“We have tried to reach them for several months. They have been the obvious choice for investors over the past year. Andrew Novick, the founder of Save Casa Bonita, said that they tried everything to contact them.
On Wednesday afternoon, The Hollywood Reporter posted an article stating Parker and Stone were looking to buy Casa Bonita, which is featured in one of the most popular episodes of “South Park,” which is set in Colorado. Although the restaurant filed for bankruptcy protection it is not publicly available for sale.
Novick stated that the number one goal of the couple, creators of the immensely popular Broadway show “Book of Mormon,” is to ensure the property doesn’t disappear. I believe we have many parallel goals in many ways. This restaurant needs to be saved. This is the place where we grew up.”
The Save Casa Bonita group has also been working to do whatever it can to get the restaurant fully operational. The arcade and gift shop are currently open, with guided tours available throughout the day.
Dawn Mestas (Entertainment Director at Casa Bonita) stated that “we’ve been closed about a year and we want people to have that experience again.”
Divers are returning to the waters after the waterfall was reopened following repairs. Mestas reports that the owner of the restaurant told staff that the goal was to reopen the restaurant in September.
She said, “We’ve really been just trying to get into the flow of things.”
Novick, who has visited the restaurant over 300 times, said that Casa Bonita is in their hearts. “We have worked hard to make sure that we do the right thing for Denver’s iconic restaurant. It’s a local effort, hopefully.
More about Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Trey Parker, Matt Stone and their respective parents grew up together in Colorado. The writing/producing/directing team met when they were attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. Comedy Central hired them to create “South Park”, a popular animated series. In 1997, Steven Kroft, of 60 Minutes, said that the show “changed the face” of cable television. Their 1999 movie, “South Park: Bigger. Longer. and Uncut” was also produced by the pair. Their Broadway musical, “The Book of Mormon”, was a huge success and won the Tony Awards in 2011. The touring version of the musical was first performed in Denver in the summer 2012. They were once owners of a Steamboat Springs mansion worth millions.
