Casa Bonita will reopen.

But when the Lakewood landmark that was made notoriously famous in an episode of Comedy Central’s South Park in 2003, is up in the air.

“We really can’t reopen until we are legally able to do so at a capacity level that makes sense for us to operate,” Bob Wheaton, the president of Summit Family Restaurants Inc., told The Denver Gazette. 

“But I don’t expect us to open until late spring of next year when a vaccine is widely available and restrictions that the state has imposed are removed.”

76-year-old ex-champion diver sues Casa Bonita for age discrimination

Casa Bonita has been closed to public since the pandemic sent the country in a nationwide lockdown in March.

Wheaton said after shutting the doors and being forced to lay off about 350 employees, he thought the restaurant would reopen sometime in the summer.

But because of to the ongoing battle against COVID-19, and regulations persisting throughout the state, “it never happened,” he said. 

Currently, Wheaton and all of Summit Family Restaurants Inc., which has owned Casa Bonita since 1996, says they are cautiously optimistic about the news about potential vaccines.

“There’s been awfully good news in the last week about the vaccine, and that could change the regulatory restrictions put in place,” Wheaton said.

An ongoing legal battle in Jefferson County District Court was filed in September after 76-year-old man alleged he was denied the chance to try out to be a cliff diver at the restaurant because he was too old. 

Wheaton said the legal processes is ongoing but it won’t hinder any reopening.

“This will not affect us, but I deem it to be unfortunate,” Wheaton said. 

Wheaton said Samuel Hernandez, a former world class diving champion solicited “financial considerations” on a minimum of six occasions from the middle of 2018 through December.

“Hernandez never actually applied,” Wheaton said. 

Despite not knowing when Casa Bonita will be able to reopen its doors, Wheaton said when it does, everyone around town will know.

“If and when we reopen it will not be a big celebration, it’ll be a major celebration,” Wheaton said. “Our customers are looking forward to it, we’re looking forward to it, and we just can’t wait for that day to come.”