"This is America. When Ordering Please Speak English" - a steak joint vs the PC crowd

[rory_20_uk]

Not that 'wid' or 'wiz' is in any way related to the noble english language. And from the sounds of it, not that it is in any way related to good food.

[Lemur]

When [a divisive and mean-spirited sign] is no longer legal, it is time to begin the revolution.

Goodness gracious, I find myself in complete agreement with the rabid rabbit. A sign of the end times?

[yesdachi]

Cough cough marketing cough cough.

They knew it would get a rise out of some people and that is why it was done in a less PC maner (That and probably some personal frustration) but look at all the attention they are getting. Cha-Ching!

Plus, it sounds like the lines are always there; if you have questions about the ordering system just ask the person next to you.

[_Martyr_]

Bubba, a furniture dealer in West Virginia, wanted to expand the line of furniture in his store. Although he had never traveled outside the USA, he decided to go to Paris to get some ideas. After arriving in the French city he met with some manufacturers and selected a line that he thought would sell well back home.
To celebrate the new acquisition he visited a small bistro and had a glass of wine. The small place was quite crowded, and he noticed that the other chair at his table was the only vacant seat in the house.
Before long, a very beautiful young Parisian girl came to his table, asked him something in French (which he did not understand), and motioned toward the chair. He invited her to sit down.
He tried to speak to her in English, but she did not speak his language, so after a couple of minutes of trying to communicate, he took a napkin, drew a picture of a wine glass and showed it to her. She nodded, and he ordered a glass of wine for her. After sitting together at the table for a while, he took another napkin and drew a picture of a plate with food on it, and she nodded. They left the bistro and found a quiet cafe that featured a small group playing romantic music. They ordered dinner, after which he took another napkin and drew a picture of a couple dancing. She nodded, and they got up to dance. They danced until the cafe closed and the band was packing up. Back at their table the young lady took a napkin and drew a picture of a four-poster bed.
To this day, Bubba has no idea how she figured out he was in the furniture business.


Suppose there is something to be said about learning the language afterall...

[Devastatin Dave]

Good one Martyr!!!

[doc_bean]

Either way he would have nodded yes, wouldn't he ?

Go Bubba !

[GeneralHankerchief]

Excellent joke. Mind if I put it in the Frontroom joke thread?

[Tachikaze]

I deal with foreign people every day in my life. I accommodate them the best I can. If I absolutely can't understand their speech, I find another way to communicate. It's not my job to tell them what language they should speak.

I wonder what Geno's does with people who are mute. Tell them to leave?

If I were a patron of Geno's and I saw that sign, I would go, instead, to a taco shop and order in Spanish. The people at my local taco shop are much kinder.

[_Martyr_]

yeah sure go ahead...

[Brenus]

“When I go abroad admittedly I speak English. The deal is that I am giving hard currency to their economy, so they can earn it - if they don't want it, I'll find a vendor that does.”
I have a different approach. When I go abroad, learn immediately to say please, thank you and good bye. It makes things easy, and can save some money as well. Try it…
I knew somebody like you. Well, she ended the evening without her meal, the waiter ignoring her demands. I couldn’t stop laughing… In some places money is still not able to buy every thing.

[_Martyr_]

I have to agree with Brenus, when Im visiting other countries I make an effort to learn at very least a few basic phraises and after that, when people see I have made an effort, they usually go out of their way to help out. Also, making it clear Im neither English or American can usually get you some love, especially in France! ;)

[Proletariat]

I wonder what Geno's does with people who are mute. Tell them to leave?

Good point, because we all know Hispanics aren't actually capable of learning to speak english.

[Kanamori]

About at the same place where the sign limited it to Hispanics. He's either too panzy to put what he means on the sign, or just doesn't know that his communication skills are south-philidelphian and far below normal abilities.

[Devastatin Dave]

I say let the market dictate this decision. If he loses business because of his choice in patronage, then so be it. I'm not trying to sound like some sort of internationalist hippy, I just think certain situation would dictate that he needs to accommodate someone who doesn't speak English or as was pointed out earlier, mute. If someone comes here on vacation we should do our best to make them feel at home, we don't want to be like the Parisians!!
I would have less of a problem if before the person could order, they have to show their ID or proof that they were in the legally. Its his business and there's no reason for him to have to run it the way others think he should run it. Freedom fries anyone?

[Tribesman]

when Im visiting other countries I make an effort to learn at very least a few basic phraises and after that, when people see I have made an effort, they usually go out of their way to help out.
Yeah and despite what the guide boks tell ya , don't speak French in Morocco , especailly Casablanca

[Major Robert Dump]

Not the nicest wording, but it is his business. Private businesses should be able to "discriminate" against whoever they want, as it is their business that will suffer or prosper as a result. It's no different than night clubs who stop letting in men because they want more women inside, or restraunts who don't allow in people who don't meet a dress code etc

[InsaneApache]

As a businessman, I'm at a loss to this attitude, surely all custom is money. Personally it wouldn't bother me if they were sky-blue-pink as long as I got their cash. The mans obviously a moron.

[Major Robert Dump]

I don't know Insane, where he loses customers who dont agree with him politically (or who dont speak english lol) he also gains cool points with customers who do agree with him politically or don't like being held up in line.

When I was doing retail management if a customer needed a translator and I had one readily available, then so be it. But if my translator was someone who was occupied with other customers/tasks then it becomes robbing peter to pay paul, and at that point its best to just blow the customer off. I'm not going to close a busy cashier line and take the cashier to the other end of the store to translate for the lady trying to buy meat at the deli.

Whats more, the non-english customer will come to expect such treatment each visit. We're not talking about accomodating handicapped or old people, we're talking about people who don't want to learn the frikkin words for "Two pounds Swiss Cheese." Screw them everytime, especially in busy, fast paced establishments.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Goodness gracious, I find myself in complete agreement with the rabid rabbit. A sign of the end times?

Welcome to the poorly-lit-due-to-being-in-underground-tunnels side!

Crazed Rabbit

PS. My crazyness is not due to rabies, thank you very much.

[Papewaio]

Private businesses should be able to "discriminate" against whoever they want, as it is their business that will suffer or prosper as a result.

I think you are drawing to large a brush with "discriminate" against whoever they want. If they started discrminating against people based on race or creed would that be acceptable?

What happens to the newly arrived immigrant trying to learn English, is it okay to discriminate against them or a refugee?

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Personally I like Tony Luke's better, but I think that this is within his rights, PCers be damned. If you don't beleive in free speech, go to North Korea. HEAR THAT CITY COUNCIL?

[Divinus Arma]

Here is something REALLY funny. It is one of plans to learn spanish once I finish the MBA, and before I start the MPA. So I try to pick up a little here and there and use it when I can. So I go into a Mexican restaruant and order my meal entirely en espanol: "Porfavor Senor, Yo Quero un burrito no mas con pollo e queso. E un horchata grande." What does the little bugger do? Rattles off some espanol 100 miles an hour with a smug look the entire time. When I answer: "Hablo muy poquito espanol, I am learning." He then shakes his head in disgust and laughs to himself.

That one really pissed me off. I am never again saying a lick of spanish in casual conversation to a latino until I know the language 100%. Then when somebody calls me a pinchi gringo or bendeho or whatever, then I can tell him that it isn't nice to say such things to customers who are trying to learn the language.

If somebody tells me that "they are learning", then I would be more than happy to help.

[Tribesman]

If you don't beleive in free speech, go to North Korea.
Nah , tried that , they wouldn't give me permission to enter , and when I snuck across the border I found that the wages for undocumented were shite and I couldn't even order fried dog leg unles I knew the local version of not quite Korean , so I high tailed it across the border and ordered a Bargain Bucket *TM in a Koreanish accent .

[_Martyr_]

Here is something REALLY funny. It is one of plans to learn spanish once I finish the MBA, and before I start the MPA. So I try to pick up a little here and there and use it when I can. So I go into a Mexican restaruant and order my meal entirely en espanol: "Porfavor Senor, Yo Quero un burrito no mas con pollo e queso. E un horchata grande." What does the little bugger do? Rattles off some espanol 100 miles an hour with a smug look the entire time. When I answer: "Hablo muy poquito espanol, I am learning." He then shakes his head in disgust and laughs to himself.

That one really pissed me off. I am never again saying a lick of spanish in casual conversation to a latino until I know the language 100%. Then when somebody calls me a pinchi gringo or bendeho or whatever, then I can tell him that it isn't nice to say such things to customers who are trying to learn the language.

If somebody tells me that "they are learning", then I would be more than happy to help.

Well that guy was just an ass. As someone who is bilingual, my advise to you is not to be disheartened by one bad experience that may have shook your confidence. Mixing with native speakers is pretty much the only way that you're ever going to get to a fluency level. Dont let one bad apple spoil it for you. It does go to show you though how difficult it is to learn a language if people discourage you. Maybe if the cheese steak joint owner was a little friendlier, he might actually encourage/teach immigrants a word or two instead of just being an unwelcoming asshole in the same way your waiter could have encouraged/taught you some new vocabulary!

[PanzerJaeger]

Originally Posted by Divinus Arma
Here is something REALLY funny. It is one of plans to learn spanish once I finish the MBA, and before I start the MPA. So I try to pick up a little here and there and use it when I can. So I go into a Mexican restaruant and order my meal entirely en espanol: "Porfavor Senor, Yo Quero un burrito no mas con pollo e queso. E un horchata grande." What does the little bugger do? Rattles off some espanol 100 miles an hour with a smug look the entire time. When I answer: "Hablo muy poquito espanol, I am learning." He then shakes his head in disgust and laughs to himself.

That one really pissed me off. I am never again saying a lick of spanish in casual conversation to a latino until I know the language 100%. Then when somebody calls me a pinchi gringo or bendeho or whatever, then I can tell him that it isn't nice to say such things to customers who are trying to learn the language.

If somebody tells me that "they are learning", then I would be more than happy to help.

"People" like that should be put in their place. He probably wasn't even legal.

However, as you progress down a lucrative carreer with your MBA and other degrees, he will always be a pathetic little server who has nothing more to take pride in than his ability to speak his native language and mock "gringos" with paychecks 10 times as big as his will ever be.

[rotorgun]

I think if he had phrased it:

"please speak english when ordering"

rather than:

"This is American, please speak english when ordering"

It would have been a lot less hostile. Not that 'wid' or 'wiz' is in any way related to the noble english language. And from the sounds of it, not that it is in any way related to good food.

Maybe he should have put up a sign underneath that one in Spanish:
Si te quiere un "Wiz", ordero en Inglese por favor. Con queso, dice "wit", sin queso, dice "widout". Gracias para su participacion en la cultura Americana. Si te no habla la lingua Ingles, no comida para usted.

Gracias,
El Dueno

In Tennessee we would say, how about one of them there "Wiz" thingamjigs?
Answer: Yessir!
Could you please add some cheese and onions?
Answer: Yessir!
Thanks. How much please? etc.

[AntiochusIII]

"People" like that should be put in their place. He probably wasn't even legal.

However, as you progress down a lucrative carreer with your MBA and other degrees, he will always be a pathetic little server who has nothing more to take pride in than his ability to speak his native language and mock "gringos" with paychecks 10 times as big as his will ever be.

Wondrous. So that is "their place," huh?



How about some respect for humanity? A smug does not a slave make.

[Tachikaze]

That one really pissed me off. I am never again saying a lick of spanish in casual conversation to a latino until I know the language 100%. Then when somebody calls me a pinchi gringo or bendeho or whatever, then I can tell him that it isn't nice to say such things to customers who are trying to learn the language.

Hey, Redleg, he's generalizing! Where's your rebuff?

What? Oh, you only criticize liberals for generalizing! I get it!

Divinus:
Now you know how second-language-English-speakers feel when they try to speak English in steakhouses run by intolerant people.

[Divinus Arma]

Divinus:
Now you know how second-language-English-speakers feel when they try to speak English in steakhouses run by intolerant people.

That's where you show your bias, hippy.

I respectfully engaged them in thier own language and the ass made fun of me for trying. Being in an area filled with latinos, I am fully capable of articulating the lingual nuances of espanol, thus I did not come across as: "you kee- aireeo uno borritto no moth con po-ell-o ee kay so, ee un hor-chatter grandee." Which, I am certain, is the case whn ordering "steeek e queso"

Hablo puquito, no ningun espanol. Si comprende cabron? Pinche rebelde del socialista.

espanol es funny

btw: Mexico v. Angola 0-0 !!!! loloolololol WTF?!?!?!?

[AntiochusIII]

Actually, DA, being a second-language-English-speaker myself I think you are self-victimizing yourself too much. It's especially hard in my situation around two years ago when I arrived in the United States not because people around me are asses but because they cannot--could not, at least, now they surely could, what's with my little own total immersion transition period effectively complete and a properly American liberal-hippie-commie as a product--understand me, which causes an awkward situation time and again when they try to be polite (most, at least) while telling me they don't understand a word I'm trying to communicate.

However, because they are nice, I was neither offended nor angered, instead, I felt shame, which is natural. Now I am friends with most of those same people. Nonetheless, there are asses out there who did laugh at my accented English (when it was heavily accented) and act like your anecdotal waiter but I did not generalize all Americans as asses who laugh at those who cannot speak fluent American English. In fact, I wasn't even angry at them, understanding as I am of the natural workings of human humor.

Just because one ass who speaks a language used by millions happens to laugh at your beginning speech does not mean you can just go out and generalize (well, technically you can, but it's a figure of speech) them out like that. Remember that commercial "stereotyping is bad?"

As of the topic, I suppose insensitive and mean-spirited does not equal a violation of the law. Of course, "this is America," as pointed out, is an elitist statement, extraneous and elitist. But what the hell. People have opinions, nice or not nice. And it's his business, literally, so unless he starts the National Capitalist Party of America (Against Hispanics) or Mothers Against Mexicans organizations I'd not go overboard like the council in the article.

*I apologize with the liberal using of the word "ass" to describe a behavior of individuals; I assume the general tone of the statement, the "ordinary" usage of the word as opposed to exclusively expletive, and the fact that it does not attack anyone in particular with that descriptive characterization, does not make for a violation material.