The owner of a frozen custard shop in Wisconsin has defended his policy of only speaking English to customers as he said it speeds up sales and is good for business.
Ron Schneider, owner of Leon’s Frozen Custard in southern Milwaukee, where a large number of Hispanic people live, said the rule has been in place for almost a decade and is not about racism or discrimination.
Speaking to ABC News, Mr Schneider said: "I’m trying not to encourage it because this is going to be a problem down the road. We can’t be the United Nations. They got translators. We don’t.”
Customer and local resident Joey Sanchez said he was “shocked” when he was told by an employee that they are not allowed to speak Spanish to him. He then posted a complaint on Facebook.
“I believe if I can ask for a product in my language and have somebody there that can speak it and understand me better, it’s going to be better for him,” Mr Sanchez told the news channel. “It’s going to attract more Latino customers and at the end he’s going to show a better heart about how he feels about the Hispanic community.”
Mr Scheider insisted his shop, which opened in 1942, abided by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which permits an English-only policy for nondiscriminatory reasons.
“My wife is Hispanic, my children are Hispanic. Anyone that wants to call me racist on that basis, maybe we should settle it the old-fashioned American way in the alley,” he said.
He referred to an influx of Hispanic people who moved into the local neighbourhood and who would come to the window of his shop and order a frozen custard in Spanish, causing a hold-up in the queue.
He added that if a customer does not speak English, “-trust me, we can come up with some way to communicate with you."
