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PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia agency has ruled that English-only signs at a famous cheesesteak shop are not discriminatory.

Lunch hour at Geno's Steaks in South Philadelphia bought out a boisterous bunch of supporters who defended owner Joey Vento, who would be defending himself and his infamous "speak English" sign this afternoon before the city's Commission on Human Relations. "We think this city is raking Joey over the coals," said retiree Nick Skolsky from Media, who came via a half-full motorcoach organized by radio host Dom Giordano of WPHT (1210 AM

PHILADELPHIA - A small sign that asked customers to order in English at a famous cheesesteak shop was never meant to be offensive, the shop's owner testified Friday at a hearing to decide whether the policy was discriminatory. Joe Vento, the owner of Geno's Steaks, defended his policy before the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, which filed the discrimination complaint. "This country is a melting pot, but what makes it work is the English language," Vento told the commission. "I'm not stupid. I would never put a sign out to hurt my business." Vento posted two small signs in October...

<p>HAZLETON, Pennsylvania: The owner of a Philadelphia cheesesteak joint recently in the spotlight for his English-only ordering policy has donated $10,000 (€7,800) to help the city of Hazleton defend its crackdown on illegal immigration from legal challenges.</p> <p>"I'm behind you 100 percent," Joey Vento, owner of Geno's Steaks, wrote in a handwritten letter to Hazleton Mayor Louis Barletta. His fast food restaurant is famous for its cheesesteaks — a mix of fried steak, sliced or chopped, in a long roll, with melted cheese and fried onions.</p>