Casa Bonita Serves Up Inspiration for Next Gallery's Annual Show: "How Do You Like Me Now?"

The cars started arriving early on March 27, 1974,* the day Casa Bonita opened at 6715 West Colfax Avenue. They came from all over Colorado, even Wyoming and Kansas. Everyone wanted to see the 52,000 square-foot pink entertainment palace that Bill Waugh had brought to metro Denver, after opening earlier incarnations in other cities.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Casa Bonita. We hope you enjoy your dining experience in the warmth, beauty and splendor of Old Mexico.” That was the announcement broadcast to everyone who made it inside that day...and for decades after.

Today, the Lakewood location is the sole survivor...and for a long time, it was uncertain whether this Casa Bonita would be around to mark its fiftieth anniversary. It shuttered on March 17, 2020, the day Governor Jared Polis ordered all restaurants in Colorado to close because of the pandemic, and never reopened to offer to-go orders or limited dining, as other eateries did. Then in April 2021, Summit Family Restaurants Inc., Robert Wheaton's company that purchased the place decades before, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona in Phoenix.

Fans rallied to save Casa Bonita, holding events to raise awareness and funds. But in August 2022, truth became stranger than fiction when Polis hosted the surprise new owners on a Facebook Live: Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the Coloradans who'd created South Park, and made Casa Bonita internationally famous in a 2003 segment of the Comedy Central hit that earned them plenty of "fuck you money," as Stone told one interviewer.

In late May, after a reported $40 million renovation, Casa Bonita finally reopened its doors. Sort of. You still need to be invited to make a reservation (sign up here), hours are limited and promised plans for a fiftieth-anniversary bash have yet to materialize.

But in the meantime, Next Gallery is throwing its own celebration of Casa Bonita, its seventh annual show devoted to its now-neighbor. This year's theme: "How do you like me now?"
"Some people are loving it," says Betsy Rudolph, aka Dolla B, who came up with the concept of an art show devoted to Casa Bonita back when the co-op was located in north Denver, before it moved to Lakewood and ultimately wound up in the same shopping center. "When it started, it was just a quirky little thing we were doing. It's gotten a lot more complicated. There's a lot more feelings involved."

Some of those feelings revolve around the fact that Casa Bonita's new owners and management haven't made much outreach to the local arts community — and the outreach that has been made hasn't been too friendly. Karl Christian Krumpholz, the cartoonist who drew the front of Casa Bonita for a May 2023 Westword cover, was hit with a legal complaint when he included that piece in the prints he sells on Etsy. A non-Colorado artist created the portrait of Casa Bonita that the restaurant sells in its online shop, which also offers skis and snowboards decorated by an artist who lives in that renowned winter recreation state of Georgia.

"So disappointing," says Rudolph. "They're really not paying attention. They had the support of this huge art community."
Andrew Novick, who'd billed himself as Casa Bonita's biggest fan until he went back there in December for his 308th meal at the place — and his first under the new owners — will again help Rudolph judge show submissions and determine who wins what prizes. Although he didn't love the food, he loves how the place feeds the creative muse. And for the first time, there's a third judge: designer Mona Lucero.

The deadline for submissions was February 7; artists new and experienced were welcome to submit any genre of work inspired by Casa Bonita, although in light of the Krumpholz situation, Next did offer this warning: "The Casa Bonita logo and font are trademarked and cannot be used in your artwork."

Prizes will be awarded at the February 16 opening night reception, and there's a particular bonus this year: According to gallery director Tera Marks, Casa Bonita reached out, saying it wanted to get more involved in the local arts community (particularly in working with children), and offered a grand prize for the 2024 show: a table for six at Casa Bonita. (Sorry, alcohol is not included.)

Even without that lure, organizers are planning for a big response to "How do you like me now?" Because no matter what artists think of Casa Bonita 2.0 (if they've even been able to get in), they appreciate the place's history, not to mention the party that always accompanies the show's opening night, which is the co-op's busiest of the year.

"Someone came up to me," Rudolph recalls, "and said, 'Oh, my god, the Casa Bonita art show opening is my favorite holiday of the year."

What's not to like?

"How do you like me now" opens on Friday, February 16, and runs through March 3. Next is located at 6501 West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood; find out more here.

*Alert for history buffs. According to the Denver Public Library, Casa Bonita opened on March 25, 1974 — but then, the Historic Lakewood plaque on the building has the year 1973, when the renovation of an old Joslin's department store into a fantasy land began.