F*ck Geno's, Go to Pat's!

I had just finished telling someone that I agreed with the sentiment that all PR is good PR, then Geno's Steaks in Philly has to go and ruin the whole theory.

As reported, Geno's has decided to put up a sign that says they want you to speak English. And they have an adjacent sign reading "the management reserves the right to refuse service to anyone." Basically... if you don't speak English, you're not welcome to eat at Geno's.

Can anyone tell me when it is a good business practice to turn away customers? It's not like Geno's is an affluent brokerage, choosing their clientele. They serve cheesesteaks. Cheesesteaks! I may not hold a business degree, but a customer with U.S. currency is a customer you want.

An ironic part of all of this, is that Geno's founder, Joey Vento, is Italian. I don't know if he was born in America, but he certainly has Italian heritage, and I guarantee that whoever came to America in his lineage did not know English when they got here.

Another irony is that the United States has no official language. English is the most common, but if you think about it, there's nothing American about it. It's origins are in England. So, who are we to suggest that English is our own language?

This whole thing doesn't surprise me. It's a tacky move by a tacky place. Take a look at Geno's web site and you'll see what I mean.

If you want a real cheese steak in Philly, you should go to Pat's. I'll take the cheesesteak place with the uglier web site any day. Why? Because they're worried about making great cheesesteaks, not about pimping themselves on the web or generating stupid press stories based on false patriotic pretense.

If you're in Philly, do yourself a favor and eat at Pat's, where everyone is welcome to screw up their order, but still get a cheesesteak in the end.