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.
Anyone who has been a fan of South Park knows about this place - an absolute classic episode, and I was so happy when I heard these guys were buying and renovating the joint. Yes, it’s been a huge money-sink for them so far, but they can afford it more than most restaurateurs.
Have reservations in September, been looking forward to visiting since Matt and Trey bought it. I’m hoping things are better for everyone by then and I definitely want to support this place, but I won’t be crossing any picket lines…
How do you get hypothermia and/or any toxicity from a pool you dive into only once an hour?
I mean the high divers aren’t lounging in the water or diving constantly every 10 min.
Should the water be room temp or warmer? With no chlorine? Possibly, piped from the bathroom? Would more pay suddenly make the exact same pool comfy?
How would Brooke Shields solve the problem having seen this awful tragedy first hand?
Something tells me nobody here has all the details to have an informed opinion on any of this.
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).
Is this the Brooke Shields?
why this person is famous eludes me.
She was on The Muppet Show one time when Jim Henson was still running it.
