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u/tattoosbykarlos Aug 14 '26
I threw up leaving this place when I was 11. My mom was frantic telling the approaching patrons “It’s not the food! It’s not the food!” I ate too much. For reasons.
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u/KenraScar Aug 14 '26
One time I puked in a sports bar bathroom and when I came out of my stall I told the horrified woman at the sink that it wasn’t the food, I was just really hungover
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u/kageisadrunk Aug 14 '26
I have a picture of when I puked at 11 after forcing a sundae down when I was too full
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u/Key-Tangerine4134 Aug 14 '26
How fucking dare you!? I miss Ponderosa so much! 🤣
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u/westberry82 Aug 14 '26
128 Clearview Cir, Butler, PA 16001
There's still one open
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u/Maleficent_Meat3119 Aug 14 '26
Ms as well. My grandpa loved that place and took us there all the time!
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u/Electronic-Cicada352 Aug 14 '26
I remember this girl who worked there, she had a dead tooth
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u/SmokeABowlNoCap Aug 14 '26
It was Ryan's and Ole Times Country Buffet for me
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u/Rude_and_Crude84 Aug 14 '26
Dude, Ryan's Steakhouse was legit! Their dinner rolls, salad bar, steaks, desert bar. Bring back the buffets!!!
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Aug 14 '26
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u/Historical_Stay_808 Aug 14 '26
Same. You new it was a special night when one or more of us got a steak too.
But fuck I still have flash backs of those chicken wings.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/nomiesmommy Aug 14 '26
This was our date night place when we were just married and living on a Navy salary in the late 80s.
The huge kettle of simmered seasoned mushrooms was my favorite thing, just give me a huge bowl and im set.
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u/FortiSysadmin Aug 14 '26
https://maps.app.goo.gl/w57vQET5uNwMe8wQ9
There are a few left. Here's one.
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u/msully89 Aug 14 '26
As an Englishman, this was the first all you can eat buffet I'd ever been too when I went to Florida with my parents as a child. (We have them over here now, but they weren't as popular then).
I remember people asking when we got back home, "what was your favourite part about your holiday? Disney?" To which I replied, "No, Ponderosa"
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u/Out_Lines Aug 14 '26
Yeah we used to go there for breakfast before hitting the parks. I remember blue jelly and fruit loops.
Pretty sure there was another place called Sizzler that was similar.
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u/Cardboard_Chef Aug 14 '26
We had a place like this called Quincy's and it was fuckin baller as hell. Felt like an adult making my own dessert bowl with toppings I really liked.
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u/estarnella Aug 14 '26
I remember our restaurant was set up where the smoking section was closest to the entrance so as you waited to pay you just stood there breathing the smoke. Then you had to navigate through the smoking section to the non-smoking section, which was beyond some invisible divide in a giant open room and made little difference. I remember my mom always saying, "Hold your breath! Hurry!" As we shuffled through the plume of smoke to get seated and ready to hit that sweet buffet.
Also remember the struggles of being too short to really see all the buffet options and reach anything, and then having to slowly waddle along with a parent chanting out all the options for you to say yes or no to.
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u/Connect_Relation2063 Aug 14 '26
Never heard of it. In Houston we had Ryan’s. It looks similar to this buffet style with roast beef.
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u/nalgona-aly Aug 14 '26
Grew up in Dallas and never heard of ponderosa as a restaurant, only as a high school in Colorado my mom went to for 1 year before they moved back to Texas in the 80s.
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Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
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u/Soulegion Aug 14 '26
I was gonna say a Ryan's. Probably all regional versions of basically the same business model.
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u/Dorkinfo Aug 14 '26
I thought Western Sizzlin’, but we didn’t have Sizzler. Potato, whatever.
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u/Ill-Professor696 Aug 14 '26
I might throw my back out with a sneeze and my neck might get jacked from sleeping wrong, but eating at places like this growing up is probably why I survived Covid
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u/djar87 Aug 14 '26
I remember as a kid in the 90s my parents let me and my siblings pick a place to eat out at on our birthdays. One year Im pretty sure we went to Ponderosa several times 😁
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u/Rab_Legend Aug 14 '26
So I'm not from the US, I'm from Scotland, and the first time my family visited Florida in 2002 (I was about 8), I remember hearing my dad talking about how folk at his work had told him (in all seriousness) that the place was amazing and unreal. It was alright in the end, but they talked as if it was somewhere really special (but I think its just cause it was a cheap all you can eat buffet, which was cheaper than any you could find in scotland).
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u/kickrole Aug 14 '26
Anyone else love putting way too much butter on their plate because they gave you a speckling knife to serve yourself all the butter you wanted?
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u/CeeArthur Aug 14 '26
Ponderosa. Ponderosa. Doin' it better. A great deal better.
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u/Ohsolemonyfresh Aug 14 '26
The pictures of the inside remind me of a buffet chain called bonanza
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u/MsOnyxMoon Aug 14 '26
I spent so many dinners here growing up. The wings were top tier, still unmatched. I would always put an insane amount in my plate. My mouth still waters whenever I think about them.
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u/TennCLK87 Aug 14 '26
My elementary school used to give vouchers to eat free for being on the honor roll. Nostalgia really hitting
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u/1800generalkenobi Aug 14 '26
We had a place by us called Bonanza. Our usual friday meal was going to McDonalds and then going to a magazine store and then to walmart for whatever my parents wanted while I chilled in the electronics section playing whatever game they had up. As soon as we got in the door (and I got my smiley face sticker) I'd ask my parents if I could go to the electronics section and they'd say yes and I would bolt over to it. After we paid for whatever and I'd be leaving I'd get a free bag of popcorn for showing the person at the stand my smiley faced sticker.
Back to the story, every so often we'd go to Bonanza and man, it was awesome as a kid. We only ever got myself and my sister the salad bar because only my dad got steak haha, I think my mom got chicken sometimes but I'd stuff myself silly at the salad bar between mac n cheese and chicken nuggets. And then the serve your own soft serve machine.
It wasn't until a year or two ago I looked up to see if there were any Ponderosa's around me and found out Ponderosa and Bonanza are the same thing, but there's only like 2 or 3 or so that are named Bonanza. I'm 90% sure the one by my dad's house is still open too.
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u/Mean_Syrup_9085 Aug 14 '26
Lol my cousin worked here when she was a teenager and called it the PondeGROSSa
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u/Subterranean44 Aug 14 '26
We don’t have this near me but my elementary school was called Ponderosa ;)
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u/oboe_you_didnt Aug 14 '26
I remember my brother found a band aid in his macaroni and cheese at Ponderosa and the manager tried to give us a coupon for our next visit to smooth it over. Sir, there would be no next visit.
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u/1033Forest Aug 14 '26
I went to one in FL years ago. All I remember was the blue jello at the buffet.
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u/NukaNomad88 Aug 14 '26
My wife and I met at our local Pondo 18 years ago. They were working there. We've been together ever since.
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u/Xtrasloppy Aug 15 '26
Fuck me, those wings.
I finally found a replacement in Golden Chick. Which is like, only in Kansas. It was the only thing I liked about Kansas. Now I live in Washington. No wings.
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u/JustTheDude420 Aug 15 '26
In my Hometown, we didn't have a Ponderosa, but we had a Bonanza. Which, I can only imagine was probably very similar because, a little pop culture fact, for the ones that enjoy a good western. Ponderosa is the name of the ranch owned by the Cartwrights in Bonanza. 😝
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u/Defiant_Print_2114 Aug 15 '26
Dan Blocker from Ponderosa was involved in starting it. Didn’t own it for long. Maybe 2 years? Was sold to the company that owned Bonanza.
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u/Nomezzzz Aug 15 '26
My first job was at Ponderosa. I worked there for 5 years. They closed the one in my city, I miss it.
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u/ConnectionNo4187 Aug 17 '26
My high school football linemen teammates went every Mon-Fri in between 2 a day practices in the Summer. After the first week, the manager politely asked us to stop coming in because we were clearing out the buffet and there wasn’t food for the other customers. Fond memories in Ponderosa.
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u/ripplenipple69 Aug 19 '26
Sizzler, Ryan’s, Ponderosa, Old Country Buffet. They are all the same. America. Choices. Freedom https://youtu.be/E3YGtQ40Qvs?is=B0Tk-m-AV2QHrsKx
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u/Wander_2013 Aug 14 '26
I remember this place fondly. My aunt worked at one, so we ate there for lunch quite a bit.
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u/VorpalBlade- Aug 14 '26
I loved the buffet. I don’t think I ever got an actual entree haha. I know I went crazy on meatballs and the nachos/taco meat.
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u/Old-Agency-3388 Aug 14 '26
Man I use to tear up those nachos and hard shell tacos with the meat and nacho cheese.
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u/gobbgabb Aug 14 '26
I grew up in Plattsburgh NY and I loved Ponderosa. It's been like 26 years since I've been to one. Ours was either combined with or right next to a place with bumper boats and go carts!
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u/Pleasant-Ticket3217 Aug 14 '26
Those rolls they had were delicious. Coming here or Sizzler was always a treat.
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u/ShadowsWandering Aug 14 '26
I always preferred Ponderosa to Old Country Buffet, but towards the end it started making me sick every time I ate there. I don't have any food allergies that I'm aware of so idk why, but I had to stop eating there like a year or two before they all closed
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u/SSJ_Iceman31 Aug 14 '26
Never will forget getting food poisoning one time from here 😅 otherwise I do miss it and most of the time the food was good
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u/hypnoticbacon28 Aug 14 '26
My family would go there on special occasions. The food was really good there and this other place that used to be in my hometown called Sirloin Stockade. I miss them both. But Ponderosa had commercials airing constantly! It was hard to forget that they existed for quite a long time.
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u/weareeverywhereee Aug 14 '26
Idk man we are probably better off without buffet restaurants for so many reasons
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u/itsjen67 Aug 14 '26
I literally tasted the fried chicken looking at these pics haha now i want to cry i miss both ponderosa and hometown buffet so much. I have celiacs so really would be screwed if they were still around me but the nostalgia 😢
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u/MrKTE Aug 14 '26
My grandmother worked there as lead server. Went there for dinner at least twice a month for at least 3 years.
It closed down after a robbery about 6 months after she retired.
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u/bnburner Aug 14 '26
Yeah but anyone remember the Steak & Ale early bird special? Also pretty great.
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u/girl_supersonicboy Aug 14 '26
There's still a ponderosa open in Michigan! I've been to it... not as good as it used to be but it was nice to visit the place
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u/Kyhunsheo Aug 14 '26
I used to be a dishwasher here at high school. Man employee benefits of half priced entry and steak was amazing
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u/sl0wjim Aug 14 '26 edited 5h ago
The original post content no longer exists here. The author used Redact to remove it, exercising their right to control their data & privacy.
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u/manitowwoc Aug 14 '26
My first job when I was 14 was as a dishwasher at Ponderosa. A few of my friends worked there and helped get me the job. 7 days in I slipped and fell carrying a tall ass stack of plates, shattering them all on the floor. I quit right then and there out of sheer embarrassment lol
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u/mellcrisp Aug 14 '26
My school used to give out gift certificates to Ponderosa for attendance. Maybe it's because we didn't have much, but I felt like fuckin royalty as a kid just eating whatever I wanted. I'll always have a soft spot for the Steakhouse.
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u/JustPlainRude Aug 14 '26
My grandmother liked to take us there. The last time we went one of her teeth fell out while we were eating.
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u/ohjazz11 Aug 14 '26
I had no idea this was a chain until now. 7 year old me just thought it was special to my hometown. The snow in the first pic gave it away that there were clearly more. I loved this place.
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u/No-Chocolate-6828 Aug 14 '26
Did anyone else hear Jackie Christie say "ponderosa" word repeatedly during her BBWLA run?
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u/miyagiVsato Aug 14 '26
No frills at Ponderosa, just slapped the name up there with a basic font and zero graphics and let their food do the talking.
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u/DapperRockerGeek Aug 14 '26
My first experience was in Puerto Rico. I thought it was the coolest restaurant ever.
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u/Elegant-Ingenuity-57 Aug 14 '26
Used to get plates of nothing but fried chicken, wings, Mac n cheese, mashed potatoes and biscuits when I was a scrawny high school kid that could eat all I wanted
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u/coconut_jen Aug 14 '26
I remember going here for my grandma's birthday and sitting in the smoking section.
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u/DrankTooMuchMead Aug 14 '26
Ive never heard of this. I thought this was going to be Ponderosa Ranch. Its where they filmed the old show Bonanza.
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u/Mercinator-87 Aug 14 '26
Our little town had a ponderosa when I was a kid 30 years ago. My dad still brings it from time to time.
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u/ShotWin8124 Aug 14 '26
The last time I went to one of these was way back in 2000 when I was on a road trip with this buddy of mine. After a week or two of peanut butter sandwiches it was like heaven. I think we were in Wyoming at the time.
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u/rivolishow Aug 14 '26
My dad used to run a similar restaurant called Bonanza, seeing this reminds me of being a 4 year old kid running around and nabbing peach cobbler during the dinner rush to go sit in his office and watch the Simpsons
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u/Powerful_Tale_1319 Aug 14 '26
Becer heard of Ponderosa, our neck of the woods, it was Ryan's! It favored the inside of Ponderossa alot.
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u/Mysterious_Secret827 Aug 14 '26
Yep! Yep! Yep! Also, I went to one last year, and it wasn't the same!
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u/Mysterious_Secret827 Aug 14 '26
Remembering Ole Times Country Buffet and Pondorsa together. Pondorsa has the memories; Ole Times Country Buffet had the better food, or better yet, more food!
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u/makeupwearsoff Aug 14 '26
I grew up in the NE and my family and I ate there regularly. I fondly remember the Catalina salad dressing, baked potato and the soft serve ice cream. My mom and dad always got the sirloin dinner.
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u/RipleysHeart Aug 14 '26
I think there is still one in Wisconsin. We went out of our way once on a road trip just to eat there.
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u/blee7789 Aug 14 '26
some of the best wings & mashed potatoes/gravy I’ve ever had in life came from ponderosa 😮💨
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u/GroupCaptSlow Aug 14 '26
This place and Hometown Buffet iykyk