There Are More Ponderosa Steakhouses in Michigan Than Anywhere Else in America

When you think of areas where Michigan is a national leader, you may think first of the automotive industry or the freshwater coastlines of the Great Lakes.

You may be surprised to learn that Michigan leads the way when it comes to number of Ponderosa Steakhouses.

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You may be more surprised to learn there are still Ponderosa Steakhouses.

The once ubiquitous steakhouse chain hit 700 restaurants at its peak while 15 or so remain today. As for the largest concentration of steakhouses - that's in Michigan. 5 Ponderosa Steakhouses remain in the state with 4 of them in the state's Ponderosa Belt - the corridor along US 10 with steakhouses in Ludington, Clare and Bay City all along that route. Mount Pleasant, just south of US 10 has a Ponderosa. The 5th in the state is in Coldwater.

The only other state that comes close to Michigan's Ponderosa count is Ohio with 4. The states neighboring Michigan all have one location each: Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; Vincennes, Indiana and Vandalia, Illinois.

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The drop in locations is widely attributed to several changes in ownership and bankruptcies along the way.

Perhaps that corporate struggle can be seen in the widely varied look of the restaurants. None of the 5 Michigan locations look much alike. The Mount Pleasant location appears to be a refreshed look while the Ludington steakhouse shows off some serious retro 80s vibes.

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Ludington:

Mount Pleasant:

Bay City:

Clare:

Coldwater

The Clare and Mount Pleasant locations are a mere 15 miles apart making them the closest restaurant locations in the chain.

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The menu remains the one you likely remember with steak and chicken entrees and the chain's iconic salad bar.