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Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse are a chain of buffet/steakhouse restaurants that are a part of Homestyle Dining LLC based in Plano, Texas. Its menu includes steaks, seafood, and chicken entrées, all of which come with their buffet for a nominal charge. A lunch menu is also served.
Unlike other chains with two names, such as Checkers and Rally's, which uses only one of the names in a given region, restaurants in a given region could be named either Bonanza or Ponderosa. This is because Bonanza and Ponderosa were separate companies, which were later merged under the Metromedia Restaurant Group.
The names of the restaurants were derived from the
In 1963, Dan Blocker, who played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright on ''Bonanza'', started the Bonanza Steakhouse chain. The first Bonanza opened in Westport, Connecticut. Sam Wyly and his brother Charles Wyly bought the small Bonanza restaurant chain three years later. The company grew to approximately 600 restaurants by 1989, when the Wylys sold it to Metromedia.
In 1965, Dan Lasater, Norm Wiese and Charles Kleptz founded Ponderosa in
"Local Ponderosa restaurants fall from six to two"
''Dayton Business Journal'', April 18, 2003. Ponderosa began operating in Canada by 1971 and remained there until 1986, when its focus moved to post-recession US. After closing most Canadian Ponderosa restaurants, the company returned to generating US restaurant franchises in 1986, reversing a previous freeze on new US franchises in the move to Canada. At that time, 36 Canadian Ponderosa locations were acquired by General Mills Restaurant Group which converted them to Red Lobster restaurants. In the meantime, Bonanza maintained a presence in Canada. In February 1988, Ponderosa was sold to Metromedia Restaurant Group. In September 1989, Metromedia acquired rival Bonanza, combining the two chains. In 1997, Ponderosa and Bonanza united under the Metromedia Family Steakhouses (MFS) organization to be marketed under the Ponderosa or Bonanza brands. MFS was one of founder John Kluge's companies using the Metromedia name. After its ''S&A Restaurant Group'' division was forced into an involuntary"FAT Brands Completes Acquisition of Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses for $10.5 Million "
"www.businesswire.com", October 31, 2017 In winter of 2017, the Saskatoon 8th Street Location was destroyed in a fire; the fire started in the kitchen, and the land has since been re-developed into a strip mall, with a Popeyes location now occupying its former site. In 1989 there were almost 700 Ponderosa locations. By 2003 there were less than 400 locations. By October 2022 only 17 Ponderosa locations remain open.
Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse company siteVideo Ponderosa Steakhouse 1995 Commercial
{{bonanza, state=collapsed Companies based in Kokomo, Indiana Economy of the Midwestern United States Economy of the Eastern United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 1965 Steakhouses in the United States Buffet restaurants Restaurant franchises 1965 establishments in Connecticut Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 Metromedia Bonanza
Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse are a chain of buffet/steakhouse restaurants that are a part of Homestyle Dining LLC based in Plano, Texas. Its menu includes steaks, seafood, and chicken entrées, all of which come with their buffet for a nominal charge. A lunch menu is also served.
Unlike other chains with two names, such as Checkers and Rally's, which uses only one of the names in a given region, restaurants in a given region could be named either Bonanza or Ponderosa. This is because Bonanza and Ponderosa were separate companies, which were later merged under the Metromedia Restaurant Group.
The names of the restaurants were derived from the TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
''Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...
'', which was set at a place called Ponderosa Ranch.
History
In 1963, Dan Blocker, who played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright on ''Bonanza'', started the Bonanza Steakhouse chain. The first Bonanza opened in Westport, Connecticut. Sam Wyly and his brother Charles Wyly bought the small Bonanza restaurant chain three years later. The company grew to approximately 600 restaurants by 1989, when the Wylys sold it to Metromedia.
In 1965, Dan Lasater, Norm Wiese and Charles Kleptz founded Ponderosa in Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo ( ) is a city in Indiana and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard County, the Kokomo-Peru CSA, which includ ...
, moving the headquarters to Dayton, Ohio, in 1971.Stephens, Caleb"Local Ponderosa restaurants fall from six to two"
''Dayton Business Journal'', April 18, 2003. Ponderosa began operating in Canada by 1971 and remained there until 1986, when its focus moved to post-recession US. After closing most Canadian Ponderosa restaurants, the company returned to generating US restaurant franchises in 1986, reversing a previous freeze on new US franchises in the move to Canada. At that time, 36 Canadian Ponderosa locations were acquired by General Mills Restaurant Group which converted them to Red Lobster restaurants. In the meantime, Bonanza maintained a presence in Canada. In February 1988, Ponderosa was sold to Metromedia Restaurant Group. In September 1989, Metromedia acquired rival Bonanza, combining the two chains. In 1997, Ponderosa and Bonanza united under the Metromedia Family Steakhouses (MFS) organization to be marketed under the Ponderosa or Bonanza brands. MFS was one of founder John Kluge's companies using the Metromedia name. After its ''S&A Restaurant Group'' division was forced into an involuntary
Chapter 7 liquidation
Chapter 7 of Title 11 of the United States Code (Bankruptcy Code) governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States, in contrast to Chapters 11 and 13, which govern the process of ''reorganization'' of a debtor ...
by its lender, GE Capital, in August 2008, and closed over 300 company-owned Bennigan's
Bennigan's is an Irish pub-themed American casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1976 in Atlanta by restaurateur Norman E. Brinker as one of America's original casual dining concepts. The chain operated under the restaurant division of Pills ...
and Steak & Ale
Steak and Ale was an American chain of casual dining restaurants that went bankrupt in 2008. However the brand, recipes and other intellectual property associated with the former chain is currently owned by Legendary Restaurant Brands, LLC, t ...
restaurants, the chain's parent company, Metromedia Steakhouses Company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008, although it planned to reorganize around franchise operations and a profitable core of company-operated restaurants. It emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 under the name "Homestyle Dining LLC".
The chain engaged Trinity Capital LLC as its financial advisor in 2016 and was sold in late 2017 to FAT Brands, the owner of Fatburger, Buffalo's Cafe and Hurricane Grill & Wings. FAT Brands has approximately 300 locations open, with another 300 under development in 32 countries."www.businesswire.com", October 31, 2017 In winter of 2017, the Saskatoon 8th Street Location was destroyed in a fire; the fire started in the kitchen, and the land has since been re-developed into a strip mall, with a Popeyes location now occupying its former site. In 1989 there were almost 700 Ponderosa locations. By 2003 there were less than 400 locations. By October 2022 only 17 Ponderosa locations remain open.
See also
* List of buffet restaurantsReferences
External links
Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse company site
{{bonanza, state=collapsed Companies based in Kokomo, Indiana Economy of the Midwestern United States Economy of the Eastern United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 1965 Steakhouses in the United States Buffet restaurants Restaurant franchises 1965 establishments in Connecticut Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 Metromedia Bonanza