'South Park' Creators Trey Parker & Matt Stone Say They've Agreed To Buy Casa Bonita
DENVER (CBS4) - "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone told Colorado's governor they've tentatively agreed to purchase Casa Bonita, the Colorado landmark in Lakewood that is both a restaurant and a beloved small entertainment center. The conversation took place on Friday morning and was livestreamed by Gov. Jared Polis' office.
"As of about an hour ago, pending bankruptcy proceedings, we've come to an agreement with the owner and we've bought it," Stone told Polis.
Stone and Parker grew up in Colorado and one of the most popular episodes of their animated hit TV show about a fictional small Colorado town takes place at Casa Bonita. (The show is celebrating its 24th anniversary and is a production of ViacomCBS.) They said Friday that their plan to buy the restaurant has been in the works for a while.
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The restaurant hasn't been open to diners since the COVID-19 pandemic started and has filed for bankruptcy protection.
The group Save Casa Bonita had been working to do whatever it can to get the restaurant fully operational in recent months. Right now, the arcade and gift shop are open with tours of the facility being conducted throughout the day.
"We know that there have been a lot of people in Colorado that love Casa Bonita and have been working on this and we're excited to work with everybody and make it the place we all want to make it," said Parker, who was wearing a Colorado Rockies T-shirt during the conversation with the governor.
Polis asked the creative pair if they plan to improve the quality of the food offerings -- the restaurant is known for having great sopapillas but not much else worth writing home about -- and both said that is a priority.
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"I think everyone knows the potential of what that place can be and we certainly do, and I think it's going to be an awesome Colorado thing," Parker said.
See the entire conversation below:
More About Trey Parker and Matt Stone
The writing/producing/directing team met when they were attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. Comedy Central hired the pair in 1997 to create the popular animated series "South Park," a show that Steven Kroft of 60 Minutes said in September 2011 "changed the face of cable TV." Their pair's popular 1999 movie "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" followed. Then in 2011 their giant hit Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" became a big winner at the Tony Awards. In the summer of 2012 the traveling version of the musical debuted in Denver. The pair at one point owned a multi-million dollar mansion in Steamboat Springs and have been spotted in the past in the attendance at Denver Nuggets games.
RELATED: What Makes Casa Bonita So Special?
