Joe Vento....DEAD

[TripleSkeet]

The guy was a pain in the ass to work for, but was definitely respected by the entire community. Besides his numerous donations to worthy causes, you just have to respect a guy that stands by what he thinks is right and refuses to apologize or cowtow, even if it may hurt his business.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8323177

PHILADELPHIA - August 23, 2011 (WPVI) -- The owner of the landmark South Philadelphia cheesesteak stand who once told customers to order in English has died.

Family members confirm to Action News that 71-year-old Geno's Steaks owner Joey Vento has died of a massive heart attack on the way to the hospital.

Vento opened the steak shop back in 1966.

According to Geno's website, "He figured that if he was going to sell a steak, he had to be where they were already eating them...at the "X" shaped intersection of 9th & Passyunk in South Philadelphia...Joe started "Geno's" with $6.00 in his pocket, 2 boxes of steaks and some hot dogs."


Back in November, Vento underwent surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan after being diagnosed with colon/rectal cancer a few months earlier.

In June 2006, Vento and Geno's grabbed headlines for two small signs posted at the shop stating, "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH."' Vento said he posted the signs due to concerns over the debate on immigration reform and the increasing number of people who couldn't order in English.

----------

[cougarjake13]

fuck i almost called snacks mom to tell her the horrible news of joey vottos death


i consider the crisis averted

[Snacks]

fuck i almost called snacks mom to tell her the horrible news of joey vottos death


i consider the crisis averted

Dont worry she nor I nor most people know who he is or would care about this non story!

[razorboy]

71-year-old Geno's Steaks owner Joey Vento has died of a massive heart attack

There's a shocker.

[cougarjake13]

Dont worry she nor I nor most people know who he is or would care about this non story!

well no worries then


he plays for the reds btw

[Snacks]

well no worries then


he plays for the reds btw

OF or 1b?

maybe the yanks can trade for him.

[cougarjake13]

OF or 1b?

maybe the yanks can trade for him.

both

but has played 1st since 08

[Snacks]

both

but has played 1st since 08

sucks he died now hes out the league!

[spe5150]

OF or 1b?

maybe the yanks can trade for him.

Man, do you need to start actually reading the posts you respond to.

[Snacks]

Man, do you need to start actually reading the posts you respond to.

i did i never asked who he was I knew who he was after reading the post but if you read my 1st post i called this a none story because no 1 will careabout this guy or that he is dead. he could have just been random dead guy. i was playing along with cougar because he was making a joke and calling him joey votto (basically) so i played along with it and we went back and forth. talk about not getting the joke? and you talk about me not understanding something?

[TripleSkeet]

i did i never asked who he was I knew who he was after reading the post but if you read my 1st post i called this a none story because no 1 will careabout this guy or that he is dead. he could have just been random dead guy. i was playing along with cougar because he was making a joke and calling him joey votto (basically) so i played along with it and we went back and forth. talk about not getting the joke? and you talk about me not understanding something?

You couldnt be more wrong. Alot of people respected this guy. Even the ones that didnt like him.

[Snacks]

You couldnt be more wrong. Alot of people respected this guy. Even the ones that didnt like him.

That may be true but i was saying outside of philly no one knows or cares.

All I care about now is getting a nice cheese steak with some cheese whiz without onions!

I will also add that the guy they interviewed Joe Skats is one good looking classy guy!

Joe V had a nice big 1980s gold necklace on too, he looked marvelous!

[PapaBear]

I've never been to Philly. I absolutely know what Geno's is, and I absolutely have heard of this guy. The idea of cheese whiz on steak sickens me, and I love onions. I have no opinion about his death, other than it sucks when people die.

EDIT: I do have an opinion. It doesn't just suck when people die. It also sucks when people who have a cultural importance to an area die. I've never been to Ben's Chilli Bowl in DC, but I still felt kinda bad when he died.

[Snacks]

I've never been to Philly. I absolutely know what Geno's is, and I absolutely have heard of this guy. The idea of cheese whiz on steak sickens me, and I love onions. I have no opinion about his death, other than it sucks when people die.

did you ever have cheese whiz on one before? it sounds terrible but its great. I will only get one like this when at the jersey shore (mid way) or in philly. Everywhere else i get it with american cheese.

Ever try brown gravy on your cheesesteak? incredible.\

and BTW Im not saying people never heard of Genos of course they did. Im saying not many people know the name Joe Vento outside of S Philly or even Philly and NJ. I guess maybe people into politics might after that English only story a few years back. At least that was the 1st time I ever heard his name in my life.

[Snacks]

EDIT: I do have an opinion. It doesn't just suck when people die. It also sucks when people who have a cultural importance to an area die. I've never been to Ben's Chilli Bowl in DC, but I still felt kinda bad when he died.

Dont you live in DC? How did you never go for a bowl of chili at Bens chili bowl?

[PapaBear]

I live 75 miles from DC, but I've worked just outside the border many times. I would never even entertain the idea of cheese whiz on steak. I prefer either provolone, or a mixture of provolone and American.

[CruelCircus]

All I care about now is getting a nice cheese steak with some cheese whiz without onions!


Ugh.
You can't even eat a cheesesteak right!
Provolone. Wit.
QED.

[Snacks]

Ugh.
You can't even eat a cheesesteak right!
Provolone. Wit.
QED.

Not a fan of onions. As for cheese I always get regular real cheese except in philly or seaside. go there and try to get provolone you aint getting it. I dont think there is even a choice to get real american? TS would know better he said he worked there.

As for provolone, only on a reg italian sub. I would think more people would choose American cheese over provolone on cheesesteak?

[StanUpshaw]

The guy was a pain in the ass to work for, but was definitely respected by the entire community. Besides his numerous donations to worthy causes, you just have to respect a guy that stands by what he thinks is right and refuses to apologize or cowtow, even if it may hurt his business.

If being a stubborn old racist earns you respect, then my grandpa deserves to be put on a stamp!

[A.J.]

The guy was a pain in the ass to work for

Literally:

His family said Vento had recently undergone successful surgery for colon/rectal cancer after being diagnosed last year and was continuing to come to work just about every day at 4:00 a.m.

[TripleSkeet]

Not a fan of onions. As for cheese I always get regular real cheese except in philly or seaside. go there and try to get provolone you aint getting it. I dont think there is even a choice to get real american? TS would know better he said he worked there.

As for provolone, only on a reg italian sub. I would think more people would choose American cheese over provolone on cheesesteak?

They have regular american cheese, I just had one with onions Saturday night. The whiz you gotta be careful, because they like to sometimes switch it up with melted cheddar. With the cheddar Im not a fan, but the cheese whiz is amazing.

Believe it or not that guy was known alot more then you would think. Hes done a TON of charity work for police departments and fire departments around the country, as well as for the military. Hes donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the familys of fallen officers and soldiers. Not to mention I dont think a police officer has ever paid for anything at Genos.

Hes also been on the Food Network like 6 times for various shows. I mean its not like the guy was as well known as actors like Will Smith or athletes like Chase Utley, but he wasnt exactly a nobody either.

As far as the racist shit goes, he definitely was a racist, but that had nothing to do with the whole "speak english" thing. He wasnt a fan of blacks, but he had no problem with foreigners. His problem was once a large amount of mexicans moved into the neighborhood, they wanted his workers to learn spanish because they couldnt understand their order. As a busioness owner, he never refused a steak to anyone, but if he didnt know what you were ordering, they were gonna just guess and if we get it right, great. And there is no refunds.

Whats wrong with that attitude? When it comes to immigrants, Im not like WF flipping out to send them all back, but Im not going to change my business to accomodate them either. And outside of the medical field and maybe emergency services I dont agree with other businesses that do, but Its their businesses and if thats how they want to run them, fine. My dad came from Italy and couldnt speak a lick of english, and he agreed with Joey 100%. He couldnt understand how someone could be arrogant enough to come to a foreign country and expect the people to learn another language just to accomodate them.

Alot of people agreed with Vento on that, and even more respected the fact that he never apologized or cowtowed to the media for his stance. That was the one thing I LOVED about the guy. He had fuck you money and wasnt afraid to say it to anyone. I dont know how anyone can not respect that.

[TripleSkeet]

That may be true but i was saying outside of philly no one knows or cares.

All I care about now is getting a nice cheese steak with some cheese whiz without onions!

I will also add that the guy they interviewed Joe Skats is one good looking classy guy!

Joe V had a nice big 1980s gold necklace on too, he looked marvelous!

LMAO Ive known Skats since he was a little kid. Was always a little off. We would always fuck with him, he was dying to work at Genos for years. I have to say this though, hes got a pretty hot wife and I have no idea how it happened.

[foodcourtdruide]

They have regular american cheese, I just had one with onions Saturday night. The whiz you gotta be careful, because they like to sometimes switch it up with melted cheddar. With the cheddar Im not a fan, but the cheese whiz is amazing.

Believe it or not that guy was known alot more then you would think. Hes done a TON of charity work for police departments and fire departments around the country, as well as for the military. Hes donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the familys of fallen officers and soldiers. Not to mention I dont think a police officer has ever paid for anything at Genos.

Hes also been on the Food Network like 6 times for various shows. I mean its not like the guy was as well known as actors like Will Smith or athletes like Chase Utley, but he wasnt exactly a nobody either.

As far as the racist shit goes, he definitely was a racist, but that had nothing to do with the whole "speak english" thing. He wasnt a fan of blacks, but he had no problem with foreigners. His problem was once a large amount of mexicans moved into the neighborhood, they wanted his workers to learn spanish because they couldnt understand their order. As a busioness owner, he never refused a steak to anyone, but if he didnt know what you were ordering, they were gonna just guess and if we get it right, great. And there is no refunds.

Whats wrong with that attitude? When it comes to immigrants, Im not like WF flipping out to send them all back, but Im not going to change my business to accomodate them either. And outside of the medical field and maybe emergency services I dont agree with other businesses that do, but Its their businesses and if thats how they want to run them, fine. My dad came from Italy and couldnt speak a lick of english, and he agreed with Joey 100%. He couldnt understand how someone could be arrogant enough to come to a foreign country and expect the people to learn another language just to accomodate them.

Alot of people agreed with Vento on that, and even more respected the fact that he never apologized or cowtowed to the media for his stance. That was the one thing I LOVED about the guy. He had fuck you money and wasnt afraid to say it to anyone. I dont know how anyone can not respect that.

A lot of immigrants have difficulty with the language when they come to the US. My wife barely spoke English when she came here 15 years ago, now I can almost guarentee she'll beat any of us in Scrabble. Why not just show compassion towards someone who isn't as familiar with the language as you are? I know.. because he was a small-minded xenophobe.

[TripleSkeet]

A lot of immigrants have difficulty with the language when they come to the US. My wife barely spoke English when she came here 15 years ago, now I can almost guarentee she'll beat any of us in Scrabble. Why not just show compassion towards someone who isn't as familiar with the language as you are? I know.. because he was a small-minded xenophobe.

Its not about compassion. When your wife came here, did she go to a store and tell the owner he should have his employees learn whatever language she spoke??? This was all a reaction to the hispanic community telling him his employees should learn spanish because these people want to order steaks and cant communicate with the employees. If thats the case it should be the responsibility of the immigrant to learn the language, not the fucking employee. Youre wife obviously knew that because she learned the language and learned it well. Would she rather have just been catered to in her native language until she felt like learning english???

[foodcourtdruide]

Its not about compassion. When your wife came here, did she go to a store and tell the owner he should have his employees learn whatever language she spoke??? This was all a reaction to the hispanic community telling him his employees should learn spanish because these people want to order steaks and cant communicate with the employees. If thats the case it should be the responsibility of the immigrant to leanr the language, not the fucking employee. Youre wife obviously knew that because she learned the language and learned it well. Would she rather have just been catered to in her native language until she felt like learning english???

How did the hispanic community tell him that his employees must learn spanish? When did that happen? You make it sound like there was some large effort to have his employees learn a language. I'm not saying there was or wasn't, I'm not from Philly so you'd know better than me, it just seems far-fetched. Did a few customers complain?

[TripleSkeet]

How did the hispanic community tell him that his employees must learn spanish? When did that happen? You make it sound like there was some large effort to have his employees learn a language. I'm not saying there was or wasn't, I'm not from Philly so you'd know better than me, it just seems far-fetched. Did a few customers complain?

In the last 10-15 years or so South Philly, specifically that area has had a HUGE influx of Mexicans. I have ZERO idea why that is. It used to be mainly Italians, and in the 80s had a large number of Vietnamese families living there. But recently, there are Mexicans everywhere around there. What started to happen was people would come up to order and would order in Spanish. The people working the window had no idea what they wanted. Now Ive had that job. There are 100 people in line wrapping around the block so they have to keep that line moving. Well when they couldnt understand what these people wanted, they would just give them a cheesesteak with onions. They didnt know what else to do. They also refused to give refunds. (Its always been that way, he counts the rolls)

Then he put up the sign, as a joke, just because of all the trouble this was giving them with moving the line. Well then, friends of the Mexicans that did speak english started all this bullshit about you cant serve people what they dont want and not give refunds. When he explained they didnt understand spanish he was told he should make his employees learn spanish. He told them to fuck off. They called the media, who made a huge deal about the sign. The reason they couldnt find him guilty on discrimination charges is because he never refused service. He always gave people a steak if they ordered at the window. If he hadnt then they wouldve gotten him.

See alot of people think he just wasnt serving people that didnt speak english because he didnt like them, and that was never the case. He just wanted to keep the line moving, and not have to force his employees to learn spanish.

[foodcourtdruide]

In the last 10-15 years or so South Philly, specifically that area has had a HUGE influx of Mexicans. I have ZERO idea why that is. It used to be mainly Italians, and in the 80s had a large number of Vietnamese families living there. But recently, there are Mexicans everywhere around there. What started to happen was people would come up to order and would order in Spanish. The people working the window had no idea what they wanted. Now Ive had that job. There are 100 people in line wrapping around the block so they have to keep that line moving. Well when they couldnt understand what these people wanted, they would just give them a cheesesteak with onions. They didnt know what else to do. They also refused to give refunds. (Its always been that way, he counts the rolls)

Then he put up the sign, as a joke, just because of all the trouble this was giving them with moving the line. Well then, friends of the Mexicans that did speak english started all this bullshit about you cant serve people what they dont want and not give refunds. When he explained they didnt understand spanish he was told he should make his employees learn spanish. He told them to fuck off. They called the media, who made a huge deal about the sign. The reason they couldnt find him guilty on discrimination charges is because he never refused service. He always gave people a steak if they ordered at the window. If he hadnt then they wouldve gotten him.

See alot of people think he just wasnt serving people that didnt speak english because he didnt like them, and that was never the case. He just wanted to keep the line moving, and not have to force his employees to learn spanish.

That sign really didn't seem like a joke to me, it seemed like a clear political message. If what you're saying is exactly how things went down, why wouldn't he just put up a sign saying, "If you don't order in English you will get a Cheesesteak with Onions so we can keep our line moving". I don't think what he was doing was illegal. I think he just went out of his way to be an asshole.

[TripleSkeet]

That sign really didn't seem like a joke to me, it seemed like a clear political message. If what you're saying is exactly how things went down, why wouldn't he just put up a sign saying, "If you don't order in English you will get a Cheesesteak with Onions so we can keep our line moving". I don't think what he was doing was illegal. I think he just went out of his way to be an asshole.

I dont disagree with that. He was very confrontational. The one thing people didnt realize about the guy is though, he couldnt stand anything slowing down his business. The fucking guy worked between 70-75 hours a week. From 3am til 1-2pm every day. Including holidays. That place was his life.

You know why he didnt like blacks? Because in the 80s and 90s there was a clam bar open between Pats and Genos, and if you went to get steaks after 2am the whole area looked like they were filming a rap video. Fistfights, loud music, smoking pot out on the street, it really made the neighborhood look awful. It hurt his late night business alot. Dont get me wrong the guy grew up an Italian in South Philly, im sure he had his reasons before that, but that was what really drove him nuts. He used every connection he had to clean up the neighborhood, and eventually the clam bar closed down.

This thing with the sign? It was all about hurting his business. But once the media took it and tried to FORCE him to remove it, well that was all he needed to really be a dick. Again, I dont blame him. If I had that kind of money I would never apologize to anyone for anything if I felt I was right. He took the words "fuck you money" to heart, and I loved it.

[Sinestro]

Did they serve chickensteaks at that place between Geno's and Pat's back in the day? or was that another business that went south. Since you know.......

[razorboy]

You know why he didnt like blacks?

Self-hatred?

[Crash]

There's a shocker.

Self-hatred?

Razorboy is on fire! :thumbup:

[TripleSkeet]

Did they serve chickensteaks at that place between Geno's and Pat's back in the day? or was that another business that went south. Since you know.......

I think so. I used to get clam fritters there. They had good food. The only problem was after 2am it looked like a zoo in there.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

The market worked for Vento. If the english only sign was such a problem then there would not be those long lines anymore and his business would have suffered immensely.

From a business viewpoint in that type of establishment the line has to move fast. I believe that people coming here and not learning english are still going to be at a disadvantage. Hell there are tons of taxpayer funded ESL classes and or Rosetta stone can be purchased at a decent price.

Im not against businesses having signs in different languages, as long as they are not forced to.

[cougarjake13]

you know i didnt understand reading your first post but the second one sealed it for me

[StanUpshaw]

The market worked for Vento. If the english only sign was such a problem then there would not be those long lines anymore and his business would have suffered immensely.

For his clientele, being a racist scumbag was of enormous appeal.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

you know i didnt understand reading your first post but the second one sealed it for me

I should have posted it in spanish :lol:


Can a mod delete the dupe post?

[WRESTLINGFAN]

For his clientele, being a racist scumbag was of enormous appeal.

If he was a racist he wouldnt serve minorities.

[foodcourtdruide]

If he was a racist he wouldnt serve minorities.

So the only way someone can be racist is by not serving minorities? What?

Also, your point about the marketplace makes no sense. The store across from his was also extremely successful and it didn't have the same sign. I absolutely loathe the insincerity of your argument. His sign was a political statement, PERIOD. It was under the guise of being their to speed up the line.. Again, if his concern was the line, why woudn't he just have had a sign in spanish that read:

"Sorry, our employees only speak English. If you are unable to order in English, we will just serve you a Philly Cheesesteak with onions."

His fucking sign had a BALD EAGLE on it for crying out loud.

[StanUpshaw]

If he was a racist he wouldnt serve minorities.

If anyone knows the rules of racism, it's you.

[foodcourtdruide]

If anyone knows the rules of racism, it's you.

Rule #1: You are not racist if you serve minorities Cheesesteaks.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

If anyone knows the rules of racism, it's you.

Ummmm how so if Im dating a filipina?

[WRESTLINGFAN]

Rule #1: You are not racist if you serve minorities Cheesesteaks.

Can a Spaniard who doesnt speak English call someone a racist if they have an English order only policy?

[WRESTLINGFAN]

So the only way someone can be racist is by not serving minorities? What?

Also, your point about the marketplace makes no sense. The store across from his was also extremely successful and it didn't have the same sign. I absolutely loathe the insincerity of your argument. His sign was a political statement, PERIOD. It was under the guise of being their to speed up the line.. Again, if his concern was the line, why woudn't he just have had a sign in spanish that read:

"Sorry, our employees only speak English. If you are unable to order in English, we will just serve you a Philly Cheesesteak with onions."

His fucking sign had a BALD EAGLE on it for crying out loud.

So should he be forced to have a sign in Spanish? Should his employees speak Spanish? And if people who dont speak English had a problem they can go to the other establishment. Its a persons choice. Ventos establishment wasnt called Genos Carne de Quesos

Boycott his place it had a bald eagle oh the humanity!!!, Do you get so insensitive if a Mexican establishment has a picture of our lady of Guadalupe?

[foodcourtdruide]

Can a Spaniard who doesnt speak English call someone a racist if they have an English order only policy?

It's not that he had an "English order only policy". Again, I gave you a scenario where that could have been explained pretty gracefully, without any conflict.

Have you even seen the sign he had up on the store? It said: "This is AMERICA. When Ordering, speak English" with a picture of a bald eagle. It is a clear political message, which in my opinion, is the belief of a racist person. You are totally sugar-coating what he was trying to say because you are reluctant to admit anyone is racist.

[foodcourtdruide]

So should he be forced to have a sign in Spanish? Should his employees speak Spanish? And if people who dont speak English had a problem they can go to the other establishment. Its a persons choice. Ventos establishment wasnt called Genos Carne de Quesos

Boycott his place it had a bald eagle oh the humanity!!!, Do you get so insensitive if a Mexican establishment has a picture of our lady of Guadalupe?

Are you serious? Where did I say he just be forced to do ANYTHING? I just said if he concern was truly the line, he could have done something like that with a spanish sign.

And who is saying they'd take away his personal choice? I'm not saying anything he did was against the law. Are you trying to take away my personal choice to believe he was a racist moron?

[WRESTLINGFAN]

It's not that he had an "English order only policy". Again, I gave you a scenario where that could have been explained pretty gracefully, without any conflict.

Have you even seen the sign he had up on the store? It said: "This is AMERICA. When Ordering, speak English" with a picture of a bald eagle. It is a clear political message, which in my opinion, is the belief of a racist person. You are totally sugar-coating what he was trying to say because you are reluctant to admit anyone is racist.

Sure its a political message but it makes business sense too. What if his staff didnt speak Spanish? Then the line would be held up.

So some fast food joint in Philly is being political, like other businesses much larger arent?

In a business like that he needs to crank out sandwiches quickly and make that line move. If people are offended they can choose not to order from him.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

Are you serious? Where did I say he just be forced to do ANYTHING? I just said if he concern was truly the line, he could have done something like that with a spanish sign.

And who is saying they'd take away his personal choice? I'm not saying anything he did was against the law. Are you trying to take away my personal choice to believe he was a racist moron?

Its your choice to think hes a racist


So the only other language spoken in the US is Spanish? Sure they make the majority of immigrants, mainly illegal but why give them special treatment. How about having signs in Mandarin, Italian, Arabic, Urdu, Farsi etc.

While its not required to learn english, there should be incentive to learn the language. The majority of commerce is in Ingles

[sailor]

Also, your point about the marketplace makes no sense. The store across from his was also extremely successful and it didn't have the same sign.

Sure, there's a good chance it was racist, but the point about the matketplace made perfect sense. If people were bothered by it, they surely wouldn't shop there. It's not like WF said they went there BECAUSE of the sign, which seems like it might be what you're arguing against.

[StanUpshaw]

He's saying that the competitors were not hurt by Mexicans slowing down their lines. It shows that language barriers aren't really that big of a problem.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

if the sign was a big deal, His competitors would have taken a huge chunk of his business and maybe he would have to close shop.

To some people he is a douche but his business did not suffer.

[sailor]

He's saying that the competitors were not hurt by Mexicans slowing down their lines. It shows that language barriers aren't really that big of a problem.

Thanks, makes sense. Confusion was WF's first paragraph mentioned the market (and people choosing not to go there), not his second where he mentioned waiting in long lines.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

I think this Order in English policy started when Bush/McCain/Kennedy were pushing amnesty in 06-07

It could have been a marketing campaign as much as political motive. With the huge majority of people opposed to illegal immigration and Amnesty and people feeling that if you come to this country you should have a basic understanding of the language. He did capitalize on the issue and it did not kill his business.

[foodcourtdruide]

He's saying that the competitors were not hurt by Mexicans slowing down their lines. It shows that language barriers aren't really that big of a problem.

Exactly. The marketplace argument doesn't make sense because an almost identical business was doing just fine sans the sign.

[sailor]

Exactly. The marketplace argument doesn't make sense because an almost identical business was doing just fine sans the sign.

To be fair, we don't know if one line moves quicker than the other. Even though one is doing "just fine" doesn't mean the other isn't doing better. Are either coke or pepsi happy with "just fine" or are they looking for any competitive edge?

[foodcourtdruide]

Its your choice to think hes a racist


So the only other language spoken in the US is Spanish? Sure they make the majority of immigrants, mainly illegal but why give them special treatment. How about having signs in Mandarin, Italian, Arabic, Urdu, Farsi etc.

While its not required to learn english, there should be incentive to learn the language. The majority of commerce is in Ingles

According to TS, who is local and much more familiar with the situation than either of us, the sign was directed towards an influx of spanish speaking customers.

Do you think there's no incentive to learn english in this country beyond ordering a cheesesteak?

[foodcourtdruide]

To be fair, we don't know if one line moves quicker than the other. Even though one is doing "just fine" doesn't mean the other isn't doing better. Are either coke or pepsi happy with "just fine" or are they looking for any competitive edge?

Can we just admit the sign was a political statement and had nothing to do with the line? Again, if his primary concern was speeding up the line wouldn't it have made more sense to have a sign in spanish indicating the policy?

[StanUpshaw]

To be fair, we don't know if one line moves quicker than the other. Even though one is doing "just fine" doesn't mean the other isn't doing better. Are either coke or pepsi happy with "just fine" or are they looking for any competitive edge?

That's true. Likewise, we don't know if Mexicans and sympathizers switched to the competitor. Competition might have remained in equilibrium when some customers chose a slightly faster cheesesteak and others chose a slightly less racist cheesesteak.

I demand a full audit of both cheesesteakeries.

[Jujubees2]

Was the sign in English? If it was, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the sign? I mean if you didn't know English the sign would mean nothing to you.

[sailor]

Can we just admit the sign was a political statement and had nothing to do with the line? Again, if his primary concern was speeding up the line wouldn't it have made more sense to have a sign in spanish indicating the policy?

Like I said in my first post, there's a good chance it was racist. I don't know the guy to make any stronger statement than that.

[foodcourtdruide]

That's true. Likewise, we don't know if Mexicans and sympathizers switched to the competitor. Competition might have remained in equilibrium when some customers chose a slightly faster cheesesteak and others chose a slightly less racist cheesesteak.

I demand a full audit of both cheesesteakeries.

Either way, Joe Vento wasn't a marketing genius that discovered $$$ in intolerance.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

According to TS, who is local and much more familiar with the situation than either of us, the sign was directed towards an influx of spanish speaking customers.

Do you think there's no incentive to learn english in this country beyond ordering a cheesesteak?

The majority of foreigners in this country come from spanish speaking countries.

Of course there is an incentive. People who dont learn the language are doing themselves a huge disservice. They are opening themselves to scams, fraud and abuse.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

Was the sign in English? If it was, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the sign? I mean if you didn't know English the sign would mean nothing to you.

http://cmsimg.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BZ&Date=20110824&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=108240330&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Geno-s-owner-Joey-Vento-dies-Burlco-home

[sailor]

Either way, Joe Vento wasn't a marketing genius that discovered $$$ in intolerance.

And we can agree no one claimed he did.

[foodcourtdruide]

And we can agree no one claimed he did.

Correct.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

From Vento


"No menus in 10 different languages. No dumbed-down pictographs for the idiocracy. The choice at Geno’s is simple: Sink or swim. Learn English or eat somewhere else. “If you can’t tell me what you want, I can’t serve you,” Vento told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s up to you. If you can’t read, if you can’t say the word ‘cheese,’ how can I communicate with you — and why should I have to bend? I got a business to run.”


Yes he was political but he was running his business the way he wanted and was best for his business.

Thats the great thing about competition and the market, Disagree with his politics or if you dont like his food, you are free to shop elsewhere.

[StanUpshaw]

http://i.imgur.com/oS5g7.png

[TripleSkeet]

He's saying that the competitors were not hurt by Mexicans slowing down their lines. It shows that language barriers aren't really that big of a problem.

Have you ever eaten at Pats???? They may not have a sign but they arent nearly as gracious as Genos. They do the same thing, if you order in spanish you get a cheesesteak with onions.

Also, if you order in English, and make a mistake like trying to order gouda cheese they insult you. For the longest time they had a running joke at Pats for people that had never ordered a cheesesteak before. In regards to onions, if the person asked "Wit or witout what?" the window and grill guys would all yell at the same time "WIT OR WITOUT ONIONS, STUPID!" They are rude as fuck over there. But Genos is the bad guy because they have the sign.

Also, I dont know when the sign went up, but business at Genos has doubled over the past 10 years.

[StanUpshaw]

I think you're all scumbags.

[TripleSkeet]

Can we just admit the sign was a political statement and had nothing to do with the line? Again, if his primary concern was speeding up the line wouldn't it have made more sense to have a sign in spanish indicating the policy?

No I cannot admit that because I know that was the case. The thing is hes just not a graceful guy. Would a spanish sign, that was much more polite, worked just as well? Absolutely. But thats not him. He didnt care about being polite. He was dick about things. Doesnt change his motivation. But believe it that once he saw how much promotion he was getting for his business by having that sign, he was gonna go on every show that would have him and turn it political.

The sign was originally put in place for moving the line. And it was a silly kind of thing to, like a bumper sticker, in his mind. All it took was somebody telling him to take it down and that was it. It becamse his war cry. He would never let someone else tell him what to do with his business.

[TripleSkeet]

I think you're all scumbags.

Good. Hopefully that will keep you away. We arent a fan of outsiders unless you can play a professional sport.

[razorboy]

From Vento


"No menus in 10 different languages. No dumbed-down pictographs for the idiocracy. The choice at Geno’s is simple: Sink or swim. Learn English or eat somewhere else. “If you can’t tell me what you want, I can’t serve you,” Vento told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s up to you. If you can’t read, if you can’t say the word ‘cheese,’ how can I communicate with you — and why should I have to bend? I got a business to run.”


Yes he was political but he was running his business the way he wanted and was best for his business.

Thats the great thing about competition and the market, Disagree with his politics or if you dont like his food, you are free to shop elsewhere.

Also from Vento

These people are coming here--they don't want to assimilate; they want us to learn their language and their culture

they are killing, like, 25 of us a day which we already know. They're molesting about eight children a day ... All we're getting is drug dealers and murderers.

The girl from that Church in Chicago, yeah whatever her name Elviva, Biwaba, Jibaba, yeah whatever it is.

You come here, pop a baby, pick it up and take it back to Mexico.

Come to think of it WF, did you lift your entire shtick from him? I think you may have just lost your racist soulmate.

[TripleSkeet]

As I said originally, the guy was definitely racist, Im just saying that wasnt his motivation behind putting up the sign.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

Also from Vento



Come to think of it WF, did you lift your entire shtick from him? I think you may have just lost your racist soulmate.

His tone might have been harsh and over the top but hes not entirely wrong.



Elvira Arellano was deported and rightfully so. Once she went around the country pushing her agenda and using her son as political bait as a fugitive ICE had every right to kick her out.

Illegals are coming here to have children and become burdens to taxpayers. A lot have committed heinous crimes. Unfortunately we are getting a lot of people with criminal backgrounds who are evading the authorities in their countries.

Not every illegal is a hardened criminal, but we can not continue to allow open borders and have corporations take advantage of the cheap labor and have an already massive welfare state provide to needy dependent people


Is that your schtick anyone disagreeing with illegal aliens coming here is racist. Say whatever the fuck you want. Im immune to your bumper sticker cries of racism


You throw around that word but show me where I said that the White race is superior to any other race. Fucking bush leaguer

[sailor]

Good. Hopefully that will keep you away. We arent a fan of outsiders unless you can play a professional sport.

And are white. Or Italian.

[TripleSkeet]

And are white. Or Italian.

Nah, white doesnt mean much. As a city Philly is not a fan of tourists. The residents anyway. The last thing they want is for it to start looking like NY.

[StanUpshaw]

Rule #2:
Unless you explicitly proclaim that the white race is superior to any other race, you're not a racist.

[StanUpshaw]

Rule #3:
If you have ever banged and Asian chick, you're incapable of racism.

[sailor]

Nah, white doesnt mean much. As a city Philly is not a fan of tourists. The residents anyway. The last thing they want is for it to start looking like NY.

I said "and" not "or." I meant white athletes.

[TripleSkeet]

I said "and" not "or." I meant white athletes.

Oh sorry. The Italian thing threw me.

[sailor]

Oh sorry. The Italian thing threw me.

yeah, i was just being silly.

[Kevin]

If English was good enough for Jesus then its good enough for the rest of the world.

[Sinestro]

If English was good enough for Jesus then its good enough for the rest of the world.

It wasn't, he spoke something else and he wasn't white at least not in that part of the world back then.



Rule #4: You're not racist if you have (enter race/nationality here) friends. So what if you never invite them to your house or social functions.

[StanUpshaw]

You're bad at understanding jokes.

[Sinestro]

White jokes are discrimitory to us non-white folks like the SATs.

[WRESTLINGFAN]

To some, whites are racist either way. If a white guy only dates white women he discriminates. If he dates outside his race he is just some wanna be colonialist who just wants his way with the submissive minority woman

[sailor]

White jokes are discrimitory to us non-white folks like the SATs.

Albanians aren't white.

[Sinestro]

albanos arent white? what.

[Kevin]

Albanians aren't white.

We are better than white.

And i was making fun of the Texas Gov who had the Jesus line.

[Sinestro]

Getting back to cheesesteaks.

Geno's cheesesteaks are cleaner than the one's at Pat's. If you ever go there, notice at Gino's the cashier hands you a wrapped up cheesesteak. If you go to Pat's, the cashier (who just handled your money) is handed the cheesesteak and puts the whiz on it and wraps it up, they don't even use gloves! I noticed that after standing behind a person at Geno's who said he always goes to Geno's cuz their cleaner. I visit both spots when I'm up there and that's how I noticed it. The staff looks cleaner at Geno's while the staff at Pat's looked like they just gotta jail or something.

Both spots are both racist. The other one just has the sign.

Now Jim's steaks on South Street aren't racists........cuz they're black. and they serve beer unlike the other too.

[Sinestro]

Where are the best cheesesteaks in Philly so I can check it out next time. Not the tourist traps of Pats and Geno's.

[sailor]

Now Jim's steaks on South Street aren't racists........cuz they're black. and they serve beer unlike the other too.

That's rule #5?

[WRESTLINGFAN]

That's rule #5?

:lol::lol::lol:

[TripleSkeet]

Getting back to cheesesteaks.

Geno's cheesesteaks are cleaner than the one's at Pat's. If you ever go there, notice at Gino's the cashier hands you a wrapped up cheesesteak. If you go to Pat's, the cashier (who just handled your money) is handed the cheesesteak and puts the whiz on it and wraps it up, they don't even use gloves! I noticed that after standing behind a person at Geno's who said he always goes to Geno's cuz their cleaner. I visit both spots when I'm up there and that's how I noticed it. The staff looks cleaner at Geno's while the staff at Pat's looked like they just gotta jail or something.

Both spots are both racist. The other one just has the sign.

Now Jim's steaks on South Street aren't racists........cuz they're black. and they serve beer unlike the other too.

Working there I can vouch for Genos cleanliness. Vento was obsessed with it. There is constantly clean towels all over the building so spills can we wiped up immediately. He also has women wash the pans as soon as they fill the sink. Nothing ever sits around dirty in that place. He even had the girls going around windexing the tiles every few days. In a year there I never saw one bug. The place always looked brand new.

[TripleSkeet]

Where are the best cheesesteaks in Philly so I can check it out next time. Not the tourist traps of Pats and Geno's.

Theres a place called Talk of the Town on Broad and Packer that has some really good cheesesteaks.

[foodcourtdruide]

To some, whites are racist either way. If a white guy only dates white women he discriminates. If he dates outside his race he is just some wanna be colonialist who just wants his way with the submissive minority woman

No one cares that you're dating a filipina woman.

[cougarjake13]

Rule #2:
Unless you explicitly proclaim that the white race is superior to any other race, you're not a racist.




i thought were not supossed to talk about fight club

[WRESTLINGFAN]

No one cares that you're dating a filipina woman.

Ok then. Im not a racist.

[foodcourtdruide]

So why the fuck are people saying racist then?

Did I miss something? Who said it's racist?

[WRESTLINGFAN]

Did I miss something? Who said it's racist?



Also from Vento



Come to think of it WF, did you lift your entire shtick from him? I think you may have just lost your racist soulmate.

No one did, but Razorboy said some idiotic comment like that to make some cheap statement


Its irresponsible and just flat wrong to just to call someone racist just because someone believes that people should be able to communicate in basic English and that people should emigrate here legally

[foodcourtdruide]

No one did, but Razorboy said some idiotic comment like that to make some cheap statement


Its irresponsible and just flat wrong to just to call someone racist just because someone believes that people should be able to communicate in basic English and that people should emigrate here legally

I don't even think Joe Vento would go to the lengths you are to sugarcoat his message.

It's one thing to have a belief and another to be angered by and show intolerance.

[cougarjake13]

No one did, but Razorboy said some idiotic comment like that to make some cheap statement


Its irresponsible and just flat wrong to just to call someone racist just because someone believes that people should be able to communicate in basic English and that people should emigrate here legally




fuck it should be that way but the powers to be in charge dont seem to care about that


they dont care cause they'll all be dead by the time they complete the mission from the inside and we are all minorities in our own country