"“My parents used to take us for the super cheap salad bar in the '80s. Loved it,” wrote a nostalgic Facebook user. "I loved going as a kid, we weren't allowed to get anything other than the salad bar, but that's all I wanted," reminisced one fan on Reddit. Another Redditor agreed that they loved Ponderosa's salad buffet so much as a kid that they "tried to convince [their] mom to convert a peninsula in our kitchen into a salad bar." A former employee on Reddit even shared that, once upon a time, the salad bar was so popular that the food would be "gone in seconds," especially "when some items came out, like the hot rolls."""
"“During the height of its popularity in the '70s and '80s, and even into the 2000s, Ponderosa Steakhouse's salad bar offered a wide assortment of foods such as vegetables, fruits, cheeses, crackers, and dressings. It even featured noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and so much more.”"
"“I'd make unholy abominations out of taco meat, ham, bacon bits, French dressing, nacho cheese, onions, and pickles,” shared one Redditor, adding that they would "scoop it up with breadsticks or chips.”"
Ponderosa Steakhouse locations disappeared quickly, leaving many people without any restaurants in their state. The chain’s most lasting memory centers on an all-you-can-eat salad bar that became a major draw in the 1970s and 1980s and remained popular into the 2000s. Customers recalled taking family trips for a super cheap salad bar, often as children who were allowed to focus on the salad. The bar offered a wide assortment including vegetables, fruits, cheeses, crackers, dressings, and additional hot and comfort items such as noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and hot rolls. Fans described the food as disappearing rapidly when items were replenished.
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