Peter Arkle
Illustration of the Soulard location by Peter Arkle (peterarkle.com)
Photo by George Mahe
Twisted Ranch, the ranch-themed restaurant that has garnered national attention, plans to move from Soulard to the Central West early next year. It's slated to relocate to 14 Maryland Plaza, the 7,000-square-foot space that previously housed Bar Louie.
“The lease in Soulard is expiring in January, and the CWE lease has been secured,” says Jim Hayden, who owns the concept alongside Chad Allen. Hayden adds that the plan is to reopen the 150- to 200-seat space as soon as possible. “The building is in great shape, and we’re not moving any walls—it’s all cosmetic,” he says. “Assuming the city approves the move, we should be able to do renovate the space very quickly.”
The Menu
Every item on the menu is either tossed in ranch, spread with ranch, or served with a side of ranch, of which there are currently 34 homemade variations. (A lazy susan-esque Fry Flight features 13 of them.) Options include appetizers, flatbreads, pastas, sandwiches, wraps, and sides, including specials that run the gamut from Southwest Chicken Chili and Loaded T-Ravs to Twisted Fried Green Tomatoes and Cajun Ranched Fish & Chips. “Nothing is un-ranchable,” the website notes.
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Courtesy of Twisted Ranch
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Courtesy of Twisted Ranch
Ranch breaded fried green tomatoes, garnished with spring mix, red tomato relish, feta cheese, and drizzled with housemade Cajun ranch
The restaurant’s beverage selection spans more than two dozen options: cocktails, mocktails, and martinis (the Twisted Mary gets a ranch-seasoned rim), as well as macro and micro beer. For the past several years, a seasonal cocktail list has appeared, and happy hour (from 3–6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday) resumed a month ago.
Courtesy of Twisted Ranch
This month, Twisted Ranch’s first dessert also debuted: Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream with Reese’s Pieces crumbles covered in a chocolate shell, topped with whipped cream, and drizzled in caramel. “Right now, there’s no ranch dressing in it,” Hayden says, “but we are developing some dessert ranch flavors, so that might change.”
The History
After mulling over restaurant concepts for years, Hayden and Allen began tinkering with the versatility of what’s been called “the fastest-growing condiment and best-selling salad dressing in America.” They thought a themed restaurant seemed like a plausible idea, especially since no one had ever attempted it before. After more than a year spent developing the menu, twisted RAnCh (the original spelling) became a reality. (At the time, when we mentioned that the restaurant's spelling may drive our copy editor to drink Wish-Bone Light, Hayden explained that the capital letters are the first letters of his three children's names.)
The duo opened twisted RAnCh in Soulard in 2015, and it quickly received national attention. Eater called the opening “the most St. Louis move ever,” and reactions ranged from “You can't be serious" to “Why didn’t I think of that?” Two years later, business had been growing steadily when a bouncy one-minute Buzzfeed video went viral. “The following day, we were busy, and then all hell broke loose,” Hayden told SLM at the time. To date, the video has 38 million views and a whopping 362,000 comments.
In 2018, Twisted Ranch moved into a larger space a block east. The next year, it rolled out a line of proprietary sauces, four of which are available in Walmart and Kroger stores nationwide. The current 34 ranch flavors (and counting) are also available in 8-ounce bottles at the restaurant. The most recent addition: Luau Ranch, containing teriyaki sauce and pineapple. Hayden adds, “The new location will allow us to experiment even more.”
Courtesy of Twisted Ranch
Twisted Ranch's dressing options at the 31-flavor mark.
