What started out as a simple, friendly, multi-cultural marketing ploy has drawn the ire of pizza purists all across the nation, as a medium-sized pie chain has stepped right in the middle of the somewhat hostile immigrant debate. Dallas-based Pizza Patron, which claims a 60% Hispanic customer base, last week announced that it would begin accepting Mexican pesos at its 59 restaurants. This seems fine enough: Texas-area Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s (NYSE:WMT) and other businesses along the Rio Grande have been accepting the Mexican currency for years, while up north a similar arrangement exists with Canadian dollars. But Pizza Patron claims locations in Colorado, Arizona and Nevada -- which, last checked, is not exactly peso country -- would accept the foreign currency as well.
"This is the United States of America, not the United States of Mexico," one critical e-mail read. "Quit catering to the damn illegal Mexicans," demanded another.
Says Patricia Perez, a partner at Valencia, Perez & Echeveste in Los Angeles, "Right now there's a lot of anti-immigrant rhetoric going around that could make them a lightning rod."
Pizza Patron founder Antonio Swad (who, incidentally, is Italian/Lebanese) says the promotion will run through the end of February and then be re-evaluated. At which point they may, or may not, accept chocolate coins.
B. Brandon Barker is the author of Operation EMU











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
1-12-2007 @ 12:37PM
john bryan said...
They should accept pesos only!
1-12-2007 @ 12:57PM
robert wilson said...
this is the usa no money but good ol american buck sick and tired of mexicans who refuse to learn our english force us to learn there language thats wrong also if you are illegal you should have no righs and be sent home to mexico my child was in atlanta they have ruined that school system over ran it to the point that it is in ruins you cant teach spanish and english lessons in the same class rooms that is what happen to my child go to a state health clinic you better speak spanish in atlanta its like a third world now mexicans go home !!!!!!!
1-12-2007 @ 12:44PM
r.ussery said...
keep catering to these ILLEGAL CRIMINALS , as you spit in the face of every american who has died for his country . you will , face your judgement day , traitors !!!!!!!!
1-12-2007 @ 1:22PM
W Hamman said...
Do the idiots who are threatening this Pizza place think all of the Pesos in this country are illegal? If I were illegal, the first thing I would do to not draw attention to myself is exchage for US Currancy.
The traitors to this Nation are the ones like comment #2 who forget why our soliders die every day for this Country. So that others have the opportunity to come here and build a life. When the bullets are wizzing around their heads do you really think they are concerned about "illegals".
Those who are so vile are the ones that should be in Iraq. Illegals would be the least of their worries.
1-12-2007 @ 12:54PM
Jen said...
chill out people, its not the end of the world. we are ALL immigrants!
1-12-2007 @ 1:00PM
E. Vaughn said...
How many pesos for a large extra cheese?
Businesses operate on a profit basis. Those that don't, close. If part of that profit is money from other countries, that's okay too. Businesses in Canada and Mexico accept US dollars because that is good business. So is this concept. Not patriotic? That is a spurious and emotional argument without logic or merit.
1-12-2007 @ 10:06PM
Don Burkhead said...
"Says Patricia Perez, a partner at Valencia, Perez & Echeveste in Los Angeles, "Right now there's a lot of anti-immigrant rhetoric going around that could make them a lightning rod."
The above quote by Ms. Perez highlights why this has become such a heated subject. It is not nor ever has been an anti-immigrant issue. It is an anti-illegal immigrant issue. Ms. Perez and others refuse to acknowledge that they are promoting the acceptance of those who are breaking the laws of this country. It is no more complicated then that.
1-12-2007 @ 1:12PM
vaev123 said...
It is interesting, as an American tourist in Mexico I am sometimes allowed to use American dollars instead of Pesos. Why not do so here in certain places? Are we that closed minded and ethnocentric? Also, it is ignorant to believe that only immigrants carry Pesos. There have been many occasions in which I've come back from vacation and have "left over" currency. What are we supposed to do with it? The currency exchangers don't accept coins. Am I supposed to save it for "next time" or keep it in a box to collect dust?
1-12-2007 @ 2:06PM
mike said...
much ado about nothing. so, we're going to stop illegal immigration by taking away their pizza? we need stricter border patrols, not threats against those who accept their money.
1-12-2007 @ 1:13PM
Anna Weldon said...
I find a lot of Americans, mostly white, completely ignorant about a lot of things, especially the Mexicans people who come to this Country to work hard for hardly any decent pay, now getting upset about a Pizza Store accepting pesos. Shame on you! Take that white sheet off of your heads and learn that America once belonged to MEXICO and America TOOK IT LIKE THEY ARE TRYING TO TAKE THE MIDDLE EAST AS THEIR OWN!
1-12-2007 @ 1:17PM
Bill Beck said...
Ya, our ancestors were immigrants when they came to America. But they adapted to the rules of the new land. These people don't even want to try. They feel they should be catered too and don't have to learn the rules of the land.
1-12-2007 @ 1:07PM
Ashley said...
Ok first of all Robert Wilson over there needs to stop criticizing other people's english when he is obviously incapable of speaking it himself (ever heard of punctuality?).
Second, the only TRUE
1-13-2007 @ 3:12PM
Leonard Z said...
My grandparents came from Poland, they had to learn the english language, took their citizenship test in english, didn't have things given to them, didn't require people to talk to them in Polish. Raised great children and grandchildren, all the while speaking english. They came into this country with a sponsor, ahd worked. It's not only the MEXICANS but also THE CUBANS. They come here and are handed social Security, Medicare, and other programs that we the taxpayers put money into for all the years that we worked. IT REALLY SUCKS. LETS SEND ALL THE ILLEGALS BACK. REally close the borders. This country is being ruined by the bleeding do gooders.
1-12-2007 @ 1:34PM
vaev123 said...
I am tired of reading people’s comments in regards to immigrants not wanting to learn our language. It is always those people that have horrible grammar, spelling and have no idea on how to break up their paragraphs into legible phrases called sentences. I expect an American born and raised citizen to be able to spell and write the English language properly. I have encountered immigrants that can speak and write English well, and sometimes even better than those who have been raised in this country.
1-12-2007 @ 1:31PM
kc said...
While I agree that it makes good business sense to accept other countries currency I don't have to like the new policy at Pizza Patron. Since I am a plain old, white, middle class American who doesn't fit into their highly Hispanic customer base, they don't appear to want my money anyway. I will spend my US dollars elsewhere thank you.
1-12-2007 @ 1:13PM
Leilani said...
Most of these comments are nasty and rude.It's as if we have gone back in time again to the days of the segragation,and slavery.Not all Spanish speaking olive skinned people are illegal. Some of them work thier butts off to get here. Other's were born here.It doesn't matter what form of money they use to pay as long as they pay for services and goods rendered.They aren't out there theving. Who cares......Not me!
1-12-2007 @ 1:15PM
Sandra said...
Do you people ever travel? In Mexico and in Canada just over the border they accept American dollars. It is just good business. Some people are just a bit too parinoid!
1-14-2007 @ 7:15PM
Ramon Hidalgo-Acosta said...
I don't understand what the fuzz is all about a particular business in the USA wanting to accept currency from another country. Certainly, other countries accept our dollars and in fact, american businesses are established in many foreign soils and accept the local currency or dollars. We, as americans, love to talk about democracy and freedom to do what we want within the contest of the law, yet some people want to have it their way and only their way! That's a bunch of bull.... America is a multi-ethnic society and therefore, we must cater to each one of them if we wish to do. Remember, our freedom, which we enjoy today, have been paid in blood by all those immigrants who came to this country before us and made it what it is today. Illegal immigrant is another issue and should not be mixed business practice.
1-12-2007 @ 5:02PM
ems911brat said...
GO BACK SOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE ILLEGALS ! AND TAKE YOUR PESOS WITH YOU !
1-12-2007 @ 6:49PM
Jim McNees said...
Illegal immigrant is just that-ILLEGAL! So just keep making it easier for them,that makes sense.