Whatever Happened To Ponderosa Steakhouse Restaurant Chains?

Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with a knife? Nope, that's not who — or more accurately, what — killed Ponderosa Steakhouse restaurants. The demise of the once mighty Western-themed chain resulted from a confluence of events including a growing awareness of food safety issues. When the Centers for Disease Control began tracking incidents of food-borne illnesses in 1970, the link between all-you-can-buffets and the risk of contamination came into sharper focus. It wasn't the death knell, but consumers began to view serve-yourself set-ups with more suspicion than anticipation. It didn't happen immediately — and other factors also came into play — but over the course of a few decades, the appeal of the long-time family favorite began to erode. It's an interesting story of the rise and fall of an American restaurant chain.

In the 1960s, mid-century America was awash in cowboy drama. TV shows like "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," "Rawhide," "The Rifleman," and "The Lone Ranger" ruled the airwaves. Perhaps driven by a romanticized version of the wild, wild west, suburban families of the 1950s and '60s routinely settled around their black-and-white televisions to tune into programming centered around the lives of fictional characters — righteous sheriffs, pretty barmaids, rugged ranchers, and wise family patriarchs — navigating life on the frontier. That fascination with the cowboy culture spilled over into real life with mid-20th-century toy stores showcasing everything from cowboy hats and spurs to cap guns and lassos. And in suburbs across the United States, Western-themed restaurants like Ponderosa Steakhouse were cashing in on the trend.