Restaurant owner removes controversial sign : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

WINSTON-SALEM (MCT) — A restaurant owner in northern Davidson County who put up a sign telling customers they couldn't get service if they spoke in Spanish has taken down the sign.

Greg Simons, owner of the Reedy Creek Family Diner, said Wednesday that he and his staff received threatening phone calls after news coverage about the sign, which said "No Speak English, No Service." At the bottom, it said, "We only speak and understand American."

Simons said he has been wrongly portrayed as racist.

The sign went up after a dispute between some Spanish-speaking customers and his servers, none of whom is bilingual, according to a report by WGHP (Fox, Channel 8).

"They got offended because we couldn't speak any Spanish," Simons said. "They were frustrated, as well, and they left."

The sign included similar phrases in Spanish, French, German and Russian, but they didn't translate exactly as the owner intended. The Spanish said

"No Speak Spanish Without Service," and the Russian said "No Russian No Service."

Simons said the uproar over the sign was unfortunate. No Hispanic person complained to him about the sign after he put it up a month ago, he said. But some neighbors complained, and news coverage prompted him to pull the sign Tuesday.

"It's been totally misrepresented," Simons said.

He said he plans to keep the sign down.

Crypdogg

March 18, 2011 - 8:18 am EDT

I don't see a problem with the sign!! Frankly if you want to be in America, legal or not, learn to speak English! Why would you think that you don't need to learn the language of where you chose to live. I can't believe I could go to Germany and call it my home and then expect them to cater to my English needs.

itsjustron

March 18, 2011 - 8:20 am EDT

I COMPLETELY support the sign, and was going to take my family of 8 there for dinner in a show of support, ashamed he took it down, but I do understand business is business.

grossone

March 18, 2011 - 8:22 am EDT

Just say no to Taco.

blhankins

March 18, 2011 - 9:08 am EDT

I also do not see a problem with the sign. The man owns his restaurant and has every right to admit and serve anyone he chooses. If other businesses can advertise that they speak spanish, then he should be able to at least have a sign "No hablo espanol"!!!! I am personally offended that people come to this country legally or illegally and make no attempt to learn our language; but expect us to know THEIRS!! Learn to speak English or go home!

UNCG2004

March 19, 2011 - 12:05 am EDT

First, the problem is segregation is illegal. Second, the United States doesn't have an official language. Third, I would bet that your ancestors didn't speak English when they immigrated here. Finally, STOP BEING IGNORANT

ghost from white oak

March 18, 2011 - 9:17 am EDT

It's a sad state of affairs in America when the owner of a restaurant can not request that you speak English in his place of business. America has become the place where 85% of the people must not do anything that might be deemed. to offend the other 15%

goodtoknow

March 18, 2011 - 10:53 am EDT

You're right. Political correctness is destroying the country. I say put up the sign. The owner is probably very busy with the rest of his customers and cannot take the time to figure out what a non English speaking person needs.

March 19, 2011 - 12:07 am EDT

Yeah, "No Jews Allowed" - Hitler

Mr. JMS

March 18, 2011 - 9:44 am EDT

I say put the sign back up. True Americans have got your back.

March 19, 2011 - 4:06 pm EDT

If by "True Americans" you mean the KKK.

Bosco

March 18, 2011 - 9:46 am EDT

No tiki, no washi

lowboy

March 18, 2011 - 9:50 am EDT

We have become a nation of the "easily offended".

Hmmm...

March 18, 2011 - 10:15 am EDT

This is really the bottom line. We have become a nation of the easily offended and making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I agree with everyone - put the sign back up!

CarolinaBorn

March 18, 2011 - 10:05 am EDT

Sounds like the only problem was with the media....imagine that.

indyNC

March 18, 2011 - 10:33 am EDT

Ver que la mayoría de las personas aquí escogen aislamiento e ignorancia, yo no me preocuparé por ofender cualquiera de usted con este anuncio.

March 18, 2011 - 10:43 am EDT

Yo no seria tan rapidos para juzgar. Trate de ir a Paris y no habla francés y ver como funciona para ti.

gsogeek

March 19, 2011 - 1:05 am EDT

Akkurat som jeg ikke forventer å bli servert når jeg bestilte i norsk, ville jeg ikke forvente å bli servert hvis jeg bestilte på spansk. Det er morsomt å se hva alle mennesker kan snakke, skjønt.

Gymnaseum

March 18, 2011 - 11:22 am EDT

Judging by the sloppy attempts at all the non-English languages (and does "American" speech only mean no British English, either?), it seems clear the fellow may or may not be a racist, but he's certainly an idiot.

Also, if no one among his staff (and clearly, himself) speaks or understands Spanish, how is he so certain it was the fact none of them spoke their native language that was frustrating to them? Did he record their complaints and have them translated by someone who does? Another logical fallacy. The fellow needs lessons in common courtesy and respect. It is possible the customers do, but we have not enough evidence to decide.

And, no, an owner of a public establishment cannot deny service to someone based on racial or ethnic bias. Ever hear of Jim Crow? Wouldn't that be great, and go back to open discrimination? Are we saying that to be a so-called "True American", one has to A) speak English whenever one is in public?; and B) show disdain for anyone who does dare speak another language in public?

March 18, 2011 - 11:40 am EDT

Put up a different sign.
IF YOU DO NOT SPEAK A LANGUAGE THAT OUR SERVERS UNDERSTAND, THEN DON'T COMPLAIN WHEN YOU RECEIVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU ASKED FOR.
IT WON'T DO ANY GOOD TO COMPLAIN BECAUSE WE WON'T UNDERSTAND YOU ANYWAY.
YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR WHATEVER YOU GET!!!

skinsfan

March 18, 2011 - 3:31 pm EDT

La población hispana ha crecido exponencialmente en la última década. Sería tonto pensar abundante que podría deportar a millones de ilegales en este momento. Nuestro estado y los gobiernos locales han hecho cumplir las leyes de inmigración que han estado en vigor, y no tendríamos el problema actual irreversible que tenemos actualmente!

Translation...The Hispanic population has grown exponentially over the past decade. It would be fool hearty to think that we could deport millions of illegals at this point. Our state and local governments should have enforced the immigration laws that have been in place, and we wouldn't have the current irreversible problem that we currently have!

Here is a link to a very interesting article.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/03/18/navarrette.hispanic.census/index.h...

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