Brooke Shields joins fight for better pay at 'South Park' creators’ restaurant

Key Points:

• Actress Brooke Shields secretly visited Denver’s Casa Bonita restaurant to deliver a letter advocating for better wages and safety protections for its performers, who recently unionized under Actors’ Equity.
• Performers at Casa Bonita, including cliff divers and costumed characters, report unsafe working conditions such as hypothermia, chlorine toxicity, lack of security against sexual harassment, and pay disparities compared to servers.
• Despite prolonged negotiations since April 2023, Casa Bonita management has offered minimal wage increases and has not addressed key safety concerns, while creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have remained silent and absent from bargaining sessions.
• Casa Bonita, a Denver landmark known for its live entertainment and Mexican cuisine, was saved from bankruptcy by Parker and Stone but performers say their working conditions have not improved proportionally to the restaurant’s financial investment.
• Actors’ Equity has filed multiple labor complaints against Casa Bonita for retaliation and refusal to bargain, with Shields emphasizing the importance of supporting the performers who form the backbone of the establishment’s unique entertainment experience.