South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are set to unveil their Mexican restaurant in Colorado, after spending more than $40 million to renovate the kids’ favorite.
Casa Bonita in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, opened in 1974 and with its 56,000 square feet of caverns, grottoes, waterfalls and plunge pools has become a staple of children’s birthday parties and dinner parties with family.
The restaurant even gained recognition with its own dedicated episode of South Park, the show created by Parker and Stone, which came when Casa Bonita was declared bankrupt in 2020.
Parker, 53, and Stone, 52, both from Colorado, initially thought they would need $10 million to renovate and reopen their favorite childhood haunt which had fallen into disrepair and was ultimately killed by the pandemic.
When it doubled to $20 million, they were advised to pull out, but the couple said they ended up committing “infinite dollars” to the passion project.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone spent over $40 million to renovate Casa Bonita
The restaurant’s 52,000 square feet feature caverns, grottoes, waterfalls, and plunge pools
The creative duo told the New York Times ‘We could have rebuilt this twice as big, for half the money, but we spent so much to restore it, like a work of art.’
Some of the most demanding renovations included the cliff-diving pool, where divers perform while visitors eat, which before closing in 2020 took swimmers out of the waters through a 30-inch-wide underwater tunnel overflowing with pipes, in an electrical room.
“There were 200 amps of power directly left,” said Scott Shoemaker, who oversaw the renovations.
“When I saw it, I called Matt and said, ‘This is the most dangerous piece I’ve ever seen,'” he added.
The new pool is 14 feet deep and provides divers with a wider and safer escape route.
Another tricky part of the restoration was finding the right shade of pink for the building’s iconic exterior and gold for its name lettering.
“Twenty-seven different tries,” Shoemaker told The Times, adding that it took nine just for the gold lettering.
The interior decorations also required attention, the four fake hardwoods and the 62 fake palm trees had to be cleared, cleaned and repainted of the fake leaves.
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 quickly climbed to $40 million.
It took 27 attempts to get the right shade of pink for the building’s iconic exterior
The restaurant now has four new bars and a new ticketing plaza, to reduce waiting times
The new pool is 14 feet deep and provides divers with a wider and safer escape route
The restaurant now has four new bars and a new ticketing plaza, to reduce waiting times.
The food has also been significantly improved. Prior to its closure, the restaurant had earned the nickname “Casa no-eata” due to the state of its culinary endeavors.
Six-time James Beard Award nominee Dana Rodriguez has taken over as the new executive chef.
Ms. Rodriguez immigrated from Chihuahua, Mexico in 1998 and applied for her first job at Casa Bonita, but was rejected for being underqualified.
She went on to create and own several famous restaurants, including Work & Class, in Denver, and has her own brand of tequila, Doña Loca.
When she heard that Casa Bonita might reopen under new ownership, she applied for the top job in 2021. “Now am I qualified? she said she had asked.
Now, with her own staff of 110, she will oversee the menu at what will be one of the largest Mexican restaurants in the world.
Each night, one hundred and ninety-eight gallons of mole sauce will be prepared for the chicken, along with red and green sauce enchiladas, green chili braised brisket, and chile relleno.
Pricing has not yet been set for the menu, but more than 100,000 potential customers have already registered on the restaurant’s website to make a reservation, Stone said.
“What we’ve realized over the past two months is that we now have a lot of work to do to make this a sustainable business,” Parker told The Times.
Adding: “It’s such a visceral place, which I hope makes it so cool.”
“It’s worth endless dollars,” Stone confirmed.
