WP: English Flap Sticks at Cheesesteak Shop

[kskiska]

PHILADELPHIA -- Officials found evidence that the owner of one of the city's signature cheesesteak joints may have discriminated against immigrants by telling them to order in English.

The city human relations commission will move ahead with its investigation of Geno's Steaks, which posted a sign reading, "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" according to a letter the commission sent to owner Joe Vento last week.

Vento's sign caused an uproar last year, when immigrants' rights groups threatened to boycott or order in other languages and he refused a city councilman's request to take it down.

Vento, the fiery grandson of Sicilian immigrants, and his attorneys maintain no one has 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.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/07/AR2007020701713.html

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. Hell of a way to get the tourist trade

idiots.

[Captain Hilts]

2. There are no good guys here. First, he's a jerk.

Second, he's a jerk, but it's a private business, if he wants to freeze out a percentage of customers, he's free to do so, no matter how stupid and bigoted it is.

Third, I'll bet the vast majority of immigrants can say "cheese steak" in Anglais. If they can't, their buddies who can should order for them. They can't expect to find everything in Spanish as well as English. When I lived in Moscow, I had to order all consumables in Russian - you have to give the name or describe every item. It wasn't easy.

This sounds like the manufactured problem of a bigot. He's got bigger problems than immigrants.

[AndyTiedye]

10. I Bet The Majority of Immigrants and Non-Bigots Will Eat at Pat's From Now On

It's not as though Geno's has no competitors.

[LostinVA]

11. Pat's is better anyway n/t

[Mike Daniels]

16. Our historic sites tour guide in Philly refused to give specific directions to Geno's

If someone asked about the location he kind of waved his hand towards the south and said something like "it's about x blocks in that general direction".

He also said that all the guides were boycotting Geno's and promoting Pats or other steak places when asked for a general recommendation.

[Captain Hilts]

22. That exactly right. Vote with your feet and your dollars at the competition. nt

[NI4NI]

20. Both his parents were immigrants, long ago,

who did not speak English, would he have not served them?
A long standing joke in Philly is:
How do local people tell that someone is not from South Philly?
Because that someone is eating a Geno's cheesesteak.

[Kagemusha]

3. ...I appreciate the sentiment but, this violates a law?

Certainly, the sign is insulting to Americans who like languages other than English for reasons of heritage or culture (myself, I like Japanese and would enjoy ordering a dish in that language someday) but.. America has no official language either way so, what kind of discrimination would this be that would necessitate a public response? Is there a law against discrimination by language?

Though even if asking people to order in English is quite perfectly legal, the sign is unnecessarily abusive.

[Straight Shooter]

4. Ironic, considering the discrimination still leveled at Sicilians today.

Mention you're Sicilian and Mafia jokes are almost sure to follow. There was also much discrimination practiced against Italian immigrants not so long ago in this country.

Vento does the Italian-American community no favors with his bellicose attitude.

[Igel]

5. I wonder what the evidence was.

You think they'd have said if they wanted anybody to pay attention for more than a few seconds.

[Tin Man]

7. It seems there is none.

"They could have found out in one day that nobody has ever been refused service," Vento said Wednesday.

I guess a sign that reads: "Please speak english" is discriminatory? Ridiculous.

[Lerkfish]

6. having briefly lived in Philly, the italian area of south philly is notoriously

bigoted against many things (anything gay being chief among them), which is really odd when you look at the Mummer's parade.

but I digress.

[Mandate My Ass]

15. That's correct

His shop is near the Italian Market but nowadays Italians insist you refer to it as the 9th Street Market because there are Asian and Mexican vendors there too.

[fishnfla]

8. I heard he did this for a business reason.

anybody wanna take a guess? he's laughing all the way to the bank

[bigworld]

9. Hell yeah

... everytime he gets press it's free advertising for him. If you've ever been there, the guy's a total cheesesteak fascist. Hell, if you don't ask for your ingredients in the correct order (wit' cheese, no onions, lite sauce), they say he won't serve you somedays.

Don't feed the troll, ignore him, there's no case here.

[CreekDog]

14. They don't speak English in South Philly anyway

Unless words like "dose", "dem", "youse" are English words. My family is from South Philly and I barely understand them.

And I thought the steaks from John's out on Delaware near the water were much better than Pat's.

Never had Geno's, but my family thinks both Pat's and Geno's steaks are horrible.

[zonkers]

24. Ha! Good one.

[Arugula Latte]

12. I read this headline a few times ...

At first I was picturing English people "flapping" some sticks at a Cheesesteak Shop, maybe because they were angry at another piece of American pop culture tarnishing their soil. I was wondering if "flapping" sticks was some sort of protest method I was unaware of.

:rofl:

I am such an idiot.

[bigworld]

18. No, it's a weirdly-written headline.

It's not entirely you.

[Arugula Latte]

19. Okay, thanks. I feel better now.

:D

[Ken Burch]

25. I just thought "flap sticks" was some weird Philly side order

that you got with a Geno's cheesesteak.

And it sounded a little scary that they could talk.

If I ever go to South Philly, I ain't eatin' at Geno's.

(Btw, is it one of the places Stallone jogs by in ROCKY?)

[pepperbear]

13. "....ground zero for cheesesteaks"

:rofl:

[Marrah_G]

17. I think the sign is unecessary really

If someone is trying to order in a language you don't understand you can just say " I don't speak ".

Now if someone were trying to "force" him to have multi-lingual employees then I could see him getting his panties in a wad, but that doesn't seem like the case here. He put up the sign to be confrontational and get attention, which is his right (rude but legal) and the media swarmed all over it which leaves him laughing all the bank.

The fact that the media is even convering this is just stupid.

[kskiska]

21. If someone doesn't speak English

how can they read the sign? This sign is a code advertising the fact to like-minded bigots that Geno doesn't take to furriners.

[Book Lover]

23. If I were willing to give this guy business, I'd go and order in Italian

Then again, I'd rather not waste my money on crap food; I hear his stuff's no good.

[nealmhughes]

26. Is there even another term for a "cheesesteak" other than "cheesesteak?"

Why would you want to use another term if the sign that shows the chow and the price said "Cheesesteak"?

Can a Venezuelan or Castillian order "una hamburgesa" there?