One of South’s last Bonanza eateries to close in Tupelo, leaving 15 open

Published 7:59 am Friday, August 24, 2018

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — The second to last Bonanza Steakhouse restaurant left below the Mason-Dixon Line is closing its doors after 45 years.

Owner John Mason has confirmed his Tupelo, Mississippi, franchise is closing. Mason says the building occupied by the business is under contract to be sold to Dollar General Corp., which plans to build a $900,000 store there.

He says there’s no set timeline for the closure, which will leave 10 Bonanzas left in the continental U.S. and five in Puerto Rico. Bonanza was founded in 1963 by veteran and “Bonanza” actor Dan Blocker, and it had around 600 locations nationwide at its peak in 1989. It’s now owned by FAT Brands Inc., which bought it in 2017.

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