The Pizza Ranch in Monticello Announces It Is Permanently Closing

The first Pizza Ranch restaurant opened in Hull, Iowa in 1981. I searched the internet but couldn't find an exact date that the location in Monticello, Iowa opened. If my memory serves me correctly, It had to be sometime in the early 1990s. I graduated from high school in nearby Anamosa in 1993 and can remember eating at the Monticello Pizza Ranch while in high school. I'm sure someone will remember the exact date. The Jones County restaurant announced Tuesday that they would soon be closing.

In a Facebook post, the Pizza Ranch in Monticello announced that due to circumstances beyond their control, they would be closing their doors for good. In the post, the owners, Nick and Rick Danover, expressed gratitude to the Monticello community for years of friendship and loyalty. As the restaurant prepares to shut down, the post also notes that everything inside the store is for sale: kitchen equipment, furniture, decor, and non-perishable food items.

Until the restaurant closes for good, the post states that they will still be serving the community until they run out of chicken, dough, and cheese. They warn customers that many menu items may not be available.

The reaction to the closure is what you would expect. A small town is losing a local restaurant. A place where they gathered for meals and meetings. Local jobs are gone. Closures like this hit harder in small towns where residents have fewer dining options. It is another reminder that in this current economy, please do what you can to support your local establishments.