Performers Strike Against Casa Bonita Over Wages and Work Environment

Performers were on strike this past weekend outside South Park creator’s restaurant, Casa Bonita, over unfair wages and an unsafe work environment.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are the creators of South Park. This infamous adult-animated series features a group of Colorado elementary school kids intertwined with current-day trends, controversies, and scandals. Well-known examples include the recent episodes of Donald Trump in Season 27, and before the creators bought Casa Bonita, they made an episode about the restaurant. Despite airing for 30-plus years, premiering in 1997, this show has not been cancelled for its dark humor or offensive dialogue. It continues to be renewed, especially with Paramount+ backing it. But as we’ll read soon, the performers are currently not backing Casa Bonita or the South Park creators.

Casa Bonita is a themed restaurant that serves Mexican food with background performances. The restaurant has actors, cliff divers, puppeteers, and magicians entertaining patrons while they dine. In September 2021, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone purchased the restaurant for $4.1 million after it filed for bankruptcy. Stone mentioned to The Denver Post that this was a “crowning achievement.” The new owners started renovations in May 2023 that cost around $40 million, some of which went to ovens and range tops since the original owners “steamed everything.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the performers.

Brooke Shields, a Casa Bonita actor, spoke out on Instagram: “I just wanna say that these workers are not making a living wage … And, in fact, they are being paid less than their co-workers who are actually serving the food.” 9News reports that Shields is the president of the performers’ union and that she has been bargaining for a while, as management is not negotiating seriously on a new contract. CBS News also covered the unionization at Casa Bonita late last year, with 80% of their workers voting to unionize.

Another Instagram video has a series of performer statements listing the unfair and unsafe standards set at Casa Bonita. One performer details working while CO2 leaks were present and how one diver sustained a concussion from the rocks below them. Another performer mentions a false fire alarm going off, not knowing what to do if it were an actual emergency or how to help the customers. “We never had a fire alarm drill. We never had an active shooter drill. This endangers the workers as well as the guests, including the children who come to Casa Bonita to make core memories,” yet another performer says.

The strike went from October 30 to November 2. Performers plan to be at work on November 3, and we will see if Trey Parker and Matt Stone do anything. The creators clearly have time to work on their show—Why not spare some time for their employees and performers?