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APA Groups Demand Name Change for Phila. Eatery, Chink's Steaks

Fight Also Waged Between APAs and Owner in the City's Media

By Caroline Aoyagi, Executive Editor, Pacific Citizen

When Susannah Park, 21, first learned there was a restaurant in Philadelphia called "Chink’s Steaks" she thought her friend was joking around with her.  Unfortunately her friend was serious. Established in 1949, "Chink’s Steaks" is a popular eatery famous for its cheesesteaks right in the small Philadelphia town of Wissinoming.

"The term is offensive. It’s equivalent to the N-word," said Park, a West Philadelphia resident, who was shocked to learn that a business would use a racial slur in its name. "‘Chink’ is frequently used in a manner that is derogatory towards all Asians and Asian Americans. It doesn’t matter if you’re Korean American, Vietnamese American, or Filipino American, we are all viewed as ‘chinks.’ To have this word in the name of a business is an affront to all of those who have suffered and still suffer the pain associated with racism."

Park contacted the eatery’s owner Joseph Groh immediately, expressing her concerns and asked that Groh consider changing the name of his business.

"He was pretty indifferent at first but than he got irate," said Park, who has received the support of the Anti Defamation League and several community groups including the local chapters of the JACL and the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Greater Philadelphia United Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and the Asian American Bar Association of Delaware Valley (AABADV).

Now the Philadelphia Human Relations Commission has agreed to moderate a face-to-face meeting between Groh, Park, and Glenn Hing of AABADV although a date has yet to be set.

So far Groh has refused a name change citing business concerns such as the costs involved in making such a change. Groh refused to speak with the Pacific Citizen saying he had "no comment" and has since hired an attorney, Lane Fisher. Several calls to Fisher’s office were also not returned.

In a Philadelphia Daily News article Groh, 41, is quoted as saying, "It’s been here 55 years and no one has ever questioned it. Everybody’s welcome here. I know there’s a lot of racist people in the world but I’m not one of them."

Groh took over the business in 1999 after working at the restaurant for 25 years, ever since he was 16 years old. The restaurant was voted Best of Philly for cheese steaks by Philly Magazine in 2002 and was a winner in the 2003 Best of Citysearch Philadelphia. Groh bought the business from its founder, the late Samuel Sherman whose nickname was "Chink."

In the same Daily News article Sherman’s widow Mildred explains that her late husband was called the nickname because "He had slanty eyes … and the kids started calling him ‘chink,’" a nickname that is etched on his gravestone. She believes the current controversy is "ridiculous," saying her family is Jewish and far from being racist.

Groh has received a great deal of support from the predominantly white community of Wissinoming who have started their own petition against the name change. He’s also seen a boost to his business with an increase in customer flow. Local councilwoman Joan Krajewski has given her support and was quoted in local papers as saying Park is being too "touchy."

Editorials and letters to the editor in both the Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer have been supportive of Groh, trivializing the concerns of Park and fellow AAs.

"It’s no surprise, given the current reaction, that local white customers thought nothing of seeing a slur on the store, assuming they knew enough to know it was a slur," said Paul Uyehara, JACL EDC governor and a resident of Philadelphia, who has been working with Park to get the name change. "In 1949, how many Chinese Americans would confront a white guy in a white neighborhood about a slur? Those of us who have lived here all our lives never heard of the place."

Uyehara was part of a group of AAs who recently visited local news editors to voice their concerns about the coverage of the story. They let the editors know that they were not happy with what they called "insensitive" coverage of the story.

"It doesn’t matter how long the wrong has gone on. Time doesn’t change the name or make it right," said Uyehara. "They were wrong for all these years. Since when does getting away with a wrong for a long time make it okay? The real question is how the owner could be so ignorant for so long."

Park has now formed a group called PERIL — People for the Elimination of Racially Insensitive Language. The group is asking Groh to change the name of his restaurant but also want him to understand why they feel it is important. They also want to educate the public about the racist term first used in the late 1800s against the Chinese and later for all AAs.

"This guy is not a racist," said Park of Groh. "But he didn’t understand the issue, he was just ignorant. It’s possible that a lot of people think like this and that’s why it’s problematic."

Toshi Abe of the Philadelphia JACL chapter has lived in the area for three decades and had never heard of the restaurant. "I have lived in the Philadelphia region for close to 30 years and this is the first that I have heard of Chink’s Steaks," he said. "If there have been complaints in the past, they never reached the community in the way that Ms. Park has managed. It’s courageous of people like Ms. Park who help give the Asian community a voice, and from that voice, through education, we hope that racial tolerance will improve."

According to the 2000 Census, the Tacomy/Wissinoming area has a 93 percent population of whites and only a 0.01 percent of AAs. In the city of Philadelphia, whites make up 46.4 percent of the population compared to 44.3 percent blacks and 5.1 percent Asian Pacific Americans.

"The fact that we take offense by the name is enough reason for us to do what we can to convince the owner to change the name," said John Tateishi, JACL executive director. "If the restaurant had been called, ‘Jap Noodles’ and had gone unnoticed by anyone who took offense for years, would we turn a blind eye to it? Hardly. We would demand a name change and I don’t think we’re over-reaching in the current situation with ‘Chink’s Steaks’."

"I hope that Mr. Groh and the greater Wissinoming community understand that in today’s diverse climate and a global economy, we all must be sensitive to racial and cultural differences, and that certain words are inherently hurtful," said NAPABA (National Asian Pacific American Bar Association) President John Yang. "This is an opportunity for Mr. Groh to capitalize on an educational opportunity and a good will opportunity. Mr. Groh must realize that this issue will not just disappear."