Casa Bonita will open in stages, with a public lottery and then tickets

The first lucky locals to be able to dine at Casa Bonita in Lakewood will be selected via a lottery and invited to bring up to five family members with them during a soft opening period. The beloved eatertainment venue will then sell tickets for three days as it ramps up in stages to a public opening with regular hours, The Denver Post has learned.

Lakewood Police Department Commander Jon Alesch detailed the opening plans in a security-related email procured by The Denver Post through a Colorado Open Record Act request. The May 11 email to other Lakewood city employees doesn’t include specific dates when this will happen and Casa Bonita has not announced when it will open to the public.

The restaurant did, however, begin soliciting signups to its newsletter on May 26, stating its first guests will be pulled exclusively from its email list.

While the email from Alesch did not state when ticketed dinners would be held, the commander wrote that the system “should h...