Ground Round, Ponderosa Most Missed Restaurants For Patch Readers

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ - Do you remember the Ground Round? What about Ponderosa? Apparently, many of you not only remember these restaurants, you long for their return to South Jersey.

Patch asked readers to name a restaurant from their childhood that isn't around anymore. While readers named a multitude of restaurants, the Ground Round and Ponderosa clearly hold a special place in the hearts of many Gloucester Township Patch readers.

“Gonna start a GoFundMe to start back up Ground Round,” one reader offered. “Who’s with me?”
Those two restaurants were named more than any other, with Ground Round collecting a full 25 percent of the responses.

Ground Round was famous in the 1970s and 1980s for its childrens parties, its big screen that showed cartoons and movies and Bingo the Clown. Patch readers remember it for its potato skins, ribs, the movie screen and fun family times.

One person suggested a family reunion: “Mom and I will share a pitcher of beer while you girls color.”

The original Ground Round filed for bankruptcy in 2004. A group of franchisees bought the company and opened a new company under the same name. Alas, there are no locations in New Jersey, but there are some in Pennsylvania and New York. Click here for a list of locations.

Ponderosa and Bonanza combined for the second most number of mentions. Who could forget the buffet-style family restaurant that featured all-you-can-eat steak? It was known locally as Ponderosa, but in some areas, it was called Bonanza. It also went bankrupt back in 2008, with just five of the 88 locations remaining today, including one in Florida and four in Indiana.

Other restaurants listed by Patch readers included Chi Chis and Full Ho Chinese Restaurant in Blackwood. Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor got its own thread within a thread.

“Someone would order that zoo, and they would start singing and pounding the drum,” one reader wrote. “It was so fun on date nights after movies.”

“East Side Mario’s,” one reader wrote. “Also, there’s a lot of comments about the Ground Round.”

Video/image via YouTube.