our members card.

A group from what I believe was the technical college was sprawled out across several tables and booths. There were a few spots occupied only by a single person from this group. The only booth available hadn't been cleaned yet but I put my coat down to claim it as others were lined up behind us looking for seating also.

I poured our drinks and the table was being wiped down when I returned to put them down.

After returning from making a salad we found no silverware, salt/pepper had been removed and no napkins available. Even the napkin holders were empty on the table as well as 2 of the food stations when I went back to the buffet to get us silverware.

I only saw one employee out on the floor who seemed overwhelmed by everything that was expected of her. (Which I can definitely empathize with!)

Only one of us got any chicken - a wing and a small thigh.

We kept getting up and checking for more chicken as we couldn't see the buffet where we were seated and when it did come out, after the short walk from the booth to the buffet table, there was only a bone from a wing and one thigh left. The student group had left already, and two of the three tables that remained occupied had been there when we arrived and had finished eating.

Did the four people at the other table grab all the chicken? I can't imagine that they did that, so I have to wonder how much was put out between 1:07 and 1:25?

We kept vigilant in keeping an eye out for a new batch that never came. I was just getting up to inquire as more people came to the counter to purchase the buffet. I heard the cashier tell them the buffet ended at 1:30 and there wouldn't be more coming out. I don't know if they were offered a discount or not as I just turned around and went back to our booth.

Being lactose intolerant due to a milk and cheese allergy, selections were extremely limited. There were plenty of mashed potatoes and gravy, but that's not a meal either.

We have never encountered any of these things before at any of the Pizza Ranches during either of the lunch or supper buffets. I don't know the policies so can't speak to it specifically, but I think if you arrive here at 1 pm or any minute later, make sure to inquire if there will be any chicken available to your table before you pay full buffet price for only lettuce, croutons...

This Pizza Ranch is not like the others. A Saturday afternoon visit. We haven't been to hundreds of Pizza Ranch restaurants but have been to at least a dozen different locations in multiple states, I think that number should give a good cross section of what to expect when you go to a Pizza Ranch. As always let's start with the good aspects of our visit. First the staff were kind and helpful. The place was clean (with a caveat), the salad bar was well supplied with fresh ingredients and they made our special order pizza quick. I guess that's about it for the good stuff. I wish I could say more good things. Second; the not so good parts of our visit. It was a blisteringly hot day today, however the restaurant was just about as hot inside as it was outside and very humid inside. There was definitely an issue with operating the HVAC system, perhaps even more frustrating was that the ceiling fans were not running until I asked the staff to turn them on. Every PR location I have been to has had fresh lemon or at least lemon juice packets, there were none to be found here today. The salad bar only had iceberg lettuce?? And no cottage cheese, I could not find any blue cheese dressing or hard boiled egg. The thin crust on our special order pizza was perfect, I was however disappointed that there was only "to go" foil paper packs of parmesan and peppers, when I'm eating in a restaurant I expect to see shakers. As far as the hot food goes my bride commented that the mashed potatoes were real dry and un-appetizing. She managed to get a couple good broasted chicken legs. When I went to the hot food the fresh batch of chicken was overcooked and smelled burnt. (See picture). I asked them to prepare a fresh batch but alas they ignored my request. Finally the floors were slippery as though someone had mopped the floor with greasy water, a treacherous walk for someone wearing an Aircast boot and using a cane. To make matters even worse the toilet seat was so loose i thought I was going to slide right off the thing. Usually when you leave a buffet restaurant it's your own damn fault if you leave hungry. Today was an...

Update: October 2023 Just had the most wonderful pizza here AGAIN!! Crust was cooked to perfection, toppings were delicious and plentiful!! YUM

This makes the 3rd time that their crusts (not only thin crusts) have been done to perfection! Way to go!!! —————————————

Below is a review as of late May 2023.

Prices have gone up and are no longer as reasonable, as stated in older reviews.

Also be aware they are ending their Wednesday senior deal.

We appreciate the workers struggles when they are understaffed. The ‘Pizza Ranch’ name can bring in large crowds, which can be daunting with limited staff! Truthfully, wait-times here can be quite long.

Pizza crusts at this location are under-done, even on thin crusts, -especially on ‘guest requests’.

For pizza that sits on the buffet long enough, the crust becomes passable but often the topping suffer. The situation is completely fixable.

They have shown that they can do it, but don’t, even when properly staffed. Whoever P.R. Corporate utilizes for quality in this region should have been replaced long ago.

Their salad bar is generally acceptable to good. (Though missing some items that larger locations stock.)

The chicken is usually quite good. Occasionally it can be allowed to dry out, but not often.

We’re fans of the hazelnut coffee (when it’s not out or cold, which unfortunately tends to be the rule not the exception) & ice cream (nut toppings, chocolate, fudge & caramel would also be welcome).

The bathroom floors are always sticky… and not at all adequate for buses or other large groups of people.

While we want to encourage those employees that are hardworking, this review is for those seeking an honest, balanced review.

We have eaten at many Pizza Ranch’s, this one does ok. Also we have experience having worked in a buffet style eatery. The staff has really worked hard to up their friendliness game & that is awesome!

Sadly they have removed the 3 booths they had instead of adding more.

Yes, there’s room for improvement and we’re...