Casa Bonita’s 50th birthday: From a $3.45 dinner to a $40 million renovation

For 50 years, a Pepto Bismol-pink tower has loomed large over the Lakewood shopping center marking the spot of the legendary Casa Bonita.

The tower is something of a beacon, calling to longtime fans and would-be diners with the promise of mariachi music, cliff divers, crispy sopapillas and the kind of fun that inspires childlike joy.

Next week will mark the 50th anniversary the day that Oklahoma City entrepreneur Bill Waugh opened Denver’s Casa Bonita in a former Joslin’s department store. The restaurant was part of a small chain that Waugh created in 1968. Today, it is the last one standing.

Right now, however, the only way to get into Casa Bonita is to enter a lottery and hope you receive ...