Runza Restaurants
Runza Restaurants is a family-owned, Lincoln, Nebraska-based quick-service chain operating 90+ locations across the Midwest, serving fresh-baked signature Runza sandwiches, hand-pressed burgers, and daily-made sides through company-owned and franchised stores, D2C shipping, and delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1949
- HeadquartersLincoln, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Runza Restaurants does
Runza Restaurants (legal entity Runza National, Inc.) is a privately held, family-owned quick-service restaurant chain headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Founded in 1949 by Sally Everett and her brother Alex Brening, the company operates 90+ locations across Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, and South Dakota, with current third-generation Everett family leadership (Donald Everett Jr. as President). The chain is anchored by its signature Runza sandwich—a fresh-baked bread pocket filled with seasoned ground beef, onions, cabbage, and a proprietary spice blend—alongside hand-pressed burgers, grilled chicken, sides (including the trademarked Frings™), salads, shakes, and kids meals.
The company generates revenue through a mix of company-owned and franchised restaurant sales, franchise fees (a $30,000 initial fee plus a 5% royalty, 1% brand-building fund, and up to 4% advertising fee), and ancillary channels including nationwide frozen sandwich shipping via Runzashop.com, ezCater corporate catering, DoorDash and Uber Eats delivery, merchandise sales, and promotional programs like the registered Temperature Tuesdays® campaign. Its technology stack is built around FranPOS for in-store and online ordering, the Runza Rewards mobile app (iOS and Android) for loyalty and order-ahead, and a Drupal-based content platform, with no disclosed AI/ML or proprietary data capabilities. Operationally, Runza maintains a deliberate regional scope, baking bread in-store daily and seasoning ground beef with its secret spice blend, while depending on franchisee civic engagement as a core community-locator moat.
Runza Restaurants firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Runza Restaurants
- Legal name
- Runza National, Inc.
- Website
- https://runza.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1949
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Runza Restaurants is a family-owned, Lincoln, Nebraska-based quick-service chain operating 90+ locations across the Midwest, serving fresh-baked signature Runza sandwiches, hand-pressed burgers, and daily-made sides through company-owned and franchised stores, D2C shipping, and delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Runza Restaurants industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Quick-Service Restaurant
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225), Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412), Caterers (722320)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sandwiches & Subs QSR (THAFAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sandwiches & Wraps Fast Casual (THAFABAG)
Keywords
Where Runza Restaurants is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lincoln
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Runza Restaurants business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Restaurant Sales: Revenue generated from customer purchases at company-owned and franchised restaurant locations. Customers order through drive-thru, dine-in, or carry-out. Transaction-based model with no subscription component.
- Franchise Fees: Initial franchise fee of $30,000 for the first 10-year term, with a 10-year renewal option for $15,000. Royalty fee of 5% of sales and brand building fund of 1% of sales. Additional advertising fees up to 4% of sales.
- E-commerce Sales: Online store (runzashop.com) sells merchandise and ships frozen Runza sandwiches nationwide. Customers can order a dozen frozen Original Runza sandwiches shipped directly to their doorstep.
- Catering Services: Catering services offered through ezCater platform for events and large orders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | $1 Cones promotional pricing |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Franchise initial investment range |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Runza Restaurants product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Runza Restaurants operates a regional quick-service restaurant chain selling made-to-order food from a menu anchored by its signature Runza sandwich — fresh-baked bread stuffed with seasoned ground beef, onions, cabbage, and a secret spice blend — alongside hand-pressed burgers, grilled chicken, salads, sides, and shakes. The company sells through 90+ dine-in, drive-thru, and carry-out locations across five Midwestern states, complemented by online/app ordering, third-party delivery, catering, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store that ships frozen sandwiches nationwide.
Product overview
Runza Restaurants is a family-owned fast-food chain founded in 1949 in Lincoln, Nebraska, operating over 90 locations across Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, and South Dakota. The company offers a diverse menu centered on its signature Runza sandwich—a fresh-baked bread pocket filled with seasoned ground beef, onions, cabbage, and a secret spice blend—alongside legendary burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, crispy chicken items, garden-fresh salads, sides, and desserts. The product portfolio includes the core restaurant menu, the Runza Rewards mobile app for customer loyalty, the Runzashop.com online store for merchandise and nationwide frozen sandwich shipping, and a franchise program for expansion. The company maintains a commitment to homemade fresh food preparation, baking bread daily and making sauces from scratch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Runza Rex: The company's mascot, a friendly T-Rex dinosaur who appears on Kids Meal bags and is the face of the Runza Rex Birthday Club for children.
Products and services
- Runza Sandwiches (Original, Cheese, Swiss Mushroom, Spicy Jack, Southwest, BBQ Bacon, Mini) The signature hand-held sandwich featuring fresh-baked bread stuffed with seasoned ground beef, onions, cabbage, and a secret spice blend. Available in multiple varieties including original, cheese, swiss mushroom, spicy jack, southwest, BBQ bacon, and mini sizes. Sold to consumers at restaurant locations.
- Legendary Burgers
Companies that use Runza Restaurants
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Runza Restaurants technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature2 records
Runza Restaurants partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DoorDashcoreThird-party delivery partnership enabling Runza customers to order via DoorDash platform. Provides delivery service for customers who prefer not to visit restaurants in person.
- Uber EatscoreThird-party delivery partnership enabling Runza customers to order via Uber Eats platform. Expands delivery accessibility alongside DoorDash partnership.
- ezCatercoreCatering partnership through ezCater platform for corporate events, meetings, and large group orders. Allows customers to order Runza catering through the ezCater marketplace.
- 402 CreameryminorLocal ice cream company collaboration in 2023 to create a limited-time Chili & Cinnamon Roll ice cream flavor. Demonstrates community partnerships with local businesses.
- University of Nebraska AthleticsminorOfficial partner of University of Nebraska athletics since 2000. Includes 'Go Big Bread' branding and sponsorship visibility at Husker events.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Runza Restaurants competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Culver's: Family-owned Midwest QSR franchise chain with a signature item (ButterBurger, Frozen Custard), 900+ locations concentrated in the Midwest, and a similar fresh-made, made-to-order positioning. Closest comparable by geography, scale tier, and brand narrative.
- Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: Regional QSR franchise founded in the Midwest with a signature burger/custard menu, drive-thru format, and comparable unit count (400+). Operates with a similar made-fresh positioning and franchise growth model.
- Jimmy John's: Sandwich-focused QSR franchise with a similar drive-thru/delivery model and comparable menu (sub-style sandwiches). Differentiates by being national (2,800+ locations) but competes directly with Runza in sandwich QSR occasions.
- Jersey Mike's Subs: Sub sandwich QSR franchise (3,000+ locations) with East Coast sub origins and aggressive franchise expansion. Comparable on core sandwich QSR positioning and franchise-driven growth model.
- Firehouse Subs: Sandwich QSR franchise (2,000+ locations) now owned by Restaurant Brands International. Directly competes in the sub/sandwich QSR category with a similar menu positioning around hot sub varieties.
- Cousins Subs: Family-owned regional sub sandwich QSR franchise based in Wisconsin with ~600 locations across the Midwest. Strongest direct comparable to Runza on Midwest regional sandwich QSR franchise positioning and family-owned governance.
- Penn Station East Coast Subs: Sub sandwich QSR franchise (300+ locations) with a similar made-to-order, fresh-cut, grilled-to-order positioning. Comparable on sandwich QSR franchise unit economics and menu mix.
- Steak 'n Shake: Long-standing Midwest-origin QSR chain with a signature burger/hand-cut steakburger menu. Comparable vintage and regional roots, though currently in operational turmoil under Biglari Holdings.
Broad incumbents
- Arby's: National sandwich-focused QSR chain (3,400+ locations, Inspire Brands portfolio). Competes in the sandwich QSR category at massive scale and serves as the dominant national benchmark for the broader sandwich QSR category Runza operates in.
- Subway: Largest global sandwich QSR franchise by unit count (37,000+ locations). Establishes the upper-bound scale benchmark for sandwich QSR franchising and competes with Runza for sandwich-occasion customers nationwide.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Runza Restaurants social profiles
Digital presenceRunza Restaurants financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Runza Restaurants leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Runza Restaurants funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Runza Restaurants M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Runza Restaurants
What does Runza Restaurants do?
Runza Restaurants operates a regional quick-service restaurant chain selling made-to-order food from a menu anchored by its signature Runza sandwich — fresh-baked bread stuffed with seasoned ground beef, onions, cabbage, and a secret spice blend — alongside hand-pressed burgers, grilled chicken, salads, sides, and shakes. The company sells through 90+ dine-in, drive-thru, and carry-out locations across five Midwestern states, complemented by online/app ordering, third-party delivery, catering, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store that ships frozen sandwiches nationwide.
Is Runza Restaurants a public or private company?
Runza Restaurants is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Runza Restaurants founded?
Runza Restaurants was founded in 1949. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Runza Restaurants based?
Runza Restaurants is headquartered in Lincoln, United States, in the North America region.
How does Runza Restaurants make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees, E-commerce Sales and catering Services.
Who are Runza Restaurants's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Culver's, Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Jimmy John's, Jersey Mike's Subs, Firehouse Subs, Cousins Subs, Penn Station East Coast Subs and Steak 'n Shake. Broad incumbents are Arby's and Subway.
Does Runza Restaurants have an API?
No public API is recorded for Runza Restaurants.
What industry is Runza Restaurants in?
Runza Restaurants's product category is Quick-Service Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAAAD, Sandwiches & Subs QSR, with a secondary code of THAFABAG, Sandwiches & Wraps Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5812.