New York —
This March, actress Brooke Shields made a reservation at a Mexican restaurant in Denver called Casa Bonita under a fake name — but not to avoid paparazzi.
It was so the restaurant’s management team and owners Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who are also the creators of “South Park,” wouldn’t know she was coming.
“The place is so big it took a while for management to realize we were there,” Shields told CNN. “And then word got out because, you know, I didn’t have a hat on and mustache or anything,” she said.
She was there to deliver a letter asking for better wages for Casa Bonita’s performers. The restaurant doesn’t just serve Mexican cuisine; performers provide entertainment from breakfast to dinner. Cliff divers jump and twirl into a blue lagoon, puppeteers put on tableside shows and magicians make the rounds. The live entertainment is why so many people know Casa Bonita.
But in April 2024, for the first time, Casa Bonita’s performers unionized, with about 80 of them represented by Actors’ Equity, led by Shields.
Shields said she’s escalating after prolonged negotiations over not just pay, but fundamental safety issues.
“It was slightly an ambush… you try doing things respectfully, and then you’re not met with equal respect… so you have to resort to other tactics,” said Shields, of her visit to Casa Bonita.
Since April of last year, Shields and Casa Bonita performers have been locked in negotiations with management. The group is asking for better protections for performers who say they got hypothermia and chlorine toxicity from the diving pool, as well as security for costumed performers who say they have been grabbed sexually by patrons. The group is also asking for a raise to bring them more in line with the servers, who they say make more. The union says it’s already made concessions at the bargaining table but with little offered in return to improve current conditions and wages.
Casa Bonita’s management said in a statement to CNN that “we value all of our team members and their well-being. As a policy we do not comment on ongoing labor negotiations.”
Parker and Stone did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Not sure what to think about all of this, but I will say its not the owners’ fault that patrons sometimes sexually grab performers… like, some people are just fucking assholes.
I worked as a server and bartender for a few years, and it happened to me (and other girls) more than I’d like to remember. But it was by no means encouraged by the owners/management, and if any of us ever did say something in the moment (or other workers saw it), it would be handled immediately. It’s an unfortunate reality of being a woman (not to say it doesn’t happen to men as well).
It’s not their fault that it happens, but failing to act on it is like inviting that kind of behaviour. When I was a restaurant manager I had a talk to anyone being rude to my staff. It didn’t happen often and they always apologized so no need for further action but not standing up for your staff is totally on the manager and it spills on Matt and Trey for failing to address it.
I’m a huge fan of theirs and I really hope they take control of the situation. Sure they didn’t see the renovation costs would end up this big but I don’t think they went into restaurant business to make money.