Borders, Language, Culture (Savage)
Milwaukee frozen custard shop defends 'English only' policy
[‘We can’t be the United Nations’: Milwaukee frozen custard shop defends ‘English only’ policy by Katie Mettler Washington Post] " On Tuesday, Joey Sanchez stepped up to the counter of Leon’s Frozen Custard, a 70-year-old Milwaukee staple, and listened to the customer in front of him place his order in Spanish.
The shop is located on the city’s south side, in a neighborhood with a large Hispanic population. Sanchez thought nothing of it.
Then he heard the server’s response.
“She whispered to him in Spanish, ‘I’m not allowed to speak Spanish to you,’ ” Sanchez told TV station Fox 6 Now.
Sanchez was shocked.
So when it came his turn to order, he, too, used his native tongue.
“I’m not allowed to speak Spanish to you,” Sanchez said the server repeated.
He posted his experience to social media, WISN 12 News reported, and soon the community was rallying around what critics called a racist — and illegal — employee policy. Customers on Twitter used the hashtag #BoycottLeons. And the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has even called on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to launch a federal investigation into the “English only” rule.
But Leon’s owner Ron Schneider has remained steadfast amid the uproar, staunchly defending the “English only” rule that he told Fox 6 Now has been in place for nearly a decade, noting that his wife and children are Hispanic.
“Hey, c’mon! It is America,” Schneider told the TV station. “We’ve spoken English for a long, long time.”
The owner said he worries the work flow would suffer and things would get “disruptive” if the business had to “become bilingual, trilingual or anything else.” Customers might order in a non-English language once and then expect the same accommodation forever.
“We can’t be the United Nations,” Schneider told WISN 12 News. “They got translators. We don’t.”
Schneider told FOX 6 News that if an employee spoke a different language to a customer, they likely wouldn’t be fired — but they could expect a chat with the boss..." Full text: ‘We can’t be the United Nations’: Milwaukee frozen custard shop defends ‘English only’ policy Gen. 11:5–9, 2 Thess. 2:7, 8 more
Milwaukee frozen custard shop defends 'English only' policy
[‘We can’t be the United Nations’: Milwaukee frozen custard shop defends ‘English only’ policy by Katie Mettler Washington Post] " On Tuesday, Joey Sanchez stepped up to the counter of Leon’s Frozen Custard, a 70-year-old Milwaukee staple, and listened to the customer in front of him place his order in Spanish.
The shop is located on the city’s south side, in a neighborhood with a large Hispanic population. Sanchez thought nothing of it.
Then he heard the server’s response.
“She whispered to him in Spanish, ‘I’m not allowed to speak Spanish to you,’ ” Sanchez told TV station Fox 6 Now.
Sanchez was shocked.
So when it came his turn to order, he, too, used his native tongue.
“I’m not allowed to speak Spanish to you,” Sanchez said the server repeated.
He posted his experience to social media, WISN 12 News reported, and soon the community was rallying around what critics called a racist — and illegal — employee policy. Customers on Twitter used the hashtag #BoycottLeons. And the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has even called on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to launch a federal investigation into the “English only” rule.
But Leon’s owner Ron Schneider has remained steadfast amid the uproar, staunchly defending the “English only” rule that he told Fox 6 Now has been in place for nearly a decade, noting that his wife and children are Hispanic.
“Hey, c’mon! It is America,” Schneider told the TV station. “We’ve spoken English for a long, long time.”
The owner said he worries the work flow would suffer and things would get “disruptive” if the business had to “become bilingual, trilingual or anything else.” Customers might order in a non-English language once and then expect the same accommodation forever.
“We can’t be the United Nations,” Schneider told WISN 12 News. “They got translators. We don’t.”
Schneider told FOX 6 News that if an employee spoke a different language to a customer, they likely wouldn’t be fired — but they could expect a chat with the boss..." Full text: ‘We can’t be the United Nations’: Milwaukee frozen custard shop defends ‘English only’ policy Gen. 11:5–9, 2 Thess. 2:7, 8 more
Last edited:
