Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park, have recently reopened the renowned Mexican restaurant and entertainment venue, Casa Bonita, with an innovative pay structure for their wait staff. The new system offers a wage of $30 per hour but eliminates the practice of tipping.
Located in Lakewood, Colorado, Casa Bonita has been operating for nearly 50 years and is known for its expansive 52,000 square-foot space featuring live indoor cliff divers and a walkthrough cave named Black Bart's Cave. The Denver Gazette even dubbed Casa Bonita the "Disneyland of Mexican restaurants" due to its unique offerings.
Stone and Parker purchased Casa Bonita in 2021 after the restaurant faced financial difficulties due to COVID-19 lockdowns, leading to its bankruptcy filing. According to the Gazette, the South Park duo bought Casa Bonita for $3.1 million in September 2021. Since then, they have invested $40 million in renovating and upgrading the venue before its relaunch.
The restaurant has reopened with limited dining hours as part of a soft launch phase, where various features are being tested. Prospective guests can sign up on a mailing list for an opportunity to purchase tickets to dine at Casa Bonita.
The restaurant previously told FOX 31 KDVR that guests were not tipping during the soft-opening nights, which they attributed to their unconventional pre-pay ticketing system. To provide a higher and reliable wage, Casa Bonita shifted to a no-tipping model and doubled the hourly rate for their service staff to over $30 per hour. This change benefits both the employees and the guests, who can enjoy Casa Bonita without unexpected costs. Out of the 256 employees, 93 were part of the shift, and only 2 expressed dissatisfaction with the new system.
KDVR reported that at $30 an hour, Casa Bonita staff would earn slightly more than the median wage across all occupations in Colorado. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan area was $26.01 as of May 2022.
In a previous episode of South Park's seventh season, titled "Casa Bonita," Stone and Parker dedicated an entire episode to the restaurant, highlighting its distinctive features as the South Park boys visit the venue for a birthday party.
