Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
PONDEROSA STEAK HOUSE
PONDEROSA STEAK HOUSE. In 1963, Dan Blocker, who played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright on "Bonanza", a television western, 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.
Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse were a chain of buffet/steakhouse restaurants that were a part of Homestyle Dining LLC based in Plano, Texas. Its menu included steaks, seafood, and chicken entrées, all of which come with their buffet for a nominal charge. A lunch menu is also served.
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 1974 through 1989 Dubuque City Directory listed 2035 John F. Kennedy.
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Source:
"Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses," Wikipedia, Online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponderosa_and_Bonanza_Steakhouses
