The continuing saga of the South Philly sandwich shop and the Phila. Commission on Human Relations

[Lobster Martini]

(edited for copyright purposes-proud patriot Moderator Democratic Underground)


(LM: Posting a sign at your sandwich shop stating "This is America. When ordering, please speak English" may not be particularly tactful, but realistically, how many languages is a guy who makes steak sandwiches in South Philadelphia supposed to speak? Part of the neighborhood is Irish, part is Italian, part is Asian…incidentally, cheese steak in Irish Gaelic is cáis stéig. I don’t expect Geno’s Steaks to know that.)

Vento: No barrier, just a view on English

"This is a melting pot, that's correct. But what makes it work is knowing . . . English," cheesesteak impresario Joey Vento told the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, which held a hearing yesterday on whether signs Vento posted at his South Philadelphia shop - advising patrons to "please speak English" - are illegal under the city's ordinance against unfair discrimination.

Vento, owner of Geno's Steaks, said his restaurant serves more than 600,000 steak sandwiches a year and never refused service based on a patron's national origin.

The signs - which say "This is America. When ordering, please speak English" - serve two purposes, he said: to express his First Amendment-protected opinion about immigration; and to encourage faster ordering at the neon-splashed shop, where the line is sometimes 50 customers deep.

A multimillionaire who began in 1966 with just $6, Vento scoffed at the idea that the intent of the signs is to make certain people feel unwelcome.

"You think I'm stupid? You think I built a successful business by refusing service?" he testified.


(Link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20071215_Vento__No_barrier__just_a_view_on_English.html)