longhorn ranch-long defunct steakhouse

How many Philadelphia era roadfooders remember this restaurant from the sixties and early seventies? One of the first 'theme' reataurants I remember. Waitresses dressed as cowgirls, shooting off their cap-guns whenever a birthday was celebrated. First place I ever recall seeing bufalo and elk on a menu. Western era decor and cinema cowboy memorabila all over the walls.I have no idea whether the steak was any good or not, but to a young boy like myself, going there was an exciting adventure- regardless what the food was like. Alas, by the mid-seventies it had turned into a disco- named if I remember right "Pulsations".
Anyone else have any recolections to share?

"Rowwwnnnndup at table 108!" Actually, the steaks were good there but I tried to arrive there later in the evening after all the hordes little boys like you left, brookquarry.

I strongly suspect from the continuous and distracting roundups, complete with happy birthday songs and cap gun shootings, that some patrons "fudged" their or their children's birthdays.

If I recall, they also had a waiting room for children where they could sit on the floor and watch Western movies or cartoons projected onto a screen.

When I was a young boy growing up in Northeast Philly, I remember going to the Longhorn Ranch.  At the time, I thought it was heaven on earth, and thereafter I begged my father to go there every time a night out was in the discussion phase.  I think we only went a few times, because it was a hike.  I have no recollection of the food, but for nostalgia value, it still is tops in my book. 

i vaguely remember the name - don't think we ever went there. 

we did go to the rustler steakhouse fairly often - decent food, decently priced, cafeteria style set-up: order first then go through the line to pick up the extras like drinks, salads, deserts, etc, end of line was your plate ready to go then you paid and sat down to eat.

I remember the Longhorn Ranch quite well! My parents and I ate there on Thanksgiving Day 1978 when I was 14. There was a huge gift/souvenir shop that nearly took up the entire front and you had to walk through it to get to the dining areas. I think the Longhorn Ranch closed about a year or two later and briefly became a dinner-theater before becoming Pulsations. Although I only ate there once with my parents, I miss that place!

I actually worked there for 5-6 months  as a Busboy
   in late 1975 - early 1976, 
 with a bunch of friends from High School,  
  before we got our Drivers Licenses  
  & went on to  work at  a  new restaurant nearby,  
which had a less insane environment
 --(i.e., The Farmer In The Dell.
...Better tips,  closer,
even hotter Waitresses & Hostesses).  
 
Man, that place  (Longhorn)  was a trip, 
  the Cowboy Hats & Vests we had to wear,  
 their enormous kitchens  &  PrepRooms in the back, 
  the   gigantic  Walk-In Refrigerators,  
I mean,   GIGANTIC  !... Larger than ANY restaurants'
I've ever seen...
...& all the hidden  Back-Rooms
used for private parties or storage,  
...among other things,       
,,, puff puff,   Hi there !
 
  + Free   STEAK  dinners  for us employees  
for every shift  we worked,
  &  pretty damn good  share of
the CowGirls'  pretty great tips...
 
    Those CowGirls  (our Waitresses, i.e., 
No Waiters were allowed)
were a 15-year old kid's  damn wet dream, 
 ..those Skirts & Tops  of theirs !  
  Yow.   
 
But those damn constant Birthday Songs,
     & those friggin  CapPistols  they were always  shooting off,   Yeesh !!
Pretty sure that Pulsations  didn't open  til at least 1979  or early-'80s  or so,
once Disco  was thoroughly ruling every club.
   Ug. Never went to the place.
 
But
Longhorn Ranch,        What a TimeWarp.