Leon's at 3131 S. 27th St. Credit: Journal Sentinel files 
 
 By of the 
 
 You might not want to order helado de menta at Leon's Frozen Custard - that was the flavor of the day on Thursday - because the owner of the famous stand on Milwaukee's south side urges his employees to speak only English. 
 
 After news surfaced this week that the owner of Leon's told his employees not to converse with customers ordering in Spanish, a Latino civil rights organization called for a federal investigation and a Milwaukee business catering to families decided to hand out free ice cream to anyone who asks for it in a language other than English. 
 
 Leon's owner Ron Schneider said his employees and customers are not barred from speaking Spanish, but that for about a year he's been telling staff to communicate in English as much as possible. 
 
 "I'm trying to avoid (customers) getting used to Spanish and then one day finding no one here who can speak it," Schneider said in a telephone interview Wednesday night, adding that only a few of the custard stand's roughly two dozen employees speak Spanish. 
 
 That prompted the League of United Latin American Citizens to call for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate the "policy" at the restaurant, contending that it violates federal labor law. 
 
 "While many of us consider (Leon's) as a community institution, it was surprising when we learned of their language policy, which is in clear violation of federal labor law," the organization said in a statement. 
 
 On Thursday, Bounce Milwaukee, a business that offers laser tag, rock climbing, vintage arcade games and inflatable play equipment, decided to offer free scoops of Purple Door Ice Cream in response to the Leon's news. Anyone who gets to Bounce Milwaukee by closing time at 9 p.m. Thursday, and asks for vanilla, chocolate, salted caramel or Bounce Berry Chocolate Chunk (blueberry ice cream with chocolate chunks) in any language will get one free scoop in a dish. 
 
 "We decided to celebrate diversity rather than being afraid of it," said Ryan Clancy, co-owner of Bounce Milwaukee, 2801 S. 5th Court. 
 
 Employees at Bounce speak around 20 languages and dialects other than English including Croatian, Russian, Korean, Menominee and Tagalog. In an interview over the lunch hour, Clancy said several people had shown up to get a free scoop, with Spanish the most common language, followed by American Sign Language. 
 
 "It's anybody attempting to order in a language other than English. If you don't happen to know or aren't fluent in a second language, come down anyway and take your best stab. Or if you want to, pull out your phone and use Google Translate," Clancy said. 
 
 The issue surfaced Wednesday after a Spanish-speaking customer told WISN-TV in Milwaukee that he witnessed a Leon's employee tell another Spanish-speaking customer to place her order in English. 
 
 The man, who speaks both English and Spanish, said when he placed his order in Spanish the employee said she was not allowed to speak Spanish to him. 
 
 Rules requiring workers to speak only English violate federal law unless they are reasonably necessary to the business' operation, such as emergencies in which a common language is necessary for safety of all, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 
 
 The agency contends that requiring workers to speak English at all times is rarely justified. However, the agency also said that some jobs require English-language skills, including teaching, customer service and telemarketing to English-speaking clients. 
 
 Frozen custard is a regional staple that's very popular in Milwaukee and Leon's, located on the busy corner of S. 27th and W. Oklahoma Ave. across from Pulaski High School and Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, has been an institution for decades. It's common to see long lines of people at all hours and all kinds of weather. 
 
 "I'd prefer that (employees) didn't speak in Spanish," said Schneider, who added that his wife is of Spanish and Apache Indian descent and only speaks English. 
 
 "This is still the United States. Why do we have to get involved in multi language things?" Schneider said. 
 
 If a Spanish-speaking employee is on duty and there is no other way to communicate with a customer Schneider said he would not prevent a Spanish language transaction. 
 
 He also pointed out that there are no signs posted pertaining to an English-only policy, that Spanish-speaking employees are free to talk to each other in the language and that his customers can speak any language they want. 
 
 "I guess I'm just an old guy too steeped in tradition," Schneider said. 

 The owner of Leon's Frozen Custard, a favorite treat location on Milwaukee's south side, acknowledged Wednesday that he has a rule in place that prevents his employees from speaking to customers in Spanish, but he said it doesn't come from a place of discrimination or racism. 
 
 Instead, Ron Schneider said his policy is more a matter of business and speeding up sales. 
 
 
 
 "I'm trying not to encourage it because this is going to be a problem down the road," he said. "We can't be the United Nations. They got translators. We don't." 
 
 
 
 Schneider recalled a time years ago when the neighborhoods around the shop at South 27th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue saw a great influx of Hispanic people. Customers, he said, would come to the window and reach a communication roadblock with his English-speaking employees. 
 
 
 
 "I would prefer if the employees would simply speak English, and encourage those customers who can to speak English, and if you don't speak English, trust me -- we can come up with some way to communicate with you," he said. 
 
 
 
 But customer Joey Sanchez said his Tuesday visit to Leon's wasn't as accommodating as Schneider lets on. 
 
 
 
 Sanchez said he was in line behind a Spanish-speaking woman who was told by an employee to place her order in English. When it was his turn to order, Sanchez, who speaks both English and Spanish, went to the window and proceeded to order in Spanish. 
 
 
 
 "She confirmed it to me in my face. She say, 'I'm not allowed to speak Spanish to you,'" Sanchez said, adding that the experience left him frustrated because Leon's makes "a good profit out of the Spanish community." 
 
 
 
 He said he believes it could only help Schneider if he relaxed his policy. 
 
 
 
 "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," Sanchez said. "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." 
 
 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission permits employers to adopt English-only rules, but only for nondiscriminatory reasons. 
 
 
 
 Schneider was adamant his request follows the law. 
 
 
 
 "Let me tell you something. 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. 
 
 
 
 

 Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 MILWAUKEE -- Leon's Frozen Custard has an English-only policy -- a policy some are questioning, and others are applauding. The policy has one group calling for a federal investigation. 
 
 Ron Schneider, the owner of Leon's, says there's nothing wrong with his policy, and it doesn't appear that it is hurting his business. 
 
 Leon's is located near 27th and Oklahoma on Milwaukee's south side. 
 
 "Most people that live here are Latino," Jorge Maya said. 
 
 Leon's Frozen Custard is a Milwaukee institution -- but some Hispanics are upset over a company policy that was recently discovered. 
 
 "I don`t think I`m going to be back anytime soon," Maya said. 
 
 This all started on Tuesday, May 17th, when Joey Sanchez overheard one of Leon's employees interacting with a Spanish-speaking customer. 
 
 "She whispered to him in Spanish 'I`m not allowed to speak Spanish to you,'" Sanchez said. 
 
 Sanchez was next in line. He also placed his order in Spanish. The employee gave him the same response. 
 
 "I`m trying to understand or find the why. I need to hear from him to hear why he has this policy," Sanchez said. 
 
 Schneider told FOX6 News his employees can only speak English on the job. 
 
 "Hey, c`mon! It is America. We`ve spoken English for a long, long time," Schneider said. 
 
 Schneider says the policy has been in place for a decade, and it has never been an issue. 
 
 "Any foreign language is going to be a problem. What I`m trying to avoid is when people come up here, get waited on in a different language because there happens to be an employee who speaks that language," Schneider said. 
 
 Sanchez said he feels Leon's policy is just bad business. 
 
 "If they have the people who can speak Spanish and communicate with the customer better, why not?" Sanchez said. 
 
 Other customers said they side with Schneider. 
 
 "We do live in America, you know?" Ryan Schmidt said. 
 
 Schneider says no customer has ever been turned away at Leon's. 
 
 "It`s going to get disruptive if we have to become bilingual, trilingual or anything else," Schneider said. 
 
 FOX6 News asked Schneider if an employee would face disciplinary action if they spoke another language. He said they would expect a chat with the boss, but they likely wouldn't be fired. 
 
 Schneider also pointed out that his wife is Hispanic. 
 
 The Leauge of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is calling for a federal investigation by the EEOC into the policy at Leon's. 
 
 Below is a statement from LULAC of Wisconsin State Director Dr. Arturo Martinez: 
 
 "In the last 24 hours, LULAC of Wisconsin has received numerous requests to investigate the issue of workplace policy as it pertains to language at Leon's Frozen Custard located at 3131 S. 27th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While many of us consider this as a community institution, it was surprising when we learned of their language policy, which is in clear violation of federal labor law. Upon reviewing the statements made by management in a video interview detailing Leon’s policy, we are requesting an investigation of this policy by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The law is clear on this issue and offers few exceptions. In the meantime, we encourage management to review their current employment policies with counsel to bring them into compliance. We are confident that in doing so, it will lead to a stronger business and a stronger community.”
– A frozen-treat shop is in hot water over an English-only policy for its employees. Joey Sanchez, a customer at Leon's Frozen Custard in Milwaukee, tells WISN he heard an employee tell a Spanish-speaking customer she had to order in English. The employee then told Sanchez she wasn't allowed to speak Spanish at work. The business' owner, Ron Schneider, tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he's had the policy for a year. However, he tells Fox 6 Now, the policy has been in place for a decade. He's also unclear on how strict the policy is. Regardless, he doesn't see the big deal. "This is still the United States," Schneider tells the Journal Sentinel. "Why do we have to get involved in multi-language things. I guess I'm just an old guy too steeped in tradition." One reason for getting involved in multi-language things is that it's typically against federal law to require workers to speak only English. That's why the League of United Latin American Citizens is asking the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to look into Leon's Frozen Custard. Another reason is to make customers in a Latino-heavy neighborhood more comfortable. "If they have the people who can speak Spanish and communicate with the customer better, why not?" Sanchez tells Fox. Schneider says the policy is meant to keep customers from relying on him always having Spanish-speaking employees. "We can't be the United Nations," he tells WISN. "They got translators. We don't." And he says anyone who thinks the policy makes him a racist is welcome to "settle it the old-fashioned American way in the alley."