South Park's creators have eliminated tipping at Denver's famed Casa Bonita. Servers now make $30 an hour — and some are mad.

Lakshmi Varanasi Jun 29, 2023, 5:08 AM EDT

• Casa Bonita, a 50-year-old Mexican restaurant in Colorado, reopened after a $40 million renovation.
• South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker bought the joint, which was featured in their show.
• They eliminated tips, and are now paying $30 an hour. Some staff members are mad about that.

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Days before opening, though, the restaurant reportedly asked employees to sign new contracts that offered hourly wages for servers and bartenders of $30 an hour, according to Axios Denver. The catch was that they would no longer receive tips to supplement their wages, Axios reported. (The minimum wage in Colorado is $13.65, according to the state's labor department.)

Employees were given one day to decide whether they wanted to sign the new contract or quit, Axios said, citing a conversation with one employee, and documents provided by another employee, who both asked to remain anonymous due to a confidentiality agreement.

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