Homestyle Dining LLC, parent company of the iconic Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouse brands, and new concepts Cole’s Backyard Grill and Bonanza Steak & BBQ, has announced that Ervin Campbell, an existing multi-unit Ponderosa Steakhouse franchisee, has signed an Area Development Agreement for 27 counties across the state of Ohio. Campbell, a 20-plus year operator of Ponderosa Steakhouses in Columbus, Jackson, South Point, and Wheelersburg, Ohio, will develop several additional Ponderosas across the state during the next several years.
Campbell, the winner of the 2015 Community Involvement Award for the Homestyle Dining portfolio of restaurants, will leverage recent brand enhancements and menu upgrades that were developed and implemented under the stewardship of Tom Sacco, CEO and president of Homestyle Dining. The first restaurant to be developed under the new Area Development Agreement will be in Marion, Ohio, and is scheduled to open before the end of the year.
“The culinary, marketing and reimaging programs that Homestyle Dining has put in place the past few years has broadened the demographics of the guests we attract, especially Millennials,” said Campbell. “Additionally, the favorable real estate market in Ohio, combined with the commodity contracts that Homestyle Dining has been able to negotiate and the considerable opportunity for growth in Ohio, makes this a most opportune time to step up and make this investment in the brand.”
“Our Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouse brands have been running positive comparable store sales across the country for almost two years,” stated Sacco. “Ervin has always been one of our best and most engaged operators with a steadfast commitment to his organization and to the Ponderosa brand. He recognizes that today’s consumer sees the value proposition offered at Ponderosa Steakhouse, and his sales, and the chains sales, prove that now is the time to grow the brand’s footprint within the great state of Ohio.”
Dallas, Texas-based Homestyle Dining LLC owns, operates and franchises family-focused restaurants throughout the United States and internationally under the Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse brands, where guests enjoy flame-grilled steaks and entrees along with a high-quality buffet featuring an endless selection of salads, soups, appetizers, vegetables, and desserts at affordable prices. A new restaurant concept, Bonanza Steak & BBQ, recently opened in Seymour, Indiana, is a full service, casual dining concept celebrating Bonanza’s American steakhouse heritage with its modernized menu including new authentic, Southern-style BBQ offerings, and an interior redesign around a butcher house theme. Plans call for 100 franchised locations in the next five years. For more information about Bonanza Steakhouses, visit www.bonanzasteakhouses.com.
