Ponderosa in Johnstown to close

By MICHAEL ANICH/The Leader-Herald

JOHNSTOWN - The Ponderosa Steakhouse restaurant on North Comrie Avenue, a popular buffet-style eatery for at least three-decades, will close its doors Sunday.

The closing was verified Friday by Gary Scazone, manager of the Amsterdam Ponderosa, who said his restaurant is not closing.

Scazone said the decision to close the Johnstown Ponderosa was made on the corporate level, at Ponderosa headquarters in Plano, Tex.

He said the Johnstown Ponderosa was not doing well in sales compared to other Ponderosas.

"The corporation has decided to regroup around its franchisees," Scazone said. "The Johnstown store was one of the quieter stores."

Johnstown Ponderosa Manager Tracy VanAlstyne declined comment publicly to The Leader-Herald Editorial Department on whether the restaurant was due to close. But the newspaper's Advertising Department was told by VanAlstyne that his restaurant was pulling its advertisements.

A call to Ponderosa Steakhouse headquarters in Texas was not returned.

Johnstown Mayor Sarah J. Slingerland didn't know of the Ponderosa closing, but expressed regret.

"It's just a great location," she said. "Its been there quite awhile. There's going to be a lot of casualties of this economy."

While businesses like Ponderosa are closing, Slingerland put a positive spin on the news by noting businesses like KFC on Route 30A actually renovated for expansion.

Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Wally Hart said Friday the restaurant has been in the area at least 30 years.

Hart said local restaurants are facing challenges due to the current economic climate, but the chamber is doing all it can to help these establishments. That includes using advertising, promotional brochures and other avenues to promote local businesses, he said.

Leader-Herald reporter Kerry McAvoy contributed to this report.