Last night, I strapped on a full-body velcro suit and, after charging across a 15-foot inflatable ramp, hurled myself against a velcro wall where I hung suspended for about a minute. My colleague was balled up on the floor behind me, tears streaming down his cheeks from sustained laughter. The two of us then entered an enclosed ring where we launched a beach ball into a comically large caricature of a basketball hoop. There were stops along the way to kick soccer balls onto a 21-foot “darts” board, toss bean bags fit for Andre the Giant and fling down a three-story velociraptor-shaped slide.
Bounce Empire is a new indoor amusement park recently opened in Lafayette. Guests are greeted at the door by a 30-foot robot who looks like a Transformers character whose name no one can quite remember. Inside there are 55 more attractions, including human-sized billiards, a boxing arena and a 280-foot obstacle course that had my cohort and I foaming with competitive zeal. The conspicuously placed “No Diving” signs were the only thing that kept the race from getting entirely out of hand.
My colleague and I are both in our mid-30s. The grippy socks I received upon entry are still prominently displayed on my dash, scowling purple tornado-side up, reminding me of the blood, sweat and tears that went into claiming victory.
The whole complex, strewn across 50,000 square feet, includes a play area, a full-service bar upstairs and a sports theater. There’s also a terrace with outstanding views of the Rockies where guests can enjoy food from the Bison Bistro downstairs.
“We’re trying to take over the entertainment industry,” says resident chef Jorge Pedrianes. “I want to revolutionize how food is done in an entertainment facility.”
Pedrianes grew up in Miami where he spent his formative years fixing and selling houses with his father. During 2008’s economic downturn, he decided to flip the script, beginning his culinary career at the Miami Culinary Institute. He studied under the acclaimed godfather of Nuevo Latino cuisine, Douglas Rodriguez, and cut his teeth at Juan Chipoco’s CVI.CHE 105, along with the two Michelin-starred Italian hotspot Forte dei Marmi. Since moving to Colorado in 2021, Pedrianes cooked in kitchens at The Hilton, Hideaway Steakhouse and Bao Brewhouse.
It’s unusual to see someone with Pedrianes’ pedigree running “concession food.”
But since Bounce Empire’s inception, owner James Hay-Arthur has made it clear that food would not be an afterthought. And with Pedrianes behind the wheel, Hay-Arthur’s culinary ambitions seem to be coming to fruition.
The single-page menu is broken down into all-day breakfast, specialties, sliders, sides and desserts. The kids menu sits center stage. “It’s simple food but it’s the best,” says Pedrianes, who likes to make dishes that don’t lose their sense of sophistication by being approachable.
So rather than offering kids chicken nuggets, Pedrianes serves maple-miso chicken bites with sturdy yuca fries. The mac and cheese comes with a sauce that Pedrianes believes will have even the most discerning youngsters claiming it’s the best noodle plate they’ve ever had.
Pedrianes has also taken care to provide regionally inspired cuisine built for grown folks who truly care about food. The Flavor of the Rockies — a $30 platter of Colorado Bison Ribs dripping in guava barbecue sauce served alongside elk sausage with mint chimichurri, yuca sticks and a prickly pear cheesecake — is not only an immensely filling steal, but actually would be a fine fit on most of the new menus on Pearl Street or in RiNo. The ahi tuna bowl tops seared fish with lemon oil, wonton shavings and sesame seeds on a bed of yuzu avocado mousse. It tastes like South Beach, a surprising marriage of glitz and substance.
To eat dishes of this caliber on single-use containers while overlooking the madness below can feel a little jarring. But the juxtaposition isn’t bad. It’s more that there’s an overwhelming novelty to seeing two experiences — one fine and one funhouse — get along so nicely. It’s a little Black Mirror, but with enough bouncing, the urge to fuss over petty distinctions melts away.
There are already plans to open another Bounce Empire in Denver within 18 months. But the vision doesn’t stop there: Hay-Arthur intends to take the concept nation-wide, and already sees 30 more somewhere on the horizon.
