*

3.03.2007

bad rap for asian restaurants

Regarding Canal Seafood Restaurant, that Chinese eatery that allegedly had different prices for Chinese and non-Chinese customers, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is urging New Yorkers to boycott the restaurant while it's being investigated for discrimination: Take yer menu & shove it, Mike tells Chinatown joint. More here: No Beef Chow Mein For You! Looks like Bloomberg is condemning the restaurant before the claims have even been proven yet. That's rather irresponsible, don't ya think? But he figures, hey, it's a Chinese restaurant... something shady must be going on.

Speaking of restaurants with alleged unfair practices, a restaurant chain has been accused of instituting an unusual language restriction among its employees. Minado, a Japanese-style seafood buffet, apparently ordered Chinese employees at its Carle Place, NY location to speak English only, even on their breaks, while Korean and Hispanic employees were allowed to speak in their native tongues, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Restaurant pays to settle discrimination case. They've agreed to pay $130,000 to settle the federal bias lawsuit.