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Newlyweds help bring Boss’ local sports model to Urbandale

Written By:  Tom Savage

Things have certainly ramped up in Eric Loveland and Rebecca Croushore’s life in recent months. The two longtime Boss’ Pizza and Chicken employees were married in October of 2021. Three months later, Boss’ owner Jeremy Seefeldt came to them with an offer, and the newlyweds were faced with an opportunity that would throw another wrinkle in their lives.

Seefeldt asked if they’d like to partner with him in a new Boss’ Pizza and Chicken in Urbandale, Iowa – a suburb of Des Moines. “There’s always hesitation when you move to a new town,” Loveland said. “But it’s been fun, and a lot of work. I haven’t had a day off in a month.” The expansive bar and restaurant sat mostly idle in the Ramada Inn on Interstate 80 on the north side of Des Moines before the trio of Seefeldt, Loveland and Croushore brought it back to life in early 2022. The model is similar to Seefeldt’s first sports bar project in Sioux Falls. The Ramada in Sioux Falls looks very similar to the new restaurant in Urbandale. Complete with a Tiki Bar and Waterpark,
Boss’ highlights the local sports scene in Iowa with a focus on college and high school sports.

“There’s been a lot of positive feedback from those who have been to the hotel before and there wasn’t a functioning restaurant,” Croushore said. “We have regulars already, and I love that.” Although there may have been a touch of hesitation for Loveland and Croushore when Seefeldt first came to them about the move to central Iowa, it was more personal than professional. Both Loveland and Croushore called Sioux Falls home, and uprooting with a seven-year old came with some pause, but so far, 2022 has served them well. “As far as the work goes, there was no hesitation there,” Croushore said. “That’s what we do. Eric and I both worked for Boss’ for years, and I’m happy with where things are at so far and with how the customer flow has been going.” With the addition of Boss’, the popular ‘Staycation’ spot in Urbandale is a prime location for food, drink and fun. Sports tickers run across the top of the bar, featuring both national and local sports scores and stats. Any pizza combination is available including Boss’ 36 specialty pizzas. There’s also a full bar to make a stop at Boss’ complete. Unlike the Ramada in Sioux Falls, the Urbandale Ramada also delivers, and the restaurant is in full swing between a packed house and drivers making deliveries.

The original Boss’ opened in central Sioux Falls in 2005 and has grown into one of Sioux Falls’ favorite pizza stops. Croushore started as a delivery driver before being named assistant General Manager and later head GM before the Urbandale opportunity.

Although leading the charge in Sioux Falls as GM had its pressures, she said being a part owner in Urbandale is a new level. “I’m already a perfectionist and there’s a lot of pressure to be per- fect, which I know I never will be,” she said. “But I’m not the kind of person who wants to let somebody down, so when Jeremy tells me this is the expectation, this is what I want to do, I strive to give him what he’s asked for.”

There’s that, and the added pressure of being a financial partner. That’s new, and motivating, Croushore said. “At (Sioux Falls) Central, it wasn’t my money on the line, and now it is my money on the line. So there’s more personal pressure,” she said. “I learned a lot in Sioux Falls, and I’m bringing that to this location.”