NLRB files labor complaint against Casa Bonita
The labor board accuses the Denver restaurant of refusing to bargain with its performers' union and cutting over 1,000 hours of shifts.
The National Labor Relations Board has filed a labor complaint against Casa Bonita, the Denver restaurant owned by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, over its dealings with the performers' union.
The complaint accuses Casa Bonita of refusing to bargain in good faith with Actors' Equity Association, according to a report by Nation's Restaurant News published October 2, 2026. The board has scheduled a trial in Denver for December 7, the report said.
The complaint also alleges that Casa Bonita cut more than 1,000 hours of available shifts for roaming performers without bargaining with the union, according to the same report. Actors' Equity represents more than 51,000 performers and stage managers nationwide, including the entertainers who work the restaurant's cliff-diving and mariachi shows.
The entire unit is striking, which is 57 workers. They will not be working.
The union filed its original charge in September 2025, according to Actors' Equity. The charge said management unilaterally eliminated shifts for unionized performers while contract talks were ongoing, the union said.
Hours cut around a Halloween event
The hours reduction was tied to "Casa BOOnita," the restaurant's Halloween pop-up, according to Actors' Equity. Casa Bonita has said the schedule change was temporary. The company said it paused regular character appearances from September 30 through November 2 during its first Halloween pop-up, according to a statement cited by the union.
Casa Bonita has not issued a public statement on the NLRB's October complaint. The company has previously said it does not comment on ongoing labor negotiations, according to Actors' Equity's September 2025 statement.
The dispute follows a strike by Casa Bonita performers on Halloween 2025. "The entire unit is striking, which is 57 workers. They will not be working," Actors' Equity spokesperson David Levy said at the time, according to the union.
What the Casa Bonita hearing will decide
The NLRB trial will determine whether Casa Bonita violated federal labor law in its dealings with the union, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Neither the NLRB nor Casa Bonita has said publicly whether the two sides have resumed bargaining since the complaint was filed, the report said.
Casa Bonita reopened in 2023 after a renovation led by Parker and Stone, who bought the restaurant out of bankruptcy in 2021. The venue's dinner-theatre format, with cliff divers, a mariachi band and a black-light cave, depends on the performers now at the centre of the labor complaint. The complaint lands as hiring patterns across the restaurant industry continue to vary widely by market.
