If there is one thing our city has a lack of, it's good arcades.

That of course, is information that was given to me by my 11-year-old son, Jacob.

We do visit Vertical Jump inside Kennedy Mall, and have found a few fun games in the arcade at the Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark, but other than that there aren't a lot of great places for kids.

When I saw some construction happening at Pizza Ranch, I stopped by to visit with Tony Powers, the General Manager for the location.

Pizza Ranch in Dubuque at 2020 Radford Road
Pizza Ranch in Dubuque at 2020 Radford Road
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Tony told me their location is currently adding about 2,250 square feet to the current restaurant to add an "Arcade Fun Zone!"

I asked if they were the first store to do this, and he mentioned of their 212 locations (across 14 states), they'll be one of just 29 locations with an arcade. He said Pizza Ranch will have about 60 arcade locations by the end of 2022.

The "Arcade Fun Zone" will feature over 20 games that include toy and candy cranes, and other ticket redemption games with their "play card system."

Tony seemed excited at the prospect of their redemption and prize counter, mentioning they would feature some "high-end" prizes like Nintendo Switch gaming systems and televisions.

If you want to shoot the works, you can do that... or you can save up your tickets for future visits to the restaurant.

The new addition at Pizza Ranch will allow for two new 'party rooms,' each holding about 24 patrons. These will be perfect for weekend birthday parties and other events with the whole family.

Tony said Pizza Ranch will also be tweaking their current buffet to give the restaurant a better flow.

Yesterday they were pouring new asphalt for the lot and today they were painting new lines. I asked Tony when we can expect to see the new addition and have some fun and he said hopefully in the first few weeks of January, 2022!

Chicken, pizza, and video games... what else do you need? We're looking forward to the new addition soon!

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