Casa Bonita

Infobox Restaurant
name = Casa Bonita


image_width = 250px
image_caption = The front facade of the Lakewood, Colorado Casa Bonita.
slogan =

logo_width =
established = 1968 (original restaurant)
1974 (Colorado location)
current-owner = Star Buffet, Inc. [cite news |title=Star Buffet inks deal with 4B's Restaurants |url=http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/07/30/daily17.html |work=Phoenix Business Journal |date=2007-07-31 |quote=Scottsdale-based Star Buffet (NASDAQ: STRZ) operates 14 Home Town Buffets ... and one Casa Bonita Mexican theme restaurant. ]
food-type =
street-address = 6715 West Colfax Avenue
city = Lakewood
state = Colorado
zip = 80214
country = USA
seating-capacity = 1,100
other-locations =
other-information =
website = http://www.casabonitadenver.com/

Casa Bonita ("Spanish; literally means "beautiful house") is the name of a Mexican-themed restaurant (formerly a chain of restaurants) which originated in Oklahoma City. As of 2008, only two locations remain open, in the western Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado, and in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

History

Founder Bill Waugh opened the first Casa Bonita restaurant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1968. By the mid-1970s, the chain had expanded to locations in adjacent states and was known for its "all you can eat" beef or chicken plates and offering sopapillas - small squares of fried bread served with honey - with every meal.

In 1982, the company (including Taco Bueno fast food restaurants) was sold to Unigate (now Uniq). In 1992, Unigate sold the restaurants to CKE Restaurants, owners of Carl's Jr. [cite news |first=Martin |last=Zimmerman |title=Unigate sells Taco Bueno chain to Carl's Jr. parent |work=The Dallas Morning News |date=1996-08-29 |id=Newsbank ID 0ED3D6CA43269EF9 ] In 1997, the two remaining Casa Bonita restaurants were spun off by CKE as part of Star Buffet. [cite news |first=Greg |last=Johnson |title=CKE Plans to Serve Up Buffet-Style Chain |work=Los Angeles Times |date=1997-07-29 |page=12D |quote=CKE, parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's burger chains, said that Star Buffet Inc. will be composed of CKE's 16 HomeTown Buffets and two Casa Bonita... ] The Tulsa location closed in September 2005cite news |title=Casa Bonita says adios to Tulsa |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9649853_ITM |work=Tulsa World |date=2005-09-29 ] , then reopened for a 2-year run under the name Casa Viva, which went out of business in December 2007. Casa Bonita was reopened by the original owner under the original name in late July 2008. Many Tulsa area residents express glee that the icon from their earlier years is back in business.Fact|date=September 2008

Locations

Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Tulsa location opened in 1971 near the intersection of 21st and Sheridan. [cite web |first=Lee |last=Maloney |title=Casa Bonita: A Family Favorite |url=http://www.fabuloustravel.com/gourmet/travel/casabonita/casabonita.html |work=FabulousTravel.com ] The interior was designed to create a outdoor nighttime atmosphere with various themed dining areas, including a volcano room, complete with lighted eruptions, a cave room, and a room resembling an aristocratic dining hall with strolling mariachis. The Tulsa location also included a magic show, a video arcade, a working carousel, and a gift shop. It closed on September 30, 2005, due to the end of their lease.

Chain founder Waugh reopened the location under his Casa Viva restaurant concept in May 2006 [cite news |first=Scott |last=Cherry |title=Dining Out: Back in the house |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-15709825_ITM |work=Tulsa World |date=2006-06-23 ] ; the restaurant closed in December 2007.

Casa Bonita opened their doors again under the original name and by the original owner in late July 2008.

Lakewood, Colorado

The Lakewood location opened in early 1974 on Colfax Avenue west of Denver. [cite news |first=Marty |last=Meitus |title=Casa Bonita at 20... Denver's Favorite Dive-In Restaurant |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=1994-03-15 |id=NewsBank ID 0EB4DE0EDFFFEE6D ] Similar in architecture to the Tulsa location (both were previously large retail store locations), the Lakewood restaurant features strolling mariachis, flame jugglers, and a 30-foot waterfall with cliff divers. It also has a small puppet theater, a "haunted tunnel" called "Black Bart's Cave", an arcade with a large skee-ball room, and a magic theater. This location was featured on an episode of the animated TV series "South Park".

Former locations

*Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1968-1993)cite news |first=Tricia |last=Pemberton |title=After 34 years, Casa Bonita says farewell; Landmark restaurant in Tulsa closes |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9666861_ITM |work=The Daily Oklahoman |date=2005-10-02 |quote=Casa Bonita restaurants in Oklahoma City and Little Rock, Ark., closed in 1993, with then-owner Black-Eyed Pea Management Corp. cited declining revenues. ]
*Hulen Mall, Fort Worth, Texas [cite news |title=Wild is the word for Wild West Outfitters' Hulen Mall unit |work=Daily News Record |date=1994-01-05 |quote=Wild West Outfitters' new store at the Hulen Mall in Fort Worth, TX, ... [occupies] more than 20,000 sq ft of what was once a Casa Bonita restaurant... ] (?-c. 1986)
*Little Rock, Arkansas (1969-1993)

Similar restaurants

*Casa Bonita founder Bill Waugh founded a similar restaurant concept, Casa Viva. Unrelated to the Florida fast-food chain of the same name, it operated in the former Casa Bonita locations in Little Rock [cite news |first=Debbie |last=Blossom |title=Casa Viva restaurant on menu |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9666822_ITM |work=Tulsa World |date=2005-10-01 ] (1995-2005) and Tulsa (2006-2007).
*Larry H. Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz, opened a restaurant called The Mayan in Sandy, Utah in 2000. Casa Bonita sued Miller for copyright infringement [cite news |title=Jazz owner Miller sued over Restaurant |url=http://www.mormonstoday.com/000709/B2Miller01.shtml |date=2000-07-05 |publisher=Associated Press ] due to similarities with their restaurant, which Miller visited several times. [cite news |first=Anne |last=Colden |title=Casa Bonita sues 'copycat' |work=Denver Post |date=2000-07-04 |page=C1 |id=Newsbank ID 0EAF457DBA96D654 ]
*Restaurante Arroyo, in Tlalpan, Mexico, the grandaddy of all "super-size" Mexican restaurants, which seats 2,200 people and is likely the world's largest Mexican restaurant. Like Casa Bonita, Arroyo has an array of customer diversions including its own bullring.

References

External links

* [http://www.casabonitadenver.com/ Casa Bonita in Colorado]