Got a parking ticket? Denver’s Illegal Pete’s will buy you a margarita

Denver’s street sweeping season is back, and so are the parking tickets. But one local restaurant chain is trying to take the sting out of that windshield envelope.

Illegal Pete’s, the Denver-born burrito and Mexican food chain, is offering a free house margarita or draft beer to anyone who brings in a 2026 parking ticket and purchases an adult entrée at any of its Colorado locations.

The promotion, which the restaurant announced on social media in late March, quickly went viral — racking up more than 34,000 likes on Instagram alone — as Denver’s annual street sweeping program resumed on April 1, a date that reliably catches thousands of residents off guard each spring.

“Just got a parking ticket? Bring it in and get a free house margarita or draft beer when you purchase an adult entree,” the restaurant posted. “Hopefully it will turn your day around.”

The fine print, according to details shared on Reddit and social media: The deal applies to any city-issued parking ticket dated in 2026 — not private lot citations or speeding tickets — and requires a dine-in purchase of an adult entrée. Both physical and digital tickets are accepted.

The offer is valid at all Illegal Pete’s Colorado locations, which span Denver neighborhoods including LoDo, Colfax, Broadway, Park Hill and the DU area, as well as outposts in Boulder, Wheat Ridge and the Denver Tech Center.

Illegal Pete’s isn’t the only Denver business leaning into the pain of parking season. Hearth, a Denver bakery and coffee shop, launched a parallel promotion offering a free hot or iced coffee to anyone who brings in a parking ticket dated within the last seven days.

Denver’s street sweeping program runs annually from April through November and is a consistent source of frustration — and revenue — for the city. Vehicles parked on sweeping routes during posted hours receive citations, and the first weeks of the season tend to produce a wave of tickets as residents adjust to the schedule.