Last updated on May 1st, 2024 at 10:50 am
Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses are two massive chains best known for their unique names. This article will highlight everything about Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses menu prices.
Also known as Pon-bon for short, these two giants have now shrunken down to 16 or even less than that. But in the end, these two giants didn’t fall; they survived and are now looking for a comeback.
Pon-Bon claims to be an authentic American kitchen, serving the best dishes in the American style that we all love so far. But is that really all they have to offer?
Check below for the Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses menu and prices. Learn how their menus look to the eye of a normal person and how heavy their plates are for your wallet.
Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses Menu Prices
Featured Items Menu
| 10 Ounce Select Cut Ribeye | $ 22.99 |
| 1/2 Pound Mushroom Swiss Burger | $ 13.99 |
Grilled Entrees Menu
| 10 Ounce Select Cut Ribeye | $22.99 |
| 6 Ounce Sirloin Tips | $15.99 |
| 12 Ounce Sirloin Tips | $20.99 |
| Chicken Breast | $15.99 |
| Grilled Chicken Monterey | $15.99 |
| Honey BBQ Ribs | $17.99 |
Sandwiches Menu
| 1/2 Pound Steak Burger | $13.49 |
| 1/2 Pund Classic Steak Bacon Onion Burger | $13.99 |
| 1/2 Pound Hangover Burger | $14.99 |
| 1/2 Pound Mushroom Swiss Burger | $13.99 |
Hearty Homestyle Meals Menu
| Homemade Meatloaf | $14.00 |
| 3 Piece Fried Chicken | $14.00 |
| 3 Pieces Of Baked Chicken | $14.00 |
| Baked Pitt Ham | $14.00 |
Wings Menu
| Bone-In Wings | $16.00 |
| Jumbo Wings | $11.99 |
Chicken Menu
| Baked Chicken To Go | $15.00 |
| Fried Chicken To Go | $15.00 |
16 Ounce Sides Menu
| Mac & Cheese | $7.00 |
| Buttered Corn | $7.00 |
| Potatao Salad | $7.00 |
| Macaroni Salad | $7.00 |
| Mashed Potato | $7.00 |
| Green Beans | $7.00 |
32 Ounce Sides Menu
| Mac & Cheese | $13.00 |
| Buttered Corn | $13.00 |
| Potatao Salad | $13.00 |
| Macaroni Salad | $13.00 |
| Mashed Potato | $13.00 |
| Green Beans | $13.00 |
Rolls Menu
| Rolls | $0.50 |
Desserts Menu
| Slice Of Coconut Crream Pie | $3.00 |
| Slice Of Chocolate Cream Pie | $3.00 |
| Slice Of Cheesecake | $3.00 |
| Whole Coconut Cream Pie | $11.00 |
| Whole Chocolate Cream Pie | $11.00 |
| 8 Slices Of Cheesecake | $11.00 |
Beverages Menu
| 32 Oz Drink | $2.99 |
Disclaimer: We do our best to keep our menu prices up-to-date, but they may not always reflect the latest changes or vary between different locations of the eatery. For the most current pricing info, we recommend reaching out directly to the eatery location you’re planning to visit.
Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses History
Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses had no correlation at first. These are, in fact, two separate restaurants that later got merged into one.
Bonanza was inspired by a TV series with the same name. There was a person called Dan Blocker who played the role of Eric “Hoss” Cartwright in that show.
It was a Western classic still known for its cowboy actions and old-west traditions that got lost over time. Anyway, that same person later started a steakhouse.
Yup, you guessed it. It was called Bonanza Steakhouse, and it happened in 1963. This restaurant opened in Westport, Connecticut.
Just three years later, Wylys Brothers bought the chain and immediately started franchising it. By the end of the ’90s, Bonanza Steakhouse had grown to 600 locations.
As for Ponderosa Steakhouse, it was founded in 1965 by three gentlemen called Dan Lasater, Norm Wiese, and Charles Kleptz.
They used a plot in Kokomo, Indiana, as the first base of operation. But it was moved to Dayton, Ohio, in 1971, once the expansion project began.
It tried its hands on the international market in Canada in 1971. Within 11 years, Ponderosa had over 100 locations in Canada alone.
Well, this big step somehow weakened their clutches on the US market, which was indeed their main source of revenue.
So in 1986, Ponderosa started retaliating in the US, closing most of their Canadian chains, while 36 of them were brought in by Red Lobster restaurants.
Bonanza did the same, but it had a better presence in Canada, and it ran until 2010. But the big merger happened in February of 1988.
Metromedia Restaurant Group acquired both restaurant chains in 1988 and 1989. The famous names Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses started circulating in 1997.
Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses Review
There should be no more misunderstandings about Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses menus or prices. Both locations have identical menus, so no worries there.
You can find three types of foods here: grilled, buffet, and bakery. We went with the buffet since we could see all sorts of dishes and not just the one we ordered.
Buffet then further had two stands, one called Hot Bar and another called Cold Bar. The hot one had all the grilled and cooked meat dishes.
Meanwhile, Cold One had salad, fruits, slices of bread, and all other kinds of cold dishes. The fried chicken was the first item that we laid eyes on.
This masterpiece had eight pieces of chicken hand-breaded and fried to a golden crisp that we all love. It was a bit brown too, which means it ain’t all white meat at all.
Anyway, the texture was fluffy enough to melt in your mouth. The bread crusts were made of the same bread available in the cold bar.
Fried to perfection, that’s for sure. Next up was a gooey dish called meatloaf with gravy. This may look nasty, so embrace yourself!
It was made with homemade meatloaf drizzled in brown sugar-sweetened ketchup. Not good enough? Well, add beef gravy and see the real deal in action.
The meatloaf was sweet, and the same goes for the ketchup. It’s a rather easygoing kind of recipe with no added spicy stuff.
Everyone can enjoy its greatness, and we did too. It came hot, so make sure to eat it slowly; otherwise, you may burn your tongue.
We also took a garden salad along with this dish. The ice-cold lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and broccoli acted as the best defenders against its greatness!
How to Order Online From Ponderosa and the Bonanza Steakhouse?
You can also order online from Ponderosa and the Bonanza Steakhouse by following the same steps below.
- First, go to Doordash or Grubhub and select your location from the list of given locations.
- After selecting the location, the menu prices of Ponderosa and the Bonanza Steakhouse will be displayed (here you can check the menu prices of Ponderosa and the Bonanza Steakhouse based on your selected location).
- Now, select all the food items that you want to order from Ponderosa and the Bonanza Steakhouse and add them one by one to your cart.
- In the next step, you have to sign in to your account if you have one on Doordash or you can also create a new one.
- After successfully signing in, fill in some of your details like name, phone number, and email address, make the payment, and confirm your order.
Depending on the distance of your address, it will reach out to you and you can enjoy their yummy food items.
In this way, you can order online and check the menu prices of Ponderosa and the Bonanza Steakhouse for different locations.
Final Thoughts
Ponderosa and the Bonanza Steakhouse menu have the firepower to survive this harsh time. FAT Brands also knows that’s why it won’t let it go.
Pon-Bon currently has around 16 restaurants in the US and over 45 internationally. The past decisions greatly impacted their US reach, but that’s still fine.
Nationally or internationally, in the end, all that matters is the money, and Pon-Bon is making it.
As for their food, it’s one of a kind, that’s for sure. There are no major hiccups in their service. Just that the Cold Bar was lacking in numbers, well, we just hope that’s temporary and not permanent.
To know more about Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses, visit their official website.
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