Posted on 02/08/2007 7:47:54 AM PST by Pyro7480
English-only cheesesteak fight continues
By PATRICK WALTERS
Associated Pres
The battle over an English-only ordering policy at one of Philadelphia's signature cheesesteak joints is apparently far from over.
The city's human relations commission found evidence that the owner of Geno's Steaks may have discriminated against immigrants by posting a sign telling customers, "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,' " according to a letter sent to owner Joe Vento last week.
Vento's attorneys had hoped the matter would be dropped, but the commission said in the Jan. 31 letter that it found probable cause that discrimination occurred and was moving forward with the case. The commission also suggested that the matter could be resolved through mediation.
Vento's legal team would not rule out some sort of mediation, but they said Vento, the fiery grandson of Italian immigrants, would not take the sign down.
"Any effort to save the resources of taxpayer-funded government is a good idea, but not at the cost of free speech," said Todd Young, policy director for Atlanta-based Southeastern Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that has joined the case.
After extensive publicity over the sign in June, the commission began investigating whether Vento was violating the city's Fair Practices Ordinance. That law prohibits discrimination in employment, public accommodation and housing on the basis of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Vento and his attorneys maintain that no one has ever been turned away at the South Philadelphia shop. Geno's, along with bitter cross-street rival Pat's King of Steaks, forms the epicenter of an area often described as ground zero for cheesesteaks.
"They could have found out in one day that nobody has ever been refused service," Vento said Wednesday.
Albert Weiss, Vento's Philadelphia attorney, said he was shocked that the city was not dropping the case because he hadn't heard from anyone in weeks.
"I felt they were just letting it die a quiet death," Weiss said.
A message left with the human relations commission was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Going?
Wonder what would happen if Vento just told his employees to serve those customers a nice brunschwager and onion sandwich instead of a cheese steak. I think, given the PC BS in Philadelphia, a little passive-aggressive behavior would be in order. But I notice that there are no complaining customers in this story, just a bunch of bossy-pants government operatives. Perhaps the customers have managed to learn to say cheese steak in English, after all.
Ya, I know exactly what you mean. I was there about 3 months ago, and made a point of stopping by there myself...Awesome cheesesteaks! Joey was an awesome guy...he gave out free pens with the company logo and all (still have mine). I loved the place so much, that I bought a shirt that said "I'm an American, so I order in English." I live in Canada, so you can bet how that will be received by my professors! Great guy...hope he wins this one.
It says nothing about language. If they serve homosexual oriental Nigerians, provided they speak English, I see no lack of compliance...and I'm pretty sure that's the guy's take on it from everything I read.
Maybe that's why they work at McDonald's.
Calling city officials out would be a waste of time.
They are totally shameless!
HUMILIATION is a word that is not in their dictionary and therefore does not need apply to them.
Unless of course they want to humiliate a citizen or business owner!
Obviously you've never been to Philly :)
"This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,"
I don't get it. The sign is a request, it's not a demand. Are there any documented instances where Geno's refused service to anyone who couldn't speak English?
So, a business owner or his employees are expected to understand any language that a customer wants to order in? How about Esperanto? Finnish? Gibberish? Klingonese?
Well, wouldn't you like to know that as long as you don't get murdered you can order a cheesesteak in the language of your choice??
America has no official language. Logic would only conclude that since that is the case, no language related issues can really be prosecuted.
I just checked out their website - they sell "Freedom Fries" - I love it!
Maybe Vento should respond with a counter offer: if the city will provide translators for his customers who want to order in a language he and his staff don't understand, he'll take down the sign.
Sheer idiocy. Now, according to the Philadelphia city government, people should expect service when they make requests in a form unintelligible to the person providing the service.
We went on a cruise recently and were seated at dinner with two couples from Cuba originally. One of the men spoke English quite well, the other man spoke English somewhat less fluently and their wives hardly spoke English at all. I asked when they came to America and they said in 1973.
They were delightful people and quite proud of their children. One couple's daughter is in college and planning to become an attorney so apparently the children are bilingual, but I was trying to figure out why the wives do not speak English. I guess they live in an area of Miami where they do not need to learn English.
A quick aside, they think Cuba will descend into civil war when Castro dies.
"I fail to see how non-english speakers could possibly be offended by a sign written in english that they cannot read!"
Exactly!
Language is not listed. They have no case and they know it.
In MA, a Dentist is required (sit down for this) to PAY for an interpreter for a patient.
What's the name of the other cheesesteak place? This is an opportunity for it to make $ off of Geno's policy. He could focus on tourists and non-English speakers.
I think Geno's policy is dumb from an economic standpoint, but he should be free to pursue it.
Man, now I want a cheesesteak for lunch, not that you could get a real one here, but there are a couple of mall-based places that do a reasonable facsimile.
I have no idea why I would find myself in Philly, but if I do ever go there - I too will make a point to go there for a sammich...
This "case" is just another part of the amazing conspiracy against the US. As a private business owner, he should be able to serve whatever food he wants to - using WHATEVER LANGUAGE HE WANTS TO! If a Mexican Restaraunt were to open and put a sign up that reads:
YOU ARE IN A MEXICAN RESTERAUNT, PLEASE ORDER IN SPANISH
I would not be offended - and those who didn't like it would eat elsewhere- that is how our market system is suppose to work (not to mention the free speech issues).
If I were to open an Italian resteraunt and have a menu completely in Italian, and expect my customers and employees to use Italian, then that should be my right.
----
Compare this story to the pizza chain in the Dallas Metro area that decided a couple of months ago to accept Pesos as currency.... (of course, they did accept dollars too!).
Then again - would someone explain when property rights (along with free speech) became an endangered species here in the US? What was the defining moment? I am sure that many things have contributed to the situation we are in.... but there is bound to be some specific at or decision that really marked the beginning of the end of our rights...
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