ponderosa steak houses

I have noticed lately many of the ponderosa steak houses in the region are closing. Does anybody know if this is happening nationally or is it just a local thing? Recent area closings are whitehall pa, pottsville pa, and wilkes-barre pa. I have also seen other locations that are closed up, not that it's a bad thing, just curious.

quote:

Originally posted by marcbla

I have noticed lately many of the ponderosa steak houses in the region are closing. Does anybody know if this is happening nationally or is it just a local thing? Recent area closings are whitehall pa, pottsville pa, and wilkes-barre pa. I have also seen other locations that are closed up, not that it's a bad thing, just curious.

There used to be 3 ponderosa's in the Benton Harbor-St. Joesph Mocigan area, now there is only one!!!!

There used to be 5 ponderosa's in the South Bend-Mishawaka Indiana Area, now there are 2!!

Maybe You are right!!

Garry Asmus
Pokagon, Michigan

It's been years!! since I've seen a Ponderosa Steak house. BUT the one in MYRTLE BEACH rocked. I had no idea theys till existed.

There are over 10 in the St. Louis area. Used to frequent one for lunch before retiring. Haven't been back since. Recall reading in my hometown Muncie, IN online newspaper of one which closed a couple of years ago, but the article said it was the third one ever opened in the franchise. I remember it opening in the middle 1960's. It and a strip mall took over what had been a nice play area for us as kids.

Pondarosa/Bonanza Steak Houses seem to be having something of problem/identity crisis. I think it would help if they pick a name and go with it. Whenever we go there if you look at the 'table tent' advertising, sometimes it is Bonanza and sometimes Ponderosa.

There is a Bonanza a few miles from us in New Columbia,PA. Their food seems to be hit or miss, but, they are cleaning up and it's getting better. There is a Pondarosa on RT 30 in Lancaster, which I have not been in for a year or so, that could use a good clean and update. However, the food was always pretty good and they are usually busy. It's been 2 or 3 years since I was in the one in State College, Pa, but I was never impressed with their food, but, it was always super busy and kept in good shape.

I believe there's still one where I grew up, in Niagara Falls. I've got to admit that as a kid, I viewed the occasions we went there as meaning I was being punished for some unstated misdeed. Good to hear they might be better elsewhere.

As I recall, there was also one where I went to college, in Brockport, NY (near Rochester). Don't know if it's still there. I always stuck to the salad bar at that one, which was good.

Over the past ten years or so - it has been a gradual thing - I would guess about half the Ponderosa locations in greater Cincinnati have closed. New locations are not opening. I think this is occuring in no small part because of the success of the Golden Corral chain run by the folks who also own the local Frisch's Big Boy franchise.

But the main thing seems to be that their buffet sucks. I have never had anything off their buffet table that could be considered good with the possible exception of freshly cut fruit, but then again, how (other than letting it sit a while after it is cut) can you mess that up?

Main thing I remember about Ponderosa (and other steak "chains") was that steaks had odd sweet taste. Someone told me that extremely nasty cuts of meat are soaked in papaya solution to tenderize, apparently papaya breaks down almost anything, thus allowing them to serve essentially dog-food great beef in a chewable form. Sounds tasty, eh? At least better than some chemical treatment, I guess....

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Over the past ten years or so - it has been a gradual thing - I would guess about half the Ponderosa locations in greater Cincinnati have closed. New locations are not opening. I think this is occuring in no small part because of the success of the Golden Corral chain run by the folks who also own the local Frisch's Big Boy franchise.

But the main thing seems to be that their buffet sucks. I have never had anything off their buffet table that could be considered good with the possible exception of freshly cut fruit, but then again, how (other than letting it sit a while after it is cut) can you mess that up?

TJ Jackon,you're right, Golden Corral is awesome!!!! There aren't any Golden Corrals in this area, but I have eaten at the Golden Corral in Fort Wayne.....like I said, they are awesome!!!

But also you are right about how bad Pondeosa's food is!!! Heck! Look at my other post and You'll see how many Ponderosa have closed in the Benton Harbor-St.Joseph-South Bend- Mishawaka Area and there is no Golden Corral's here to give them competition.

The only reason thee ponderosas closed were the very very alful food they served!

Dearfolk,
Maybe the REAL reason for all the Ponderosa closings is that Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, and Lorne Greene are all dead. Pernell Roberts was alive last I heard, but he left the show, so he really doesn't count. That only leaves Hop Sing,the cook, and Ponderosa Steak Houses didn't side-dabble in Chinese....
Just a thought.
Be(e)n (Cartw)Right More Than I Been Wrong, Ort. Carlton in Enticing Athens, Georgia.
P. S. Yes, I, too noticed the sweet tinge in their steaks those years ago. Papaya solution makes perfect sense. At least it's something that isn't harmful... I've never heard of anyone dissolving themselves by drinking papaya juice.

Was Ponderosa the one that gave you a colored numbered piece of plastic to place on your table and then they brought your steaks to you if they didn't have them ready as you passed by?

quote:

Originally posted by emsmom

Was Ponderosa the one that gave you a colored numbered piece of plastic to place on your table and then they brought your steaks to you if they didn't have them ready as you passed by?

Yes, although I think I had to take the number every time I've been to a Ponderosa. Nowadays (at least at the one in Janesville WI) you're seated immediately after ordering and paying so that you can avail yourself of the Grand Buffet.

Interesting comment about the papaya marinade. I don't recall the steaks tasting oddly sweet but I haven't been to one in a year or so.

Brad

quote:

Originally posted by CarolinaBill

Someone told me that extremely nasty cuts of meat are soaked in papaya solution to tenderize, apparently papaya breaks down almost anything, thus allowing them to serve essentially dog-food great beef in a chewable form. Sounds tasty, eh? At least better than some chemical treatment, I guess....

Eeewww... PondeGrossa!

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

Dearfolk,
Maybe the REAL reason for all the Ponderosa closings is that Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, and Lorne Greene are all dead. Pernell Roberts was alive last I heard, but he left the show, so he really doesn't count. That only leaves Hop Sing,the cook, and Ponderosa Steak Houses didn't side-dabble in Chinese....
Just a thought.
Be(e)n (Cartw)Right More Than I Been Wrong, Ort. Carlton in Enticing Athens, Georgia.
P. S. Yes, I, too noticed the sweet tinge in their steaks those years ago. Papaya solution makes perfect sense. At least it's something that isn't harmful... I've never heard of anyone dissolving themselves by drinking papaya juice.
[/quote/]

Sorry, I don't think your idea about why the Ponderosas are closing is correct, because the Pondersoa Ranch, Ben, Adam, Hoss, Little Joe,and Candy are all alive and well on both TVLAND and The Family Channels.

quote:

Originally posted by garryd451

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Over the past ten years or so - it has been a gradual thing - I would guess about half the Ponderosa locations in greater Cincinnati have closed. New locations are not opening. I think this is occuring in no small part because of the success of the Golden Corral chain run by the folks who also own the local Frisch's Big Boy franchise.

But the main thing seems to be that their buffet sucks. I have never had anything off their buffet table that could be considered good with the possible exception of freshly cut fruit, but then again, how (other than letting it sit a while after it is cut) can you mess that up?

TJ Jackon,you're right, Golden Corral is awesome!!!! There aren't any Golden Corrals in this area, but I have eaten at the Golden Corral in Fort Wayne.....like I said, they are awesome!!!

But also you are right about how bad Pondeosa's food is!!! Heck! Look at my other post and You'll see how many Ponderosa have closed in the Benton Harbor-St.Joseph-South Bend- Mishawaka Area and there is no Golden Corral's here to give them competition.

The only reason thee ponderosas closed were the very very alful food they served!

If these Ponderosa closings are widespread (and I have no information on this), perhaps it's because of a wide disparity in the quality of their locations. While travelling with my parents in their motorhome about a year and a half ago, we stopped at a Ponderosa in Pa. They had a wide variety of items in their buffet, and, as is usually the case with buffets of this sort, some of the items were pretty good, some were just OK, and some were bad. In this regard, they are a lot like a Golden Corral that my uncle took us to in Roanoke, Va. - a lot of food, some of it good, but most of it average or worse, at a low price. However, shortly after my visit to the Ponderosa in PA., I ate at one that is south of Chillicothe, OH on U.S. Rt. 23, and it was dreadful. There were few items to choose from on the buffet, and what they had was basically inedible. If this inconsistency is common among Ponderosa's locations, it's no wonder that so many of them are closing. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but to me the thought that, to large numbers of people, eating out means patronizing places like these is depressing.

quote:

Originally posted by CarolinaBill

Main thing I remember about Ponderosa (and other steak "chains") was that steaks had odd sweet taste. Someone told me that extremely nasty cuts of meat are soaked in papaya solution to tenderize, apparently papaya breaks down almost anything, thus allowing them to serve essentially dog-food great beef in a chewable form. Sounds tasty, eh? At least better than some chemical treatment, I guess....

Meat tenderizers are made with an enzyme derived from papaya called papain.It breaks down tissue, but it does not add any taste to meats, other than any salts or sugar that might be included. Adolph's Meat Tenderizer is typical of these. Interestingly, the enzyme chymopapain is used to dissolve spinal disc tissue as a means to relive pain from nerve pressure caused by so-called slipped discs. In Canada chymopapain has an other name, but I can't recall what it is.
Boy, talk about being a fount of useless knowledge ...

And do you find meat tenderizers distasteful, or is it the injection of chymopapain to dissolve discs that causes you to be ill?

no, he's on his "we shouldn't be discussing this topic on this website" soapbox.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

no, he's on his "we shouldn't be discussing this topic on this website" soapbox.

Nope, just expressing my opinion!

I know, that's what I said already :-)

Interesting. We would visit the local Ponderosa rarely, usually after we had forgotten how bad the food was and we had decided never to eat there again. Maybe once every two to three years. Each time, the steak had an unusual texture like the meat was chopped apart and reformed, but without really being ground like a hamburger. Maybe this is the effect of the tenderizer. This post renews my memories and vows not to eat there again.

Tonight - grilled chicken breasts. It's 50 degrees outside in Rochester today and the grill is coming out for dinner.

quote:

Originally posted by berndog


Tonight - grilled chicken breasts. It's 50 degrees outside in Rochester today and the grill is coming out for dinner.

Heck, it was 32 and blowing rain and snow last night and I did bratwurst on the grill.

I remember them both... Pondarosa and/or Bonanza Steak Houses...
The papaya marinade is not "quite true", though. Both they and Golden Corral Steak Houses soak/soaked all meat cuts (exception being Ribeyes & Tenderloin filets) in a solution of "flavored" etheleyne glycol solution to tenderize. All three of these "chains" are pathetic examples of mediocre to downright nasty & bland food served in abundance.

Back in the early 70s when I was a very poor college student, about once a month or so I would head for Bonanza Steak House whenever my g'mother would send me a gigantic $20 check in the mail. . . I won't discuss all the other things I did on those $20 checks, but the $3 steak at Bonanza was always a big treat after weeks of horrendous dorm food. I get a nice euphoric recall just thinking about those walks to Bonanza.

There are no Ponderosa's in Knoxville anymore. I remember eating at Quincy's and Western Sizzler as a kid. All those places are long gone around here, though Ryan's "steak" house remains popular.

quote:

Originally posted by SouthHillbilly

Back in the early 70s when I was a very poor college student, about once a month or so I would head for Bonanza Steak House whenever my g'mother would send me a gigantic $20 check in the mail. . . I won't discuss all the other things I did on those $20 checks, but the $3 steak at Bonanza was always a big treat after weeks of horrendous dorm food. I get a nice euphoric recall just thinking about those walks to Bonanza.

Lets see...after your $3 feast,you would have $17...which means that you had plenty for a nick....um...never mind....

quote:

Originally posted by ConeyIslandLou

quote:

Originally posted by SouthHillbilly

Back in the early 70s when I was a very poor college student, about once a month or so I would head for Bonanza Steak House whenever my g'mother would send me a gigantic $20 check in the mail. . . I won't discuss all the other things I did on those $20 checks, but the $3 steak at Bonanza was always a big treat after weeks of horrendous dorm food. I get a nice euphoric recall just thinking about those walks to Bonanza.

Lets see...after your $3 feast,you would have $17...which means that you had plenty for a nick....um...never mind....

Yea Lou,
. . . and lots of 15 cent glasses of beer and 99 cent bottles of wine! HA!

the Ponderosa in Tampa was a incredibly vile place to eat. Nothing good about it. In a town loaded with good steakhouses(in all price ranges),they never stood a chance. The one time I was taken there(kidnapped?) was enough to eliminate any desire to go again.

When I was young and poor (not that I am wealthy now) my friends and I would walk the half mile to the local Bonanza on Saturday at around 11:30 and leave at about 2pm, having stuffed ourselves so much that we didn't have to eat for 2 days thereafter.

The walk back was far more difficult than the walk there :-)