The small town soul behind Pizza Ranch | Ross Groeneweg, Pizza Ranch | 052

Great teams make great restaurants. On The Pre-Shift, restaurant operators and industry experts dive into building great restaurant teams. We explore their stories, their strategies, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams. Hosted by D.J. Costantino. Presented by 7shifts.In this episode of the Pre Shift Podcast, host D.J. Costantino welcomes Ross Groeneweg, Chief People and Strategy Officer at Pizza Ranch. They discuss the history of the family-owned business, which started in 1981 and grew into a 218-location franchise. Ross explains the company's successful franchise model and the relationship between franchisees and corporate, ensuring a consistent employee experience. He shares his personal journey within Pizza Ranch, starting from high school, advancing through various positions, and eventually becoming a leader. Ross emphasizes Pizza Ranch's core values, vision, mission, and benefits of collaborative franchisee relationships and shared learnings. The episode concludes with a sneak peek at upcoming company initiatives, including a new wing night promotion.00:00 Introduction to the Pre-Shift Podcast00:18 Meet Ross Groenweg, Chief People and Strategy Officer at Pizza Ranch01:13 The Origin Story of Pizza Ranch02:55 Franchise Model and Corporate Partnership04:06 Ross's Journey Through Pizza Ranch07:15 Core Values and Vision of Pizza Ranch09:10 Challenges and Strategies in Employee Retention13:41 Collaborative Nature of Pizza Ranch Franchisees15:14 Career Growth and Opportunities at Pizza Ranch21:12 Future Plans and Exciting Initiatives22:09 Conclusion and FarewellSend us Fan Mail📲 Connect with usEmail usFollow on LinkedInMore 7shiftsSpotify | Apple Podcasts | Google PodcastsSubscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter7shifts on YouTubeFollow us on TikTokRead the 7shifts BlogAbout Us7shifts is a restaurant platform that helps operators and managers hire, train, schedule, pay and retain their restaurant teams. With an easy-to-use platform and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for over 55,000 restaurants.