Five former employees of Bowlmor Lanes on University Place have filed a lawsuit against Strike Holdings CEO Tom Shannon, claiming he used social media outlets to keep minorities from making reservations at "one of the city’s hottest and most compelling nightlife venues." The suit claims Shannon met with top executives after "incidents" at Bowlmor's restaurant, Carnival, "to discuss possible ways to exclude certain people...such as African-Americans, Asians and Latinos." The workers say they were fired for not complying.
The suit claims the workers were asked to look up prospective patrons on Facebook and MySpace to see how they looked and dressed and where they lived. If they didn't fit the Bowlmor customer ideal, they didn't get a reservation. Shannon also allegedly changed the dress code to prohibit baseball caps, sports jerseys, oversized jeans and Timberland boots. Which isn't exactly racist, but seems more so when paired with the Facebook witch-hunt.
Shannon's lawyer called it a "nuisance suit," and said Strike Holdings is "an industry leader in employee diversity." When asked for comment, an employee at Bowlmor put us on hold for five minutes and then transferred us to voice mail, leading us to believe the suit may be a touchy subject. The only hint of how the staff at Bowlmor feels is through their Twitter account, to which is posted the Will Rogers' quote, "Rumor travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth."
