29 votes

Performers claim unsafe conditions at Casa Bonita

Posted by skybrian
Tags: restaurants, usa.co.denver, business, work, employees, unions, casa bonita, trey parker, matt stone, actors, brooke shields, author.vanessa yurkevich, source.cnn
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/05/business/brooke-shields-casa-bonita-matt-stone-trey-parker

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Title
Workers claim unsafe conditions at a restaurant owned by the South Park creators. They have Brooke Shields on their side | CNN Business
Published
Jul 5 2026

6 comments

  1. TMarkos
    Link
    It's always been a little bit like that, lol. I grew up in the area, and the performers were always just a mix of whoever was there, in high school I knew a girl that was one of the dancers there...

    It's always been a little bit like that, lol. I grew up in the area, and the performers were always just a mix of whoever was there, in high school I knew a girl that was one of the dancers there as a part time job and the divers were definitely not trained to any particular standard. Prior to the closure and reopening pretty much every aspect of it was janky except for the mariachis.

    The divers in particular do a dangerous job, the pool they're using is not large in any dimension. It is part of a larger water feature that includes a waterfall, and keeping it at more or less a normal swimming pool level of temperature and cleanliness is something that should go without saying.

    Obviously preventing staff harassment is something the restaurant should do as well.

    Nothing here seems unreasonable, and verges on neglect by the restaurant - which is in keeping with how it used to be run, for sure, but I had hoped that the reopened restaurant would do better.

    12 votes
  2. skybrian
    Link
    From the article: [...] [...]

    From the article:

    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’ve 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.

    [...]

    When Stone and Parker re-opened Casa Bonita in the summer of 2023, diver Bethel Lindsley was brought in to build a squad of professionals. Lindsley, who both performs at Casa Bonita and oversees the dive team, is a former gymnast and circus performer with live water show experience on cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and The Han Show in China.

    [...]

    She says the divers at Casa Bonita are either division one collegiate divers or have circus and water performance backgrounds.

    Casa Bonita’s dive set up is unique. Performers dive from multiple cliffs as high as 16 feet into a small pool, 12.5 feet deep and 22.5 feet square. They dive solo and in tandem and are required to rock climb to exit the pool.

    According to Lindsley, one diver suffered a concussion underwater after a dive. At one point the pool temperature wasn’t regulated properly, and she claims a diver got hypothermia. The team got chlorine toxicity because the chlorine pool levels weren’t getting checked regularly, she also said.

    9 votes
  3. moonwalker
    Link
    It's worth pointing out that the vote for the performers to unionize was unanimous. This happens on a weekly basis. Hundreds of instances of sexual assault from drunk patrons.

    It's worth pointing out that the vote for the performers to unionize was unanimous.

    as well as security for costumed performers who say they have been grabbed sexually by patrons.

    This happens on a weekly basis. Hundreds of instances of sexual assault from drunk patrons.

    4 votes
  4. [3]
    balooga
    Link
    I've never heard of this place... it sounds like a really cool, unique attraction. Hope the workers are able to get what they're asking for. I'd like to visit sometime!

    I've never heard of this place... it sounds like a really cool, unique attraction. Hope the workers are able to get what they're asking for. I'd like to visit sometime!

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      PraiseTheSoup
      Link Parent
      I take it you're not a South Park fan then? Cartman does some pretty heinous things in order to go to Casa Bonita.

      I take it you're not a South Park fan then? Cartman does some pretty heinous things in order to go to Casa Bonita.

      3 votes
      1. balooga
        Link Parent
        Hehe, nope. That kind of humor never appealed me so I’ve kept it at arm’s length. I’m moderately more in the target demographic for Book of Mormon but haven’t seen that either. Stone and Parker...

        Hehe, nope. That kind of humor never appealed me so I’ve kept it at arm’s length. I’m moderately more in the target demographic for Book of Mormon but haven’t seen that either. Stone and Parker have managed to stay almost entirely out of my personal cultural awareness. Like, I’ve known their stuff exists for decades but it’s never been must-watch.

        4 votes