Bonanza Steakhouse

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Bonanza Steakhouse is a chain restaurant that would be founded in 1963. Named after the popular western television series Bonanza, Bonanza Steakhouse became one of the defining family dining chains of the 1970s and 1980s. Known for its affordable steaks, extensive salad bars, dim lighting, and aggressively wood-paneled interiors, the chain occupied a unique position in American dining culture somewhere between “special occasion” and “Sunday after church.”

Courtroom-style sketch of a wood-paneled family steakhouse with suited diners, salad bar, and a mysterious executive figure seated beneath hanging lamps.
During the subsequent 1976 Congressional inquiry into unofficial administrative summits, L.T. Stenographic Services was court-ordered to produce a visual asset reconstructing the alleged Midtown meeting. Because photography was strictly prohibited within the establishment, the lead court reporter—who had incidentally been dining at an adjacent table during the event—reconfigured their raw field notes and memory into an official “Illustrative Recreation” for the record. The resulting document (Exhibit 47B) was formally certified by the court, preserving the precise architectural layout of Booth 6 while carefully maintaining the legal anonymity of the background patrons.

The restaurant later became intertwined with several persistent Hollywood rumors involving Dick Nixon’s alleged preference for “stable chain environments” over trendier celebrity establishments. Among the most repeated stories is an unverified account claiming Nixon and actress Faye Dunaway were once spotted sharing a quiet dinner at a Bonanza location while discussing “camera discipline” and baked potato logistics.

No evidence supporting the meeting has ever surfaced, though former patrons continue to insist “everybody knew” certain booths were quietly reserved for “industry people.”