Bonanza & Ponderosa Steakhouses - Life in America 

When I was about fourteen years old my dad came home from work and he spontaneously asked me if I wanted to go to Ponderosa. We went to a Ponderosa Steakhouse close by and he bought me a nice steak salad and baked potato. That was my first steak dinner. I loved it.

Loved the Friday night dinners dad would take us to at bonanza. Going through the line and seeing those 16oz t-bones sizzling and flaming up. The laughter at the table with my parents and my sister. I was 7 or 8 then. I’m 45 years old now, thanks for the video I miss my simple childhood.

The smell of walking into the ponderosa as a kid is one I will never forget.

I loved Bonanza Steak House, we didn’t have much money growing up. It was a great treat for us to get to go my parents worked so hard.

I remember eating at Ponderosa in the 70's, sometime they would give out sheriff badges. Thanks for sharing it brought back good memories of eating as a family after shopping. 😍

Ponderosa was the place we would go if dad was hungry for a steak and wanted to surprise mom.She would get so happy to have the night off and not make dinner.

I remember happy family times at Ponderosa, all of us together.

I'd forgotten all the times we five kids looked forward to being taken to Ponderosa every few weeks as a treat. Very affordable place to fill up the kids' stomachs, give Dad a steak for dinner and give Mom a break from cooking. Nice memories - thanks for posting this!

I worked at a Bonanza steakhouse in the 90’s. Food was decent, terrific salad and hot food bar which came with every dinner. A 5 1/2 ounce ribeye dinner was $6.99. That included baked potato, food bar and ice cream dessert from the freeze machine. An 8 ounce ribeye was $7.99 I believe. It was a family oriented restaurant that everyone enjoyed.

Bittersweet memories. Thank you for this journey back to the "golden years".

Bonanza was a treat for my family. We'd go out to eat on Friday night after dad got paid as a lineman from Appalachian Power Co. That was when they served good thick steaks and homemade buttered rolls.

Always loved Ponderosa. It was the first restaurant to offer free refills on soft drinks. That’s why we went there. Why did they fail? Just no family restaurants anymore . Very sad.

Yeah I remember eating at both restaurants in the 1970s along with Rustler steak house all served their steaks at a reasonable price with salad bar and potato side dish. They were good quality steaks cooked on an open flame grill. Now you can't get a reasonably priced steak dinner ...between $35.00 to $65.00 for a steak dinner these days. No thanks I'll cook my own at home on the grill.

I am a year late to this video but my memory is- I'm 51, when I was 1 year old my dad was a manager at Ponderosa. I still have the cowboy vest from his uniform. It was great to find this video. Thank you.

i used to spend summers with my grandpa in marshalltown iowa. i cannot tell you the joy i had when gramps said we were going to bonanza. one of my childhood favs.

Sizzler, Ponderosa, Bonanza, Golden Corral, Ryan’s, and several others - all about the same thing, all good values with many good memories. That was a bonus to learn that Hoss was who began the Bonanza adventure (in Connecticut??)!

I remember Bonanza from the late 60’s or early 70’s they would give us kids a cardboard gun that was a paper popper you swung it thru the air and a little piece sandwiched between the gun would fly out and make a pop sound and you folded the paper and did it again and again till the paper ripped which didn’t come soon enough for our parents.

Bonanza was our family's favourite steak house in 1960's NJ. Then in 1972 we moved to Ohio and were glad to find Ponderosa that was so similar. I loved the TV shows Bonanza and The Big Valley as a kid. My big felt play horse and cowboy dolls were among my favourite toys for years. I was very sad when Dan Blocker passed.

I can still remember going to Ponderosa as a kid. The food was great. Much better than anything else we had in the area, which was mostly fast food joints. The building is still there. Pizza Hut bought the building and they closed not long after. I always wondered why Ponderosa in my area shut down, because it was always packed. I'd love to have one of their steaks right now! Thanks for the memories.

i miss Bonana. we used to have one in my hometown. i even worked there back in the 1990's. Best chopped sirloin steak ever!

My friends and I would ask our moms for a dollar, so we could walk to the Ponderosa a few blocks from our street, we would get a coke and a buttered roll. Wow, I can still remember how good It tasted!!

Growing up in the 60s & 70s, my family loved going to Bonanza. It was the only place we could order "anything you want off the menu". Great value, and warm family memories. Everything today is hyper-price managed to extort the maximum amount of money from people, but in those days more investors were private owners and willing to get an adequate return.

My first job was at bonanza steakhouse in Asheville, NC which I started out as a dishwasher and ended up as a cook. I still look back on it as one of the best jobs of my life and today I miss these steakhouses.

Ponderosa staff had adorable outfits complete with cowboy hats that needed to be washed and ironed daily. They offered a nice menu at reasonable prices. Many families would gather there. They treated employees well.

Oh my goodness!!! This took me back! I worked at Bonanza Sirloin Pit and the interior of the restaurant was identical. I remember cleaning those tables and wiping down chairs. I loved it and the FOOD was amazing!! 🐮🐮🐎🐴🐄

Bonanza was my High-School Job, in Erie Pa. I was a junior in 1976, started there as a dishwasher. If I recall, minimum wage at the time was like $2.25 or $2.50/hr. Eventually, I worked my way to the grill, cooking those steaks in front of everybody. Weekends were murderous. It was so busy, a cop was hired to stand in the street and direct traffic to help cars turn into the parking lot. The line was always outside the door, even in the dead of winter. This would go on for hours every Friday, Saturday and Sunday without fail. I can still picture all of this in my mind as well as many of the other young people I worked with. I made a lot of friends, and the restaurant was a great place to work at. It was a positive experience.

I remember the red carpet And the rich brown wooden tables, the smell of grilled steak and the star of the show: jello desserts sitting under the spotlights on that food bar. 😁❤️

My first job in 1974 was at Bonanza Steak House in Northridge CA. Near C.S.U.N. I earned $1.65 per hour. Dan Blocker (Hoss) had lived down the street from me and Pernell Roberts lived a mile or so away near White Oak and Roscoe Blvd.I worked with and was friends with Jenilee Harrison ,Who had been Miss San Fernando Valley at Bonanza(she later replaced Suzanne Summers on Three's Company on T.V.)

Starting in the mid-70s, my family and I (4 kids, mom and dad) ate at Ponderosa EVERY single Friday night for years! My Dad would order his steak "almost burnt" LOL!! Great memories! Thanks for posting this great memory maker!

❤loved them both..😢missing those time's!

Brings back great memories! I remember being so little I would order the chopped steak, adding A-1 sauce and going to town. My Dad got a real kick out of that. I eventually grew to ordering "real man" steaks like T-bones. Great times.

We had Bonanza... good food! I still watch Bonanza on youtube 😀 thanks Recollection Road!

Other than fast food Bonanza was the first set down restaurant i been too. it was amazing i was 11 or 12 years old (1972)

We went to Bonanza pretty often in the 70s and 80s - the food was good and reliable. The last Bonanza I knew about in the Houston-Galveston area was in Galveston on the seawall. I went there for lunch when I was working cases in Galveston in the 90s. They had a lunch special - steak, potato, salad, tea, and ice cream for about $6.

I grew up going to the Bonanza in Laurel, MS. My folks went there for birthdays and celebrations. It was always special and a big deal to go. I remember walking in, getting a tray with a number "tent" and walking past the flaming grill smelling all the steaks on the grill. The the food would come out on those steal plates with the metal bottom. It closed in the early 90's if I recall correctly and was demolished.

As a kid, Bonanza was a rare treat on Sundays after church. I loved the salad bar and using that cheese slicer up there. Haha

I remember Bonanza. You'd go in, stand in a line, order your food, and get a number to put on your table. I always wanted the jello they had on display before you got to the checkout. Sometime in the late 80's, the Bonanza where I live became a Ponderosa.

Ponderosa I worked there thru out my high school years 🤣 made some great friends and good memories

My Dad was one of the original Bonanza franchise salesmen in 1962. I have early photos of Blocker and my Dad, and in the mid 1960s we had a Bonanza dinning room table, trays, dinner ware, glasses, ashtrays.... at our house.

I have many wonderful memories at Ponderosa steakhouses all the way from the last half of the 1970's into the beginning of the 21st century. So sad that they are gone!

I worked at the Bonanza Sirloin Pit in my hometown from when it opened in April 1974 until I went to college in August 1975, and then again from June to August 1976. If I heard that Mr. Sampson, the manager, was opening a restaurant where I live now (he'd be in his 90's), I'd go to work for him again in a heartbeat.

We had a place called Partner's Steakhouse in Bellefontaine Ohio when I was a kid in the late 70s thru mid 80s. It was very much the same layout as Bonanza and Ponderosa and eventually became a Ponderosa in the early 90s. It was the first time I had grilled steak, A1 sauce and salad with French dressing and bacon bits. We didn't get to go too often but it was always a special treat!

Yes!!! We had a Bonanza down the street in Northridge, CA. As a kid, we ate there all the time in the late 60's. I remember walking up to the counter and looking at photos from the TV show hanging on the wall. It was similar to Sizzler.

I remember going to Ponderosa near where I grew up. I don't remember when it closed, but the last time I went there was in 2003 I think. As a kid in the 90s I remember there almost always being a line to get a table. I don't think we ever ordered off the menu, we just got the buffet.

Bonanza in Collinsville, IL was a regular place for me and my family in the 70s. My Dad would take us all and I really miss those days of my family all being together and enjoying the evening. Miss you Dad and it hasn't been the same without you.

Daily life was better back then. Sucks now, not even close to what we had.

i loved both of those! Wish they were still around.

I remember both of these as well as Sizzler

Never went to one of these, but my first experience at a steak house was Sizzlers in about 1960. Very affordable at the time, with the old fashioned floors covered in sawdust like the old butcher shops. I loved the iceberg lettuce salad with the cherry tomato and blue cheese dressing. Lots of coarse ground black pepper. Somehow not the same.

I worked at Bonanza in Mesa AZ. One of the funniest jobs I've ever had. Good times. I miss the people.

I remember both of these. I also liked Rustler and York Steak House.

I will always remember eating at a Ponderosa located in Moorestown New Jersey, right across the street from the Moorestown Mall, in the early 90's. It sat on a hill, diagonal to the mall. During the summer I would help my uncle install air conditioners for spending money. On Saturdays he'd head to the flea markets, and I'd join him. We'd go to lunch at Ponderosa, and then walk it off at the Mall. I truly miss those days!

I remember the colourful plastic pieces they put on your tray to identify your order. As a child that was soooo cooool. I also remember the Heinz 57 and HP bottles at the table as well as the brown plastic bowls for the salad that were supposed to look like wood. The metal slide and the rollers part (I think) that you put your trays on was also amazing to me as a kid. First time I'd ever seen such a thing.

I also remember eating at a Western Sizzlin Steakhouse in Victoria TX back in the 80s..

Always smelled real good when you walked through the door... good times.

I was a grillman "cook" at ponderosa in the early "70's" as one of my HS part time jobs, full time during the summer months. One of the marketing ploys was not just the inexpensive stake dinners but served to you to your specifications just after ordering it. How this was achieved was all kinds of steaks on the grill at different stages of the cooking process...well, medium, and rare. People stood in a single file line and placed their order at the counter. By the time they received their salad and dressing their steak was ready...than they continued down the cafeteria style counter choosing drinks and dessert.

Love the comments as much or more than the video here. We were so blessed to have grown up in that time. And..... yes I'm hungry now for some steak.....

My folks were in their 40's before they ever ate dinner at a restaurant that wasn't Bonanza. When I started dating in HS I didn't know how to sit down and order from a menu!

As a young couple just starting out the Ponderosa was the only full course steak dinner we could afford. It was early’80s and we had both graduated from college (without debt) and it was a treat to eat there maybe once a month.

I remember both. But especially Bonanza in Tonowanda NY. Had a birthday party there with neighbors and some classmates when I was 4th grade I guess it was. It was a big deal back then for kids to have steak. I remember their claim strips being good too.

Another think I remember about Ponderosa was in early elementary school, you got a free kids meal there for having perfect attendance for the grading period

There was a cable cooking show in Indiana in the 80's. It was called Your Healthy Home Show. The guy was like 450 pounds. He would make healthy meals,that you knew he never ate, while talking about what he ate at Bonanza the night before.

I remember Bonanzas commercials back in the 70s. Their slogan was "Come to Bonanza and come hungry". They were one of the first restaurants to offer free drink refills. "...and come thirsty" was added to the end of their slogan.

We used to go to Ponderosa in the 1970's in southern Indiana. I used to love it. In fact I was just checking out the location in Scottsburg, IN earlier today on Google maps. Thanks for posting this.

I remember the dark heavy wood tables and benches we sat at and of course the delicious 😋 ribeye and baked potato those were the days 😋 👌

There used to be one of these in the 70s in my city. In 2012 it was demolished and to this day it's just an empty grass field

Thank you!

I enjoyed eating at Bonanza and Ponderosa restaurants years ago.

I was on a High School Cross Country running team in 1975 and 1976. For our away meets and after the event, our coach would take us to the Ponderosa Steakhouse and treat us to a steak dinner. It was a rare treat back then to get steak, so the team thought it was pretty awesome for our coach to do that. He was a really great guy! It's a good memory to look back on, for sure! Thanks for showing this. Really fun to remember!

The best thing about PONDEROSA was the all you can eat buffet bar.

I love Bonanza ! My father owned this restaurant in the 70’s. Great food , great memories. RIP..Dad miss you .

I loved Ponderosa as a kid. The only remaining one I've seen recently is off I-77 around Ripley WV

We had some in Canada. Ponderosa was my favorite restaurant as a kid. My parents would often bring us there on our birthdays. It was perfect for families on a budget. There was the all-you-can eat salad bar and you could refill fountain drinks as many times as you wanted. On kids birthdays they would give us some cardboard cowboy hats! I loved the western theme of course and Bonanza was a family favorite tv show. Us kids usually had the burger. Sadly, all the Pondeosa restaurant are gone in Canada (as far as I know). They were bought and replaced by a chain of sea food places called Red Lobster

I loved Ponderosa, sadly, it closed down in the mid 80s in my area of PA.

I love your channel, you are hitting all my favorite places that I went to as a kid with my family...I am up late watching as many of your videos as I can before getting sleepy. These are making me sad though. God bless you for reviving the memory of all these places.

These are enjoyable and depressing at the same time…

This brought back memories when I was a kid, going to both of these. I remember liking both. Funny, I didn't notice that they went away.. 🤔

There was a BONANZA ON Lomas Blvd or on Menaul in the 70's in Abq N.M....... It was always a fun experience, the place was clean and alot of windows..... And the old Lady who owned it had lots of commercials dressed in her cowgirl outfit..... What fabulous memories!..........

I absolutely loved and truly miss Bonanza restaurant so much. I have such fond memories of that franchise. Thank you for all the beautiful memories. Only one thing to do is bring it back the way it originally started. 😍😍😍🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

When I worked at Winn Dixie in the mid 70's, my co-workers and I would walk to the Bonanza for lunch at least once a week. I remember finishing my steak and sopping up the steak sauce with the last of my Texas toast. I'd always walk back to work cheaply satisfied.

During my childhood in the 70's living in Georgia i remember the bonanza steakhouse and it was delicious

Ponderosa had a surprising reach. In the early 80s I remember having a Ponderosa restaurant not far from my home in Ontario, Canada.

I remember Ponderosa here in Belleville Il back in the 70s....mom used to treat us once in a while..😅 But that was back when a Mister Donut was a few businesses down....😒 Take me back...😂😂😂

I like how you fade the music in and out when you talk rather than talking over the full loudness of the music

I'm 55 and remember the steak, baked potato, and those spicy western beans you could have swore were the same beans John Wayne ate in his westerns!

Our Bonanza was in the Canyon Creek Shopping Center in Richardson, TX (intersection of Lookout and Custer). The steak house was right next to the neighborhood movie theater. Our house was only 1/4 mile away. On "movie nights" my family would make the easy 10-minute walk to Bonanza, chow down on steaks and salads, then take our happy full tummies next door to see films like "Towering Inferno" or "Earthquake" or "Logan's Run". I was in the 2nd & 3rd grade. Unbelievably fond memories!

Our Bonanza was a buffet style. I remember my husband putting cool whip on his potatoes instead of sour cream 😂😂😂.

We use to go all the time. Wow, what a place. Everything was wooden: benches, and tables. The coffee cups we're stone. Soooo yummy. You could see everything cooking, on the flame.

Ponderosa was a weekly routine every Thursday for lunch in the early 80's. The steaks were huge and always perfectly cooked. I don't think any are left in the area, not since the early 90's now.

We had Bonanza in Raleigh, NC. LOVED those steel plates - the whole spread was simply wonderful - best cooked juicy well done steaks I’d ever had and to this day, May 13, 2021, I still truly miss them.

We had a Ponderosa loved it!😊😋💕

I love going for the Sunday breakfast buffet. This brings back some memories from when I was a kid growing up in western New York.

Thanks. This clears up confusion about the two for me. I mainly remember bonanza, but later i saw the two names linked. I mainly recall going there in the very late 70s and very early 80s. I was yoo young to filly enjoy it, but I know i liked going there. I recall the long sliced bread, pudding and the salad bar.

Miss me some bonanza steak house, the good’ol days

The all you can eat salad bar!Oh,and how the steak had a wooden platter under the metal steak plate,and the large rustic wooden handled steak knife

It was a HUGE family treat if we got to go to either one of these, a once or twice a year thing. Delicious food and great memories!

I remember both one a Bonanza and ponderosa they always had a good buffet nice and clean.

I loved these places!

When I would fly into Denver..I would go eat lunch at Bonanza ...Great food

Ponderosa. In the 70's. The pecan pie was absolutely delicious. The deep red salad dressing on that crisp salad. A high school friend of mine had a job there after school. Some of us would go there to give him a hard time but all in fun. Thank you for this memorable podcast. 😍