South Park inventors Trey Parker and Matt Stone are set to open their Mexican restaurant in Colorado after spending more than $40 million renovating the quirky kids’ favorite eatery.
Casa Bonita in the Denver suburb of Lakewood first opened in 1974 and with its 5,600 square feet of caves, caves, waterfalls and plunge pools, it has become a staple at children’s birthday parties and family dinners.
The restaurant even gained recognition with its own episode of South Park, the show by Parker and Stone, filling in when Casa Bonita was declared bankrupt in 2020.
Parker, 53, and Stone, 52, both Colorado natives, initially thought they’d need $10 million to renovate and reopen their beloved childhood spot, which had fallen into disrepair and eventually been wiped out by the pandemic.
When the amount doubled to $20 million, they were advised to back out, but the two said they ended up committing “endless dollars” to the passion project.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone spent more than $40 million renovating Casa Bonita
The restaurant’s 52,000-square-foot space features caves, caverns, waterfalls, and plunge pools
The creative duo told the New York Times, “We could have rebuilt it twice as big and for half the money, but we spent as much money on the restoration as we would on a piece of art.”
One of the most challenging renovations was the cliff diving pool, where divers perform while visitors eat. Until it closed in 2020, swimmers had to exit the water through a 30-inch-wide underwater tunnel full of pipes into an electrical room.
“There was 200 amps of electricity immediately to the left,” said Scott Shoemaker, who oversaw the renovations.
“When I saw it, I called Matt and told him, ‘This is the most dangerous room I’ve ever seen,'” he added.
The new pool is 14 feet deep, providing divers with a wider and safer exit path.
Another difficult part of the restoration was finding the right shade of pink for the building’s iconic exterior and gold for the named lettering.
It took “twenty-seven different attempts,” Shoemaker told the Times, adding that it took nine just for the gold lettering.
The interior decoration also required attention: the four artificial deciduous trees and the 62 artificial palm trees had to be removed, cleaned and repainted.
The iconic restaurant fell into disrepair and was declared bankrupt in 2020
Casa Bonita in the Denver suburb of Lakewood first opened in 1974
Renovation costs were initially estimated at $10 million, but soon rose to $40 million
It took 27 attempts to find the right shade of pink for the building’s iconic exterior
The restaurant now has four new bars and a new ticket office to reduce wait times
The new pool is 14 feet deep, providing divers with a wider and safer exit path
The restaurant now has four new bars and a new ticket office to reduce wait times.
The food has also been drastically improved. Before its closure, the restaurant earned the nickname “Casa no-eata” due to its outstanding culinary offerings.
Dana Rodriguez, six-time James Beard Award nominee, has assumed the position of new executive chef.
Ms. Rodriguez emigrated from Chihuahua, Mexico in 1998 and applied for her first job at Casa Bonita but was rejected for lack of qualifications.
She went on to found and own several famous restaurants, including Work & Class, in Denver and owns her own brand of tequila, Doña Loca.
Upon hearing that Casa Bonita could reopen under new ownership, she applied for the top spot in 2021. “Am I qualified now?” She said she asked.
Now she and her 110 employees will look after the menu of one of the largest Mexican restaurants in the world.
Each night, 198 gallons of mole sauce is prepared for the chicken, along with red and green sauce enchiladas, green chili braised brisket and chili relleno.
The menu has not yet been priced, but more than 100,000 potential customers have already signed up on the restaurant’s website to make a reservation, Mr Stone said.
“What has become clear to us over the last few months is that we still have a lot of work to do to make this a sustainable business,” Parker told the Times.
Adding, “It’s such a visceral place, that’s what hopefully makes it so cool.”
“That’s worth infinitely,” agreed Stone.