The creators of South Park are certainly no strangers to controversy. But we wonder if they expected to find it with their new restaurant!
In 2021, Casa Bonita filed for bankruptcy — like many restaurants during the pandemic. So Trey Parker and Matt Stone decided to use some of their quiet mountain of cash to purchase the Lakewood, Colorado fixture. After all, if it wasn’t clear from the 2003 episode of their animated juggernaut, they’re big fans of the amusement park-style eatery…
Trey and Matt spent an estimated $40 million buying and renovating Casa Bonita. The pink palace is finally set to open its doors once again in a soft-launch this weekend — by reservation only at the moment. (If you’re in the Denver area, you can sign up HERE.)
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But with this news comes an unexpected wrinkle. At the new Casa Bonita, the practice of tipping has been abolished!
Yes, you read that right. In many places, restaurants, casinos, and other service jobs pay less than minimum wage — but tips from patrons keep servers afloat, and occasionally making bank, depending on the venue and the night.
The new Casa Bonita was never going to do that. They were always going to offer at least the minimum wage of $13.65, with tips as an added bonus. In fact when the restaurant was first hiring, potential employees were told they could expect salaries of $14.27-15.27 plus tips. However, some internal calculations were done at some point, and a radical new system was put into place. Instead paying just over minimum wage, the new management decided they would try paying bartenders and waitstaff more — and get rid of tipping entirely.
How much? Employees at Casa Bonita will make $30/hour, over double the state’s minimum wage! Not only that, employees who stay longer than 60 days will get health insurance options to boot — but at the cost of the potential for tips. Anyone who has worked in the service industry knows these servers will be giving up the really bonkers nights, when the place is at capacity and no one is stiffing. You can really make some cash those nights! But it will also do away with those dead days, where the place is so slow tips don’t even cover the gas it takes to get to work.
Some of the employees HATE the new plan — and they’re the whole reason we know about it! Two workers leaked the info to Axios, revealing they were called in to sign a new contract all of a sudden. They think they’re being ripped off.
Are they??
Supposedly the restaurant, which in many ways runs more like a theme park, tested the alternate pay plan — and found it was a more consistent, steady income for its employees. In a statement on behalf of the management, spokesperson Stefanie Jones told Axios Denver:
“Casa Bonita values its employees. Based on the recent beta testing of our one-of-a-kind restaurant, we have adjusted our compensation system for efficiency and fairness.”
It’s unclear what will happen if diners leave money anyway — or insist on tipping. It’s all pretty uncharted territory.
Hmm… Which would YOU choose given the options, Perezcious service pros?? Are they really giving employees a more stable income? Or costing them more in the long run??
[Image via Apega/WENN/South Park/YouTube.]
