Christopher Ryan: Ponderosa, Ottawa's steakhouse bonanza

_ A weekly feature from Christopher Ryan , a local photographer, blogger and researcher. It appears every Friday on our blog. _

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Ottawa Journal, July 16, 1973

Broadcast from 1959 to 1973, Bonanza is the second-longest running prime-time western television series and the fourth-longest running prime-time series on American television. Although it may have been cancelled in 1973, the marketing possibilities did not have to end. Ponderosa Steak House (so named for the family settlement on the series) was started with the help of Dan “Hoss” Blocker nearly a decade previous and was by 1973 ready to set up shop in the Ottawa region. That July, the first two restaurants opened: one on St. Laurent (“near the Queensway”) and one on St. Joseph in Hull. As it would come to be, an affordable night out at a steak restaurant was just what hungry Ottawa families wanted.

(Somewhat curiously, none of the materials that I found made any attempt locally to link Ponderosa to Bonanza or to the Ottawa-born star Lorne “Pa” Greene (who was an investor in the replica Ponderosa Ranch). While the chain did not make use of that relationship in its advertising, it’s unlikely that the fact was lost on the Ottawans who dined there.)

Although we sometimes chuckle that the current mayor would attend the opening of an envelope, the practice is part-and-parcel of the long booster tradition inmunicipal politics. Dalhousie Ward Alderman (and former professional boxer) Gale Kerwin attended the grand opening of the St. Laurent location on July 19, 1973. Journal photographers were in attendance and captured him turning the first steak.

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Ottawa Journal, July 20, 1973

Ottawa and Canada as a whole appears to have quickly fallen in love with the western-themed chain. The following year, the chain had opened its 50th Canadian location and offered a “complete steak dinner” for $1.29. The celebratory advertisement claiming that 250,000 visits per week, nationwide. Meanwhile, two more locations had opened up: one in Bells Corners at Robertson and Moodie and one in the Quarries at 895 Montreal Road.

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Ottawa Journal, February 22, 1974

Ponderosa seemed to be an unstoppable restaurant juggernaut in Canada. Of course, not everyone was so keen to live near one. A fifth Ottawa-Hull location opened in 1976 at 1525 Bank, south of Billings Bridge. It did not take long for neighbours in the residential neighbourhood behind to complain that they were living in a miasma of seared flesh. Perhaps an effort to cut corners or perhaps miscalculated demand, the ventilation system installed in the outlet was unable to keep up with the demands of hungry customers and was quickly upgraded.

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Source: Ottawa Journal, December 28, 1977

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Ottawa Journal, November 17, 1978

Another reason Ponderosa was so popular was that children under 12 could often eat free. At first, the offer was limited to hotdogs and hamburgers, but it was later extended to a number of other menu items. (I, for example, have been recently informed that I really enjoyed the fish as a youngster at the Ponderosa in Timmins). Indeed, Ponderosa was often my family’s choice of restaurant for that very reason.

Into the 1980s, the chain appeared to be unstoppable. With low prices (and an advertised awareness of economic conditions), Ponderosa came to be attractive for reasons beyond a good family dinner at affordable prices. Given the high levels of traffic they generated, local real estate agents would sometimes use it as a selling point to nearby commercial space.

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Ottawa Journal, August 12, 1980

The embarrassment of riches it generated also made it an attractive target for armed robbers!

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Ottawa Journal, August 11, 1980

Of course, all good things come to an end, and Ponderosa is no exception. The setting in of the 1982 Recession proved as challenging to the chain as it had been for everyone. The higher salaries paid to management likely didn’t help either. By 1986 most of the outlets across Canada had shuttered, 36 were purchased and converted into Red Lobster (of which only the St. Laurent and Merivale locations remain), and an additional 36 remained in operation. SixPonderosas in Atlantic Canada remained in operation [ until 2010 ](http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/last-ponderosa-set-to-close-106844718.html) .

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Ottawa Citizen, May 14, 1986

I am uncertain about the specific year that the Bells Corners and Bank Street locations closed. I am also uncertain about the movements of the Merivale location, which was attached to the Gem. _ -- Text by Christopher Ryan _ _ _ ** NOTE: ** The folks behind the excellent Lost Ottawa group on Facebook posted this article there and it's generated some good discussion with lots of folks sharing memories - good and bad - of Ponderosa in Ottawa. ** [ You can read the comments here ](https://www.facebook.com/LostOttawa/posts/517176775048218) **

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** ** ** See also: ** Ottawa Food Guide If you liked this post, you should ** subscribe to etcetera , ** our free email newsletter. Featuring cool Ottawa events, interesting local news and contests and giveaways. Thanks!