What do you get when you mix cliff divers, enchiladas, and DMC team members based in Denver?
DMC’s night out at Casa Bonita.
The Denver office headed to the famous Casa Bonita in Lakewood, Colorado, with a few plus ones in tow. There was fantastic food, a plethora of performances, and, of course, camaraderie among teammates.
Why Casa Bonita?
Casa Bonita is a Mexican restaurant in Lakewood, Colorado, that opened in 1974. It was originally part of a chain of restaurants that started in Oklahoma City.
What’s so special about this Mexican restaurant, you might ask? Well, Casa Bonita is a highly immersive dining experience. Picture tableside magic shows, puppet theater, hidden rooms and explorable caves, arcade games, and a 30-foot indoor waterfall with cliff divers, and you’ll start to understand a fraction of the spectacle that is Casa Bonita.
Casa Bonita’s star has also risen in popular culture! In recent years, it was purchased and restored by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. What began as a passion project turned into a roughly $50 million investment to revive the iconic restaurant, preserving a uniquely Colorado experience for future generations.
Max Domenech summed up the experience perfectly: “For those who know Casa Bonita, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation will suffice.” And off to Casa Bonita the Denver team went.
The Crew
The team started throwing around the idea of going to Casa Bonita as an Activity Fund event back in 2022, but it wasn’t until this year that the Denver team was finally able to make that dream a reality. “We waited months to be able to get a reservation,” Andrew Williams noted.
But secure a reservation, they did!
When a spot opened on March 12th, the team jumped on it, and 12 teammates headed to Casa Bonita for Thursday night dinner with friends and family.
First Impressions: Walking Into Another World
When you first arrive at Casa Bonita, one of the first things you notice is the building’s cotton-candy pink façade and iconic Spanish colonial-style bell tower. This appearance is completely intentional and meant to start the immersive experience before restaurant-goers ever step through the door.
But even the outside of the building has treasures hiding in plain sight.
At the very top of the iconic pink bell tower sits a 22-karat-gold dome and statue of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor of Mexico. It’s such an iconic piece of architecture in Lakewood that the city designated the Casa Bonita building a historic landmark in 2015.
And that’s just the exterior. The immersive adventure really begins once you find your table.
Casa Bonita By the Numbers
We’ve covered the pink façade, the classic Mexican architecture, and the 22-karat gold dome, but Casa Bonita is a 52,000-square-foot restaurant with treasures galore. There are arcade games, performers, stunts, music, treasures, and caverns scattered throughout the restaurant—not to mention a 30-foot waterfall.
Let’s take a look at some of the impressive stats this restaurant puts up on a yearly basis:
The team walked into Casa Bonita for Thursday night dinner and was taken to a table large enough to accommodate a party of 12+. “Entering the building is like going into a different world. Our table was located in the caverns,” Andrew said, “complete with the sound of dripping water. We also passed a jungle area on the way to our table.” Casa Bonita creates an experience for diners the moment they walk through the front door, and it certainly doesn’t end when the food arrives at the table.
Every 15 minutes, restaurant-goers can expect to see cliff divers, sword fights, puppet shows, and magicians throughout their dining experience. “It’s an experience. Dinner is just an excuse to be there!” Andrew also added.
Once everyone got their fill of Mexican food, it was time to explore. The team spent plenty of time around the famous Casa Bonita pool and Acapulco-style cliffs, but they also explored the caves, a wishing well, and haunted trails.
Why Events Like This Matter at DMC
Experiences like this go far beyond the run-of-the-mill team dinner. Stepping away from project work and into a shared, unique experience gives DMC team members the chance to connect and enjoy each other’s company. Whether it’s watching cliff divers while taking a second helping of nachos or exploring hidden caverns after a puppet show, DMC after-work events help strengthen the relationships that carry into everyday work and allow us to crack a smile while solving a complex problem.
At DMC, collaboration is at the core of everything we do. Events like this create opportunities to build trust and communicate more openly. That foundation translates directly into stronger project teams, more effective problem-solving, and ultimately better outcomes for our clients.
Just as importantly, it reflects DMC’s culture. We take our work seriously, but we also recognize the value of having fun. A night at Casa Bonita is a reminder that great teams are built through genuine connection just as effectively as they’re built through sharing technical expertise.
We’ll let Julia Cherkasskaya have the last word: “Three hours flew by!”
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