The Associated Press reports that Leon's Frozen Custard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is under fire from some quarters because of its policy of only taking orders in English - a decade-old policy that got new publicity last week when "a Spanish-speaking customer was told by a Spanish-speaking employee that she was only allowed to take his order in English."
The story says that "the Wisconsin chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens says the policy violates federal labor law. The group is calling for a government investigation."
Owner Ron Schneider says that "he doesn’t want to encourage non-English orders because it’s going to be 'a problem down the road,' adding that 'we can’t be the United Nations.' He says no customer has ever been turned away."
The story says that "the Wisconsin chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens says the policy violates federal labor law. The group is calling for a government investigation."
Owner Ron Schneider says that "he doesn’t want to encourage non-English orders because it’s going to be 'a problem down the road,' adding that 'we can’t be the United Nations.' He says no customer has ever been turned away."
- KC's View:
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The controversy sounds similar to one created by Geno's Steaks in Philadelphia, where ownership once posted a sign saying, "This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING SPEAK ENGLISH." (They said they'd taking orders in other languages, but customers should have no expectation that they'd get the sandwich they ordered.)
In so many ways this stuff is about politics, not commerce. If you have a Spanish-speaking employee and a Spanish-speaking customer, why you'd want the employee to only use Spanish to tell the customer that he or she has to speak English to get a frozen custard beats the hell out of me. This becomes about picking a fight and making a political point, and nothing else.
Me, I'd rather sell the cone.
