Casa Bonita “re-opening soon” after campaign launched to preserve it
Popular Lakewood attraction has sat closed for a year
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Casa Bonita’s closure, a mysterious “re-opening soon” note was posted on the business’ website after a group of dedicated fans decided to take action to bring the local icon back to life.
“We would love to bring it to local ownership and local operations,” said Andrew Novick, a
Denver artist and Casa Bonita fan since childhood. For years, he has given unofficial tours of the Lakewood destination to curious visitors. He also just wrapped up an annual art exhibition curated in its honor.
Novick and a group of Denver restaurateurs, event producers, artists and musicians launched a “Save Casa Bonita” fundraiser last weekend. Among the concerned group members are My Brother’s Bar owner Danny Newman and Mermaids Bakery founder Diana Ayala.
“We just want to make sure we’re in the mix,” Novick said of their combined interest in
preserving Casa Bonita for years to come. “The history to us is really important. But also we all are professionals, and we don’t necessarily work for free.”
Novick has never been on the payroll at Casa Bonita, but he does know many of the former staff members and even those in the corporate office and has kept in touch with them over the course of the last year. During the pandemic, the 47-year-old institution faced criticism over its treatment of employees and one job applicant.
In April, some Casa Bonita workers said they had been left in a lurch with paychecks bouncing immediately after the restaurant’s COVID-19 closure. By October, the restaurant was facing a lawsuit by a world champion cliff diver who claimed he encountered age discrimination when applying to work there.
Summit Family Restaurants and Star Buffet CEO Bob Wheaton as recently as November said that the business would still be reopening as soon as “legally possible.” And this week, the restaurant’s website even featured the new message: “Casa Bonita is re-opening soon!”
But Novick and his coalition are worried about their beloved landmark, especially in light of its legal and financial struggles.
The group set an initial goal to raise $100,000, which could put them on a path toward securing a business loan or toward purchasing the intellectual property.
“If we need to negotiate with Casa Bonita (ownership), then we could. If we need to negotiate with the landlord, then we could,” Novick said. “If we have some funds, we have at least a chance to have a seat at whatever table there is.”
Ultimately, Novick says he’s worried about a number of possible outcomes for Casa Bonita, and he knows that now is the time to do something to prevent any one of them from happening. He’s worried the historic restaurant could reopen exactly as it was, a “bastion of cultural appropriation,” or else it could sell to a new, disinterested owner, and change concept entirely.
“If somebody signs a lease and starts gutting Casa Bonita history, it’s too late,” Novick said. “We’re not going to be able to come to the table then.”
So he hopes a fundraiser and, ultimately, money can start the conversation. “What we just did might have shaken up the whole thing,” Novick said. “We want the community on our side.”