Do You Remember These Restaurants?

[EmergencyIan]

I remember most on the list and the majority existed where I lived, but I can only recall having eaten at the one's listed below.

Ponderosa & Bonanza Steakhouses I went to Bonanza a few times. It was good. However, we ate at Ponderosa many times over the years, when I was a child and teen. I usually went with my grandparents once or twice a month on a Saturday evening. A few may still be open. It seems that by my early twenties was the final time I visited one and it wasn't nearly as good as it had been when I was a child.

A&W Drive-Ins ... This was located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I lived there for four years when I was in my mid to late twenties. Sadly, it was lost a few years ago when they had a devastating flood in the city. This A&W Drive-In had been there for decades and was a wonderful place. They made their own root beer daily and the sandwiches along with fries and onion rings were not to be beaten. Even their grilled cheese sandwiches were incredible...and don't get be started on their root beer floats.

- Ian

[Brazoo]

A&W Canada is huge right now - but Wikipedia tells me it is essentially a separate company. "A&W restaurants in Canada have been part of a separate and unaffiliated chain since 1972"

There use to be a Kenny Roger’s Roasters near me, I think I went a couple of times. I think there was also an episode of Seinfeld where the gang was obsessed with it, if I recall correctly? The Kenny Roger's near me took over a McDonalds and I can't think of another time I remember a McDonalds location folding.

We had a Ponderosa here when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure I went to one about 10+ years ago in Michigan.

I'm pretty sure we ate at a Howard Johnson’s once on a family road trip.

Chi-Chi's was one of my favourite restaurants as a kid. Deep fried ice-cream! Also, the one near me had a table top Popeye video game that I loved to play, but it was just on the inside of the bar room, so sometimes they would not let kids in to play it.

[palitoy]

There use to be a Kenny Roger’s Roasters near me, I think I went a couple of times. I think there was also an episode of Seinfeld where the gang was obsessed with it, if I recall correctly? The Kenny Roger's near me took over a McDonalds and I can't think of another time I remember a McDonalds location folding.

Yeah, it's pretty famous for the Seinfeld reference, the chain is only alive in Asia now. It bothers me because i never got to try it.

We had a Ponderosa here when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure I went to one about 10+ years ago in Michigan.

There was one in Buffalo that I used to hit all the time because of the childhood connection (loved it so much I had my fifth birthday in one) . We stopped going because a) it was kind of sketchy and b) I developed an overall disdain for "all you can eat" joints.

One lunch time, the employee brought out a huge tray of chicken wings and the woman in front of us, just dumped them on all on two plates and left.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I believe Ponderosa and Bonanza were so-named because one of the main partners was Hoss Cartright himself, Dan Blocker.

Chris

[palitoy]

Blocker owned Bonanza, Ponderosa was once a seperate chain.

One thing I didn't know was Ponderosa was mainly popular in Canada until the company decided to make a go for the US market in 1986, to gain capital, they sold all the CDN sites to Red Lobster (mine is still a Red Lobster).

[EmergencyIan]

Blocker owned Bonanza, Ponderosa was once a seperate chain.

One thing I didn't know was Ponderosa was mainly popular in Canada until the company decided to make a go for the US market in 1986, to gain capital, they sold all the CDN sites to Red Lobster (mine is still a Red Lobster).

I’m not sure about that 1986 date, because Ponderosa was very popular in the Midwest in the 1970s. By 1986, it was still going, but not at its most popular. I remember Ponderosa back to the mid 70s in Indiana.

- Ian

[Earth 2 Chris]

I think 86 was the year ours opened here. In our town it was a HUGE deal to have a "nice" steakhouse. It was pretty good back in the day.

Chris

[palitoy]

I’m not sure about that 1986 date, because Ponderosa was very popular in the Midwest in the 1970s. By 1986, it was still going, but not at its most popular. I remember Ponderosa back to the mid 70s in Indiana.

Yeah, it's always been a US (I believe mid-west) chain first, it debuted in the US in 1965 but during the early 1970s started expanding to Canada and actually stopped franchising in the US for a while.

So yeah, there were locations in the states but there was a freeze on their growth for a decade or so.

[cjefferys]

From what I remember, I've been to HoJo, Ponderosa Steakhouse, Red Barn, A&W and Chi-Chi's.

One thing I didn't know was Ponderosa was mainly popular in Canada until the company decided to make a go for the US market in 1986, to gain capital, they sold all the CDN sites to Red Lobster (mine is still a Red Lobster).

I didn't know that either. I guess that explains why our local one (on Lundys Lane in Niagara Falls) changed to a Red Lobster in the 80's (and it's still there). I think I went to the Ponderosa in Buffalo that you were talking about as well.

A&W almost disappeared here in Canada, for awhile you only saw them in mall food courts, but they really came back. I went to our local one for the first time in years (I had only visited food court ones for the longest time) and actually thought the food and atmosphere was pretty good for a fast food joint.

[EmergencyIan]

Yeah, it's always been a US (I believe mid-west) chain first, it debuted in the US in 1965 but during the early 1970s started expanding to Canada and actually stopped franchising in the US for a while.

So yeah, there were locations in the states but there was a freeze on their growth for a decade or so.

Here's the link to the Wikipedia Ponderosa page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponder...nza_Steakhouse . It was founded and first headquartered in Indiana and then in Dayton, Ohio. That was 1965 and 1971, respectively. Ponderosa opened restaurants in Canada in 1971 and remained there until 1986, when they felt that the U.S. market would be market would be viable, again. And, as you mentioned, they began generating new franchises in the states in 1986. That's also when General Mills acquired 36 Ponderosa's in Canada turning then into Red Lobster restaurants.

So, I guess Ponderosa had two (or three) life cycles in the U.S. I read that there are a number of locations in operation today even after a 2008 bankruptcy.

- Ian

[Hector]

Red Barn was a personally favorite in our 70s era household. Dad used to take us once a week...we loved the fried chicken more than the burgers, it was delicious, better than Kentucky Fried Chicken, at least to us...

Red Barn Wiki...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Barn_(restaurant)

I miss that place...brings back memories of my family...

[Earth 2 Chris]

There's a Ponderosa open in Maysville, KY (about an hour from me), and that's the only one I know of still open in my area.

Chris

[Hector]

Check out this guy reminiscing of his Red Barn teenaged days, pretty cool...

Ah, those were the days!

[palitoy]

Yeah, our red barn is a car dealership now but it's like a Pizza Hut, no matter what's in there now, you know what it was....

[EmergencyIan]

Check out this guy reminiscing of his Red Barn teenaged days, pretty cool...

Ah, those were the days!

It's neat and strangely embarrassing at the same time.

- Ian