734 E. 16th StreetIf a restaurant has an online ordering system, there is a good chance I’m going to take advantage of it.
That was the case last week when I made an unexpected trip to Holland during a snowstorm. I had a job that had to be done, so I braved the cold, snow, and crazy drivers on I-196.
As I was finishing up that job, I was hungry and I knew it was going to be slow going back to Grand Rapids. I needed to have food ready to go when I walked back in the door. No more stopping or getting out of the car until I got back.
Somewhere along my travels, I came across the Pizza Ranch. I knew it was there. I have drove by it several times, but from past experience, I knew the place as only a buffet restaurant. There was one almost within walking distance when I lived in Morton, IL, so I knew of and have enjoyed their pizza in the past.
As I was sitting in the car, I looked up the website and not only do they have a take out menu, they have online ordering. It took a few attempts for me to get my credit card information in right. My hands were cold dangit, but after the order was completed and my job was finished, I headed back towards town to pick up my food.
The Pizza Ranch in Holland is fairly new. It opened last April on 16th Street right in front of the Meijer near the intersection of 16th and Waverly. It’s one of four in the West Michigan area. The same family that owns the Holland location owns the one in Muskegon. The other two, in Kentwood and Jenison, have different owners but are part of the same franchise.
I was actually quite surprised to see how busy the parking lot was when I pulled in. It was a Tuesday night and it was snowing something fierce. Lucky for me, I didn’t need to find a parking spot. They have a drive-thru pick up window.
I decided I wanted more than just a pizza, so when I ordered, I opted for a small thin crust. I chose the Sriracha Pepperoni which, as you guessed, comes with Sriracha Sauce. I also ordered a two piece chicken dinner with a wing and a breast alongside Ranch wedges, coleslaw, and a biscuit. The total price was a little over $15 and it was ready for pick up when I pulled up to the window.
The drive back to Grand Rapids was long and slow, but I was anxious to get there so I could eat. After grabbing a Pepsi out of the vending machine, I started in on the chicken first. It was a pretty delicious juicy chicken with a crispy breading, but the breading didn’t contain a whole lot of extra flavor. The meat was cooked really well as it was still juicy on the inside to go along with the crispy outside. I just could have used a little something more on the taste. Still delicious. Still glad I ordered it.
The Ranch wedges were a little underwhelming. They were large hunks of potatoes that were almost burnt on the outside and almost raw on the inside. They were too big to cook properly. I wish I would have went with the waffle fries on this one.
The biscuit was a pretty standard buttermilk biscuit. Nothing special. Nothing out of the ordinary.
The pizza was something though. I ordered a thin crust just because I didn’t want a whole lot of pizza. I wanted some, but I wanted to try the chicken too. This pizza came with a super thin crust, a thick layer of cheese, a large helping of pepperoni and that spicy Sriracha sauce that just burned everything..exactly the way it was supposed to. I don’t put Sriracha on a lot of stuff like some people do, but I really liked the way it worked on this pizza. On it’s own, the pizza still would have been delicious. It was the perfect thickness for what I wanted and everything had a lot of flavor. The Sriracha just, as Emerald would say, kicked it up a notch.
I have found memories of Pizza Ranch when I used to eat at the buffet several years ago. I had never done a carry-out order with them and while the pizza was spot on, the chicken was only alright. It’s something I would eat off the buffet just so I don’t over stuff myself on pizza, but probably wouldn’t order it again for carry-out.
Pizza Ranch provided me with something I really needed at the time. Food. Good food. It’s a chain, so it’s a “always know what you’re going to get” type of deal, but sometimes, that’s the deal you’re looking for.
2 Piece Chicken Dinner w/Ranch Wedges
Breast and Wing w/Biscuit
Small Thin Crust Sriracha Pepperoni Pizza
Small Thin Crust Sriracha Pepperoni Pizza
