Following the rules at work should be a good thing, right? One Illinois Topgolf server is learning the hard way that doing everything by the book doesn’t always protect you.
After reporting customers for breaking the rules, she says she found herself in a predicament.
Discovery 1
In a series of viral videos with more than 50,000 views, server Genna Cantore (@gennacantore) details the shocking sequence of events that she says led to her getting fired from her local Topgolf.
Cantore says she’d been serving a group of seven people during their weekly Monday league tournament. These are customers she says she’d served twice before without incident. After taking their initial drink orders and checking IDs for everyone who ordered alcohol, she says she continued serving them throughout the evening.
Then she says noticed something that shouldn’t have been there.
“When I am throwing, like, the empty bottles or well cans out of the bucket, I noticed that there’s, like, a plastic small container of the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey,” Cantore explains. “Something not sold there.”
She says she immediately brought the container to the back, where both assistant managers were working. They took a picture of it and confirmed it was a problem. But Cantore continued serving the group.
“I’m not really that comfortable serving them after this,” she says. “Like, they’re already sneaking in alcohol. So I don’t wanna be the one that gets in trouble if I don’t say anything about it.”
Discovery 2
Shortly after, while clearing napkins from the table as the group tried to order more drinks, she says she made a second discovery.
“I reach for one of the napkins. And I pull it up. And there’s a flask under it,” she says.
She says she pretended not to see it while at the table. But then she immediately reported it to management. She says the group was kicked out for the night. But Cantore claims she was made to go close out their tab on the floor, despite rules that servers should be kept away from kicked-out customers to avoid conflict.
“We have had someone get punched in the face before. It’s for safety,” she explains.
The Aftermath
Two hours later, as leagues wrapped up for the night, she says a manager approached her in a panic. They reportedly asked her if she’d ID’d everyone at the table.
“I didn’t lie to him. I was like, ‘No. I ID’d anyone that ordered drinks because that’s our policy,'” Cantore recalls saying.
The manager reportedly said “OK.” And that was it. Cantore says she went home thinking nothing more of it.
The next day at work, she says a different manager pulled her aside and assured her she wasn’t in trouble before explaining what happened. After being kicked out, Cantore claims someone (allegedly a parent) had called claiming their 21-year-old child was served alcohol at Topgolf.
“First of all, all of the people who had been there had been there for the past five weeks and had at least two different servers,” Cantore says out. Plus, everyone who ordered drinks had been properly ID’d.
She says she was asked to write a statement for HR and was repeatedly told she wasn’t in trouble and did nothing wrong.
Two days later, two hours before her next shift, she says she got a call. Cantore says she was suspended pending investigation, with no explanation why.
The Investigation That Followed
What followed was a frustrating back-and-forth with management that Cantore documented in detail through emails. She says she discovered that according to the company handbook, suspended employees must receive written notice of suspension and be allowed to respond, neither of which happened.
When she pushed for specifics about what she was being accused of, she says she got vague answers about “responsible alcohol service” and “questions regarding if all necessary steps were followed.”
“If my job is being threatened, you don’t get to assume anything,” Cantore says, noting that the office manager handling her case admitted to not having all the details.
She repeatedly requested all communication be in writing for documentation purposes. Management kept trying to get her on the phone instead.
The Verdict
When they finally called to deliver the verdict, Cantore says they told her she was fired.
They claimed security footage showed “clear as day” that she didn’t ID the customers, per Cantore. That’s despite the fact that she claims her back was to the camera, she was four bays away, and there were at least 24 people between her and the camera.
“If it was clear as day, why did four members of senior leadership review it?” she asks.
The two team leads who were on the floor that night (both of whom saw Cantore checking IDs) were never questioned or asked for statements, per Cantore. She says they only found out about the investigation because Cantore told them.
Management also got basic facts wrong, she claims. She says they claimed there were only five people at the bay when there were seven. And they reportedly said Cantore’s statement didn’t include certain drinks she’d served, except she says she specifically listed everything.
When Cantore asked to see her own written statement or review the security footage, she says she was refused.
The Kicker
In a follow-up video addressing comments about getting a lawyer, Cantore reveals another detail that didn’t make it into her original story.
“One of the rules of leagues, basically, is if you get kicked out of Topgolf for, like, you violate any of their normal rules, you’re supposed to be disqualified from leagues,” she explains.
But she says that the bay she reported wasn’t disqualified. They came back the next week, tried to order alcohol, got denied, and were then caught drinking in the parking lot, she claims.
“But, you know, I don’t have a job anymore,” Cantore says.
After she was fired, she says her boyfriend (who works at the same location) said that nearly every manager came up to him saying the termination was “complete bulls—.” Two of the four senior leadership members who supposedly reviewed the footage offered to write Cantore glowing references for future jobs.
“If senior leadership reviewed the footage and two of them are offering me references, do you really think that they saw that I didn’t ID people and would offer me a reference?” she asks.
Cantore says she filed complaints with HR on Oct. 13 and 14, requesting all communication remain in writing. As of her last update, more than three weeks later, HR still hadn’t responded. Though both claims remain open.
What Next?
She’s now working with attorneys to explore her options. Though, she says that finding representation on contingency has been difficult.
“It’s not even about getting fired. It’s about the attack on my character and integrity,” she says. “I pride myself on being an honest person and trying to go to work every day and do my job to the best of my ability. So the fact that there’s people attacking that and completely slandering exactly what I stand for is very disheartening to me.”
@gennacantore I’ll have part 2 up within the next hour #creatorsearchinsights #fired #storytime #workstories #wrongfultermination
Commenters React
“Keep in mind HR is never for the worker. They only are in place to protect the corporation,” a top comment read.
“And if you HADNT told them they woulda fired you for that! Crazy!” a person said.
“Wow! You did the right thing,” another wrote.
BroBible reached out to Cantore for comment via email and TikTok direct message and Topgolf via email.