Philadelphia Cheesesteak Shop Owner Defends 'Order in English' Policy
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 2005 at his shop in a diverse South Philadelphia neighborhood, telling customers, "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING PLEASE 'SPEAK ENGLISH.'"...
It is his prerrogative how he runs his bussines. I think USA is doing a mistake trying to adapt itself to other people and idioms. That divides a nation because the origins of nations was language (Gen 11). In my country we speak spanish and when I go to other house I have to respect their rules. When I go to the States it's the same thing. God keeps on blessing USA. (by the way, sorry for my english)
As I stated before, this is just grandstanding. Joey Vento is too good a salesman to turn down an order for a $7.00 sandwich because the customer asks for it in Spanish or Swahili for that matter. South Philly used to all Italians. Now it's all Mexicans and Vietnamese. If he waits for English he might as well move to the Main Line. The whole thing reminds me of a joke the great Jewish comic Henny Youngman used to tell to Jewish audiences in the Catskill New York resorts: A Jewish man opens a deli in Manhattan. He puts a sign in the window "No Arabs Served". An Arab sheik comes in from the U.N. Embassy and orders a standing lunchtime order every day of 200 corned beef specials on rye @$12.00 each along with 5 gallons each of potato salad, coleslaw, and pickles and soda pop. The next day the owner put a new sign in the window: "No Jews Allowed".
In any country where common sense becomes controversial, THAT county is in DEEP trouble.
This man's testimony and motives are based on common sense wisdom-- which appears to be increasingly despised by low-self-esteem-motivated post-modern folk of my own and subsequent generations of Americans.
Christ's salvation sets one free of this "chasing of the wind" of trying to puff-up one's esteem, which seems to motivate our more liberal folk into bending over backwards to try to accommodate others in ways that they should not.
Jim Lincoln wrote: Good for him! It's about time (illegal?) immigrants started to use English if they are going to be using all the other benefits of this country. It shouldn't be that hard to learn enough English to order food in our language, even Congress thought the National Anthem should be song in English
Good for him! It's about time (illegal?) immigrants started to use English if they are going to be using all the other benefits of this country. It shouldn't be that hard to learn enough English to order food in our language, even Congress thought the National Anthem should be song in English
1
There are a total of 6 user comments displayed | add new comment |
Dr. Joel Beeke | 11/11/2012
COMMENTS | 
It shouldn't be that hard to learn enough English to order food in our language, even Congress thought 
