LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Casa Bonita will reopen in stages, with some of the first guests selected from people who have signed up for the restaurant's email list.
An internal Lakewood Police Department email, first reported by the Denver Post, outlines the iconic restaurant's reopening plans.
"The opening dates are still tentative and given the media interest I am not putting specific dates in writing," a Lakewood police commander wrote in the May 11 email.
"While beta-testing Casa Bonita we will be opening with limited dinner hours," the restaurant said on social media Friday. "Our first guests will be pulled EXCLUSIVELY from our email list. No walk-ins."
They said full ticketing and pricing information will be "coming soon."
According to the email from a Lakewood police commander, the first step is multiple “soft opening” dates where those selected in a lottery will have a chance to attend dinner at Casa Bonita with family members.
The email clarifies "There will be no special opening event for celebrities, etc."
Once the soft openings are done, the restaurant will open to a limited number of people for three days through a ticketing system, according to the email.
"This should help avoid the 'wait in line' group on Facebook from gaining any traction," the email says.
They will then open for dinner from Monday through Saturday, according to the email. A short time later, they will transition to being open for dinner seven days a week.
The next step will be to open all day on the weekends, according to the email. Finally, six to eight weeks into opening they will be open during lunch and dinner hours seven days a week, the email says.
A look inside Casa Bonita
This past Friday, local media got a peek inside the iconic Mexican restaurant, which has undergone more than $12 million in extensive renovations since "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone bought it for $3.1 million in September 2021.
Famous for its elaborate interior, cliff divers and sopapillas, the Lakewood restaurant has been closed since the pandemic began in March 2020. Parker, Stone and new Casa Bonita Executive Chef Dana Rodriguez announced in December the restaurant would be reopening in May, but did not give an exact date.
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