Casa Bonita Cast and Crew Members Look to Unionize With Actors’ Equity, IATSE (Exclusive)
Entertainers and crewmembers at the Casa Bonita immersive restaurant, owned by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are looking to unionize with Actors’ Equity and IATSE.
The restaurant, based in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, recently reopened after being bought out of bankruptcy by Parker and Stone. The restaurant features cliff divers, actors, puppeteers, magicians and more as part of the dining experience, supported by crewmembers.
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These workers are looking to unionize due to a range of concerns, starting with safety at work, and including insufficient training, as well as fair pay, greater benefits, and better communication between workers and management. The workers asked for, but did not receive, voluntary recognition, and are now filing with the National Labor Relations Board for an election.
The bargaining unit includes around 60 performers, divided into wet and dry entertainers, and about 20 crewmembers, who are looking for representation with IATSE.
Casa Bonita first opened in 1974 and has been known for its size, with 52,000 square feet and seating for more than 1,000 people, as well as its decor and attractions, including the pink exterior and a 30-foot waterfall with cliff divers and live entertainment inside. A 2003 South Park episode was set in the restaurant.
Parker and Stone purchased the restaurant after it faltered during the pandemic, and renovated the building for $40 million, as was documented in the 2024 documentary ?Casa Bonita Mi Amor!. Following a soft launch, the restaurant fully reopened to the public in September 2024. Workers had been rehired shortly after the renovation and had been in rehearsals leading up to the soft launch at the end of June.
Safety concerns sparked the diver team’s interest in unionizing, said dive lead Bethel Lindsley, after incidents involving unsafe carbon monoxide levels in a holding room, which she says were eventually addressed after her divers refused to work in those conditions, as well as an issue with a diver becoming hypothermic due to the construction of the dive kit and the fact that the divers were wet for four to six hours at a time. Changes were also made around this.
On Sunday, Lindsley said two divers collided underwater, causing one to have a serious concussion and to be taken to the hospital. Throughout this, Lindsley says she has written and presented safety policies to management, some of which have been implemented after pushback. But she is pushing to see safety policies enshrined in a contract.
“My team just wants to work and know that they’re going to be safe and that the people have the proper training and awareness of policies and procedures in place in case something goes wrong. And luckily, my team is spectacular, and we’ve only had one accident now, but when the risk is this high, the response and training level needs to meet that,” Lindsley said.
A representative for Casa Bonita did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lindsley said the workers are also looking for a better level of communication with management, in addition to greater benefits and better pay. She noted that the divers make above minimum wage for the area, but that it’s not a “living wage,” and the divers cannot accept tips or participate in the tipping pool, unlike servers.
“For all of us, it’s a special place, as dear to us individually as it is to the community who lines up to visit each day. We appreciate how much you’ve given of yourselves to make Casa Bonita a world-class destination for a new generation. As you said several times in the ?Casa Bonita Mi Amor! documentary, it’s like Broadway — and that’s why we believe the unions that have organized Broadway’s workers onstage and off can help ensure we’re able to continue delivering world-class entertainment here for years to come,” the entertainment workers said in a letter sent to Parker and Stone.
“We believe a strong union contract could help us solve some of the challenges we’ve encountered around safety, scheduling, compensation, and communication. Having a document that clearly sets shared expectations — and the mechanisms to enforce those expectations — will strengthen Casa Bonita and enable us to provide the best possible experience for our guests,” the letter continues.
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