23 American Chain Restaurants That Have Closed Their Doors and Left a Hole in Our Hearts

In 1963, Bonanza Steakhouse was founded by Dan Blocker, who played Hoss in the show Bonanza. In 1965, Ponderosa was founded, with its namesake coming from Bonanaza’s setting, Ponderosa Ranch. As such, there was a Wild West standoff between which two would come on top.

But neither did. Instead, Metromedia Restaurant Group bought both of them in the late ’80s, and by the late ’90s, they were the same restaurant but with different names, depending on where you were. And just like the Old West, it’s a relic of the past, with 13 Ponderosa and three Bonanza locations.