Casa Bonita

[Larry OKC]

posts from another thread...

I can relate. I have driven quite a ways "just to eat" (of course always end up expanding the trip so it isn't just that...LOL). Used to go up to Tulsa about every 6 weeks for Casa Bonita and the Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas. We used to drive to Chickasha/Jake's Rib for Mother's Day, birthdays and such.

The farthest I have traveled for food is Denver (Casa Bonita again), Little Rock (Black Angus) and Memphis (Corky's BBQ)

You know, when we moved up here a year and a half ago one of the first places we went was Casa Bonita. That place is frozen in the year 1987. Its exactly as I remember it being as a kid...only the food is horrible. Still an interesting place to visit for nostalgic purposes.

Are you talking about Tulsa or Denver? Oklahoma City opened in 1968, Tulsa & Little Rock in 71(?) and Denver in 1974, each a time capsule of the period to be sure. The Oklahoma City one did have a remodel in the late 80s/early 90s which practically eliminated the "Legend of Casa Bonita" (they got rid of the "Mexican village at night" main Courtyard, making it a more generic any-Mexican restaurant). Various Bonita locations had the distinction of being the highest grossing (no jokes please) mexican restaurants in the entire country. Of course that was before being able to find a Tex-Mex place on nearly every corner.

But I understand what you are saying and Casa Bonita has definitely had its ups/downs over the decades. It was on the downside when the Tulsa one closed the first time. Promises were made by the new Casa Viva owner (the original founder of Bonita) that the food quality would return (but it didn't improve by much if any). He had done the same with the Little Rock location when Bonita closed. Then when Viva closed (after an ice storm), Bonita made the same improved food promises. Sadly, the last time I was up there (last July) the food tasted like it had been frozen, shipped in from Denver and not completely thawed out. On a Sunday afternoon when the place should have been packed with the after church crowd, it was practically deserted. The AC was broken (only functioning dining area one was in the Governor's Mansion Room. It was a sad day for me because I know how great it had been and could be again if they only had management that had a passion for the place.

One thing that never changed was the quality of the sopaipilla's...they were always excellent!

[Larry OKC]

I have many memories of Casa Bonita and its later incarnations as Casa Viva in Tulsa. I have some decor from the OKC and Tulsa/little Rock locations. Menus over the years from various ones (mostly Denver). Have eaten many meals at the OKC, Tulsa & Little Rock locations (once to Denver). The only location that existed that I missed was the Fort Worth one (it came and went before I even knew about it apparently).

Have many pictures of the Tulsa & Denver locations, but I haven't been able to find any of Little Rock, Fort Worth and especially OKC.

Wold love to get my hands on ANY pictures someone might have of the insides. Can have people in them (birthday parties etc). In fact while I like pics that show the details of the decor, there is something to be said about pics with people in them. A few of the pics I have of the empty restaurant are depressing. Ghost town like. Will be more than happy to pay to have copies made. Or if someone wants to scan and post high rez photos (post here or we can arrange some other method).

If anyone has one of the old paper menus of the OKC location and "The Legend of Casa Bonita" please let me know!!!

[Lord Helmet]

I was referring to the Denver location

[Larry OKC]

Does anyone recall the Oklahoma City location as having a game room? The place closed back in 93 but I can't recall where one would have been located. It was the first Casa and one of the smallest (opened in 68 when the All you can eat Deluxe Dinner was $1.47 and drinks were 15 cents!). The only areas I remember were:

• serving line (where you could look out into a walled outside garden area which is still there on the east side of the building, but horribly overgrown),

• the main Courtyard area, surrounded by the Mexican Village at night facades (later destroyed in the remodel when they added the skylight). The half-fountain (still attached to the wall as you exited the serving line) and the Sopapillia(sp) station

• The Governors Mansion room that could be closed off for parties (had 2 large crystal or wrought iron chandeliers) and

• what I call the Side Alley (brick wall w/Mexico stamped bricks, still there) with an entry into the Kitchen area but metal roofing facade with fake chickens on top.

• At the end of the Alley was a small intimate dining area that had a few booths in it.

• There may have been a small gift shop area towards the exit along with the cashier booth

Some articles that I have run across again in the Oklahoman archives suggest that there was a game room and caves (think the writer was confusing OKC with the Tulsa location). I definitely don't recall any caves, jail, waterfall, vineyard etc that other locations had (the space was just to small to incorporate all of it).

If anyone has ANYTHING (family pictures, postcards, old menus etc from the OKC location) I would really like to get in contact with you.

Am especially interested in printed copy of the "Legend of Casa Bonita" that was either printed on the back of the paper menus or may have even been a separate flier.

Have 100s of pictures (taken myself and found on the net of the Tulsa and Denver locations), but don't have any pictures specifically from Little Rock or OKC (lived in both places) or the short lived location that was in Fort Worth.

[Bill Robertson]

I worked at the OKC location from 74 to 77. All the below is what we called things.

The main area was called Section A and Section B. They were separated by a tiny, free standing room in the middle where a girl sat and handed out goodies to the kids.

What you call the Side Alley was two large rooms, Section C and D, and the small dining room of two tables and two booths, Section E.

There was also the Garden Room. It was a glass enclosed atrium that ran the length of the building on the east side, parallel to the serving line. One of my jobs for much of my time there was tending the garden outside the Garden Room. At first I looked at it as punishment for something until one day George, the general manager at the time, explained that the garden was his baby and he had me take care of it because I was really good at it.

What you're calling the Governors Mansion room was the PDR (Private Dining Room). It was only used on weekends when busy and for private parties. Many of us , me included, believe it was haunted for a while by an employee who died in a car accident while on vacation, but that's another story.

There was not a gift shop.

Also, unless it was something added after 79 or so there was not a sopapilla station in the dining or serving area. We servers went back into the kitchen to get to get them straight from the heat lamp tray next to the poor guy who got stuck cooking them that night. Cooking them is a hot and greasy job. I know.

[Larry OKC]

^^^
Thanks for the info. Do you have ANY pics or ANYTHING from your time there?

A yes, the Treasure Room, where you exchanged your token or paper Casa Bonita "money", for a piece of penny candy

What about a game room? The article that announced the auction after they closed in 1993, mentioned ski-ball machines would be for sale. I went to the auction and can't recall any games at all being included. The auction was a "walk-thru" type where they put numbered tags on everything that was for sale and the sold items "as is, where is". the auction started at the beginning of the serving line and IIRC, the first items auctioned were individual name plates on the employee service plaques. There were quite a few former employees there that wanted their name. The buyer was responsible for removing the item, be it wall decor, restaurant equipment, fixtures etc. It surprised me when I saw the ski-ball mentioned, because they take up a fairly good sized footprint (much more than a pinball machine or video arcade game) and just can't imagine where they would have had the space for a game room.

Apparently the sopapillia station was added as part of the 1986 remodel (which destroyed the main room when they added the skylight). It was at the exit of the serving line (where the wall mounted fountain was installed, then a door to the kitchen area and the sopappilia station (adjacent to the doorway leading to the "side alley"). Think the small stucture that enclosed the sopapillia/chip station is still there (it was just big enough for a couple of fryers and maybe squeeze in an employee or two) and the wall mounted fountain remained. The servers still had to get them though, customers weren't allowed.

Would LOVE to hear more about the haunting story...PLEASE post!

I really need to talk with a cousin, she worked there one year and was "Bananas" (she fit the monkey suit), she was also a server but she didn't last long (in high school and she didn't think you should actually have to work at work). LOL

[Bill Robertson]

Never thought about taking pictures as a teenager. Sorry.

Never had a game room unless it was also part of the remodel. I didn't go into the store after about 79 or 80.

Now that I think of it there were two monkey suits. A yellow one that was used most of the time. The girls had to be pretty small to fit it. Then there was a pink one. It was horribly ugly. But I think it was larger and was used when no small girl was on shift.

The haunting. There was a girl that had worked at Casa for a while. She loved the PDR and worked in the room whenever it was being used. She was on vacation in Mexico in 76 and was killed in a car wreck. Things started happening in the PDR. It didn't have an ice maker in the wait station like the other rooms, it just had a bin to keep ice in and you had to bring it out by bucket from the kitchen. Then it melted into a bucket that had to be carried back and dumped. After her death the ice seemed to melt much, much slower than normal. Hardly at all. Chairs seemed to arrange and straighten themselves if you left the room. There was a large, probably 4 by 6 foot, picture of a senorita (actually a portrait of the owners wife as a senorita) hanging on one wall. It was always crooked. But not after her death. It was always straight. Then there was the biggie. We had LOT'S of employee meetings. She had this thing of leaning back in a chair on the back two legs. Would always end up doing it during meetings and getting called out for it. Many of us, me included, would be one of the last to leave on some night and hear something in the PDR as we walked by. When you opened the door one random chair would be leaned back on it's back legs. As you came into the room it would set back down. As time went on all of these things faded and in a few months all was normal again.

[Larry OKC]

Great story, am going to print that one out and it it to my Casa collection!

[capt_john_97]

Was this Casa location around 39th and Portland? At eh East end of the strip mall there where the Chinese Buffet is now?

[Bill Robertson]

Yes. That's the place. It's empty and for lease now though. In the day from east to west it was Casa, TG&Y and a grocery store.

[BlackmoreRulz]

Pratt's IGA maybe?

[Bill Robertson]

Pratt's IGA maybe?

Yep! Pratt's it was.

[Larry OKC]

I didn't realize that there used to be a TG&Y in that strip mall either. Ran across an article in the archives that mentioned they were closing it (and something about a fire down on the Pratts grocery store end) but Pratts reopened a few months later.

[Achilleslastand]

Yes it was Pratts but Pratts wasnt a IGA. Cant recall the guys name but i believe it was JB or Larry Pratt.

[rondvu]

The grocery store was Hagee's. You would take your number from the front of your shopping cart and pull your car to the front sidewalk. There the sacker would place your groceries in your car. There was also a larger Hagee's on NE 23 and Spencer Rd. It has many items other than groceries. I bought and still have a 101 Dalmatians record tat I purchased there.

[ctchandler]

Rondvu, How about Hagee's and Pratts? I think it was Pratt's Well Market last before Pratt's went under. Well market meaning a good health food area as well as a lot of organic items.
C. T.

The grocery store was Hagee's. You would take your number from the front of your shopping cart and pull your car to the front sidewalk. There the sacker would place your groceries in your car. There was also a larger Hagee's on NE 23 and Spencer Rd. It has many items other than groceries. I bought and still have a 101 Dalmatians record tat I purchased there.

[Larry OKC]

The Oklahoman archives doesn't show any match for Hagee's at that location (but several for Pratt's). Not familiar with that grocery store at all. As someone pointed out, Pratts doesn't ever show up with an IGA affiliation. The only archived results were Pratts ads where they mention that they beat IGA prices for the "last 6 weeks"


On edit: I couldn't find ANY match for Hagee's or Hagee, another way to spell it maybe??

On further edit, the Archives appear to be broken, did a search for Pratts and Casa Bonita and am now getting back Zero results (where multiple matches were found previously)

[oneforone]

I worked for Pratt's from 1993-1995. The 39th and Portland store was at that location and had been for at least 10-15 years because my grandparents shopped there. 39th and Portland was the orginal Oklahom City store. Moore was the next one to be opened. The Spencer store was also a Pratt's. I believe that was the first Pratt's store to close. I think they closed it about the same time they opened the store in Holdenville. The Spencer store is actually smaller then the one on 39th. It is still there at 23rd and Spencer Road. It is has been converted into a strip shopping center. If your drive on the back side of the gas station you can still see the old recieving dock doors. The dock lanes have since been filled in with concrete.

Weeba's on 240/Walker and Griders on May were the only stores in the city that I remember the bagger giving you the plastic card. Griders had the baggers pass off your cart to the loaders out front. You gave your card to the loaders and they matched your card to the bag. Weeba's would put your bags in plastic tubs and give you a card off of the plastic tub. The plastic tubs moved outside on a coveyor system that sent it to the loaders in the drive thru outside. You then pulled through a drive thru and gave them the card to claim your groceries. Weeba's eventually became McCartney's (McCartney's alos had a store in what is now Aldi and Petco on NW Expressway and Rockwell) After McCartney's it was Crown IGA. When Crown went under Pratt's bought it and remodeled it. The old drive thru was removed and replaced with a floral and video department.

I liked working at the 240 Pratts because they had all kinds of hidden areas in there from the old Weeba's days. The upstairs area was old Weeba's coporate office and not used by Pratts. It was the ugliest thing you ever saw. Black and Orange velvet walls with mirrors every so many feet. A staircase lead down to the back store room. Our managers would use that as way to catch shoplifters. One could watch from the back while the other was in the open. I have some great memories of the old 240 Pratts store. I could write a book. Then again some of the stuff I saw swore I would take the grave with me.

[rondvu]

Rondvu, How about Hagee's and Pratts? I think it was Pratt's Well Market last before Pratt's went under. Well market meaning a good health food area as well as a lot of organic items.
C. T.

That same building was a Big Ten Warehouse and a Whiskey River Ballroom among other things I can not remember.

[rondvu]

http://archive.newsok.com/Default/Sc...=&ViewMode=GIF This is the link to one of the Hagee ads I found. Looks like in the 60's there were quite a few Hagee Redbuds around town. I think by 1971 the location on NE 23rd and Spencer Rd. had closed.

[ljbab728]

Weeba's eventually became McCartney's (McCartney's alos had a store in what is now Aldi and Petco on NW Expressway and Rockwell) After McCartney's it was Crown IGA. When Crown went under Pratt's bought it and remodeled it. The old drive thru was removed and replaced with a floral and video department.

Not that it is that important but the McCartney's on NW Expressway became a Consumer's IGA instead of Crown IGA.

[Larry OKC]

I vaguely recall the card system mentioned. Think it was at the Council/Expressway location but couldn't swear with any certainty...LOL

[Larry OKC]

http://archive.newsok.com/Default/Sc...=&ViewMode=GIF This is the link to one of the Hagee ads I found. Looks like in the 60's there were quite a few Hagee Redbuds around town. I think by 1971 the location on NE 23rd and Spencer Rd. had closed.

Well there ya go! Wasn't familiar with that Grocer at all. Also glad that the archives are working again!

[jmarkross]

Hagee's on 39th had good BBQ sandwiches around lunch-time--very basic--meat/sauce on a dinky-bun...5 for $1--a teenage piggy-boy's dream lunch...there was one on West Main in Norman back in the day...late 60's...

[kevinpate]

Hagee's on 39th had good BBQ sandwiches around lunch-time--very basic--meat/sauce on a dinky-bun...5 for $1--a teenage piggy-boy's dream lunch...there was one on West Main in Norman back in the day...late 60's...

Had a place in my hometown like that when I was growing up. You could get a few very tasty bbq sandwiches for a dollar, or if you were a wiseacre and ordered up greaseburgers, they were all too happy to oblige. They'd pull yours from the wettest and most meat barren corner of the pan. Such Idjuts dinna call them greaseburgers again, at least not while placing their orders.