Entertainers and crew members 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, who are supported by crew members.

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 crew members, 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 year of 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 teams 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 theyre 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 weve 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.

More to come.