The show’s creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker will not buy Casa Bonita, a Mexican restaurant made famous by the television show “South Park.”
Despite filing for bankruptcy in April, the restaurant’s parent company, Summit Family Restaurant Inc., tells TMZ that they have no plans to sell. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant, which can seat over 1,000 people, has been closed.
Casa Bonita, which started as a chain, only has one remaining location in Lakewood, Colorado, which was designated as a historic landmark in 2015.
Parker and Stone have previously stated that they would be interested in purchasing the property if it became available, and Summit told the website that they would be first on the buyer’s list if plans changed.
“We want to buy Casa Bonita and treat it right. I feel like it was neglected even before the pandemic,” Parker told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. “We are going to do everything we can. We want to make it right and make it amazing.”
Coloradans were mostly ecstatic when they heard about the potential purchase. The animators, who had previously been shunned by mainstream culture due to the show’s raunchy, anti-establishment humor, were now fully accepted.
In response to the idea, the county’s official Twitter account said, “Well, this would be some fun Jefferson County news.”
Colorado State Senator Jeff Bridges said, “Best. News. Ever.”
Because of its frequent appearances in the show, the restaurant has gained cult status among die-hard “South Park” fans.
The eatery was the subject of a 2003 episode titled “Casa Bonita,” which focused solely on the eatery and a scheme by show antagonist Eric Cartman to secure an invitation to a dinner there by duping another attendee into believing the world had ended. The episode is consistently ranked as one of the show’s most popular episodes.
Casa Bonita was also featured in the 2017 video game “The Fractured but Whole,” which was inspired by “South Park.”
“South Park” has over 300 episodes and is currently in its 23rd season, making it one of the most popular television shows in the United States. The show regularly tackles divisive social and political issues in the United States, and in 2005 it won a Peabody Award for social commentary.
