Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse under the Metromedia Restaurant Group. The names of the restaurants were derived from the classic TV series "Bonanza", which was set at a place called Ponderosa Ranch. In 1963, Dan Blocker, who played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright on "Bonanza", started the Bonanza Steakhouse chain. The first Bonanza opened in Westport, Connecticut. Sam Wyly and his brother Charles Wyly bought the small Bonanza restaurant chain three years later. The company grew to approximately 600 restaurants by 1989, when the Wylys sold it to Metromedia. In 1965, Dan Lasater, Norm Wiese and Charles Kleptz founded Ponderosa in Kokomo, Indiana, moving the headquarters to
Bonanza, Utah Bonanza, Utah Bonanza is a census-designated place in eastern Uintah County, Utah, United States. The name refers to a rich mineral strike. Near the community is a coal-fired power plant owned by Deseret Power Electric Cooperative. Bonanza is also in the area of the Colorado Plateau where oil drilling and extraction takes place from oil shale and other fossil fuel deposits. According to the 2010 Census, there is one person residing at this location. Bonanza was established in 1888. The basis for establishing the community was a discovery of Gilsonite, a natural asphalt substance. Bonanza is southeast of Salt Lake