Ponderosa being liquidated; Topeka’s on the way

By John Henderson | 978-7277
Published: July 15, 2008

The Ponderosa Steakhouse, once a popular family-style restaurant on Pantops, is being auctioned off piece-by-piece today.

Everything from cowboy pictures to kitchen supplies to the booths customers sat in are up for grabs at the liquidation sale. The building itself will remain intact.

One man who used to eat there on a regular basis poked through one of the piles of bins, pans, plates, pots and utensils at a preview of the sale items Monday. He said people used to come from other counties to enjoy the friendly service and atmosphere that some other chains lack.

“It was a very popular eating place,” said Debbie Francis, an employee of USA Auctions, which is conducting the sale on site. “A lot of people are really sad that it’s gone.”

Co-owner Ken Ritchie said the rising cost of gas might have kept some people from making the commute to the restaurant from outlying counties such as Fluvanna. The Ponderosa Steakhouse, which closed at the end of June, had been in business for 19 years. The owners of the building were not available for comment.

Despite the high price of gas and a national economic slowdown, business is by no means lagging in the Charlottesville area, according to Jay Crawford, director of communications for the area Chamber of Commerce.

Crawford said that prior to the slowdown, Charlottes-ville’s economy was growing fast. Now, businesses like Ponderosa Steakhouse are being replaced at least as quickly as they are disappearing.

A Topeka Steakhouse restaurant will open in late August or early September near the intersection of U.S. 250 and Interstate 64, about a mile and half east of the Ponderosa. It will be the third restaurant in the franchise, which started in Richmond in 1994.

Philip Cornett, CEO of Topeka’s parent company, Cornett Hospitality, said he isn’t worried about starting the restaurant during an economic slowdown. “We don’t react to the whims of the market,” he said. “There’s always a place in the market for great food and great service.”

Cornett believes the home-style offerings of his restaurant — aged beef, fresh-cut steaks and homemade bread — will allow the restaurant to do well, even in a slow market. The Topeka Steakhouse will seat about 200 and have rooms for business lunches or private parties.

Prices range from about $13 to $30 for top sirloin steak and filet mignon, respectively, and sandwiches are in the $6 to $10 range, according to the Topeka Web site.