Bonanza & Ponderosa

When I was a kid, Bonanza Steakhouses and Ponderosa were staples of our trips to New England. As we travelled and stopped by shopping centers, the two chains offered a good lunch or dinner for a fair price.

Much like some favorite discount store chains, the Bonanza and Ponderosa presence has declined a lot over the years. In the 70's and even through the 80's, hundreds of locations were around the United States and most major New England towns had at least one of them.

Maine Bonanza History

In Maine, the first wave of Bonanza openings happened around 1973 with South Portland, Augusta, Lewiston, Brunswick and Bangor. Presque Isle opened in 1974. All of these locations featured the well-known Bonanza "Barn style" building except Lewiston which was located inside the enclosed Promenade mall.

By 1982, Maine has 8 Bonanza location including Waterville and Brunswick. In 1984, Sanford opened with more modern Bonanza building style. Rockland opened with a similar concept at an unknown date. In 1989, Glynda and Jim Childs were planning to open 5 new Bonanza locations. The first one opened in Oxford. In August 1989, a new location was already under construction in Dover-Foxcroft and was expected to open by September of that year. They were breaking ground for the Jay location and expected to open a location in Rumford and Newport in 1989 as well. Oxford apparently closed its doors around 1991. It was eventually replaced by Rustler's Steakhouse and Folette's Restaurant. In 1996, it became a Bonanza again under owner Donald Burrows (owner of Augusta and Rockland).

A Sizzler Steakhouse in Bangor closed possibly in 1995 and was replaced by a short-lived Bonanza (the 2nd location in Bangor). Over time, most of the 1989-opened locations closed down. Bonanza locations in Waterville and Bangor became Rustler's and eventually closed too.

By the early 2000s, Rockland closed its doors leaving Augusta, Sanford and Presque Isle. Augusta closed in 2006 and the two remaining locations had to face the 2020 pandemic and Sanford closed that year. The Presque Isle location was the last Maine Bonanza to close. To our knowledge, Maine never had any Ponderosa location.

NH Bonanza/Ponderosa History

In New Hampshire, the first location in the state was in Manchester but I don't know exactly where, possibly in Bedford. Portsmouth had a "Barn style" Bonanza location at Lafayette Plaza. Salem also had one at the Kmart Plaza and they most likely opened in the early 1970's. There was a Bonanza at Rochester Mall and another one in Laconia. The Laconia location was the last one to close in NH in 2007. It had a building similar to Rockland and Sanford in Maine which suggests it may have opened in the early to mid 80's. Ponderosa eventually expanded to NH with the opening of at least 3 known locations: West Lebanon, Portsmouth and Merrimack(Nashua). It appears that none of these locations lasted a very long time because we've never seen them open as Ponderosas. West Lebanon is an asian cuisine restaurant, Merrimack became a pie factory and Portsmouth a Lawn mowing equipment store.

Vermont Bonanza/Ponderosa History

In Vermont, Bonanza had two known locations. A freestanding Bonanza in South Burlington on Shelburne Road and another one in Rutland in the parking lot of the Rutland Mall. The Rutland location is an Asian cuisine restaurant and its "Barn style" building appears to be well preserved. South Burlington is also an Asian Cuisine restaurant today. Ponderosa expanded to Vermont with two locations: Shelburne (near Burlington) and Rutland. Rutland's Ponderosa had the same building style as the 3 NH locations which suggests it may have opened around the same time as these. Rutland lasted until 2017 when it became a Ground Round. This location was adjacent to Diamond Run Mall which is entirely closed today. A Ponderosa opened in Williston replacing a restaurant called Evergreen Eddy’s Wilderness Grill. This location lasted until 2013 when it was turned into the Vermont Tap House.

Maine former locations (14):

Augusta

Location type: Standalone (accross Turnpike Mall)
Building style: "Barn"
Opening date: Possibly around fall 1973
Closing date: 2006
Fate: Demolished
Status today: replaced by a Credit Union building

399 Western Avenue, Augusta, Maine

Bangor

Location type: Standalone (near Airport Mall)
Building style: "Barn"
Opening date: Possibly around fall 1973
Closing date: Unknown
Fate: Eventually became a Rustler's Steakhouse and closed.
Status today: Union Street Laundromat & Dry cleaners

1001 Union Street, Bangor, Maine

Bangor #2

Location type: within a commercial building (near Bangor Mall)
Building style: Originally a Sizzler
Opening date: Unknown
Closing date: Unknown
Fate: Closed
Status today: Green Tea Asian Cuisine restaurant

Hogan Road, Bangor, Maine

Brunswick

Location type: Standalone (across Cook's Corner Mall)
Building style: "barn"
Opening date: Unknown
Closing date: Unknown
Fate: Closed, then replaced by Rentway, Rent-A-Center, Planet FItness, then Orange Circuit Fitness.
Status today: Vacant

31 Gurnet Road, Brunswick, Maine

Dover-Foxcroft

Location type: Standalone (near Dover-Foxcroft Plaza)
Building style: "square/modern"
Opening date: Possibly around September 1989
Closing date: Unknown
Fate: Closed
Status today: Community Health and Counseling Services

Dover-Foxcroft, Maine

Jay

Location type: Standalone (across Jay Shopping Mall)
Building style: "square/modern"
Opening date: December 18, 1989
Closing date: Unknown
Fate: Closed
Status today: Jay Town offices

Route 4, Jay, Maine

Lewiston - Promenade Mall

Location type: Enclosed Mall
Building style: "barn" facade inside mall
Opening date: Possibly around fall 1973
Closing date: Unknown
Fate: Closed
Status today: Mall closed

Promenade Mall, Lisbon Street, Lewiston, Maine

Oxford

Location type: Standalone (accross Oxford Plaza)
Building style: "square/modern"
Opening date: 1989 / 1996
Closing date: 1991 (1st closing)
Fate: Closed once, replaced by Rustler's, then replaced by Follettes Restaurant, then became a Bonanza again in 1996, closed and replaced by a credit union.
Status today: Applebee's

Route 26, Oxford, Maine

Presque Isle

Location type: Standalone
Building style: "barn"
Opening date: 1974
Closing date: Possibly 2022
Fate: Closed
Status today: To be demolished for a new Credit Union.

725 Main Street, Presque Isle, Maine

Sanford

Location type: Standalone
Building style: "Semi-Modern"
Opening date: February 1984
Closing date: June 30, 2020
Fate: Closed
Status today: VIP Auto Service.

1285 Main Street, Sanford, Maine

Rockland

Location type: Standalone (Shopping plaza parking lot - later a Walmart)
Building style: "Semi-Modern"
Opening date: Unknown
Closing date: Unknown
Fate: Closed
Status today: Demolished. Former Walmart is an Ocean State Job Lot.

Camden Street, Rockland, Maine

Sanford

Location type: Standalone
Building style: "Semi-Modern"
Opening date: February 1984
Closing date: June 30, 2020
Fate: Closed
Status today: VIP Auto Service.

1285 Main Street, Sanford, Maine

South Portland

Location type: Standalone (accross Maine Mall)
Building style: "Barn"
Opening date: Possibly around fall 1973
Closing date: Unknown
Fate: Closed, replaced by another restaurant with the name "skillet" in it. Then became LoneStar Steakhouse, then became Verizon.
Status today: Verizon store

Gorham Road, South Portland, Maine