Dori, Tacoma listener debate Spanish-only rule at Olé Café

Dori had a spirited debate with longtime listener Shaun from Tacoma over the rights of business and the intrusion of government in the case of Wallingford’s Olé Café.

Shaun, a truck driver and business owner, was on a weekend outing in Seattle with his family when he stopped by the Olé Café for a bite to eat.

The cafe, started by a Spanish teacher, operates as a place for people who want to practice their Spanish skills in full immersion, as if they were actually in Spain or Latin America. Signs at the counter aid non-Spanish-speakers when ordering.

Shaun was told that he and his family had to speak Spanish if they wanted to order something, or they would not be served. Neither Shaun nor his family members speak Spanish, so they walked out.

Dori: Don’t hate on Spanish-speaking cafe, hate on government intrusion

“We were just stunned. … If I had run my business like that in reverse, and suggested that I would only serve people who speak English, there would be fire at the gates,” he said.

Dori agreed there was a double standard. However, he maintained that, according to the laws of free market capitalism, a business should be free to run itself however it wants without government intrusion.

Dori compared it to the Arlene’s Flowers court case, in which a Tri-Cities florist has been locked in a battle with the Washington attorney general over her refusal to do the floral displays for a gay wedding based on her religion.

“In trying to be consistent about that, if you choose, as a business owner in a free land, to not serve people who don’t speak Spanish, you should be free to do that,” Dori said. “I support their right to do that.”

Shaun, a free market fan, acknowledged Dori’s point.

“I support free business — do it how you want,” Shaun said.

“Instead of becoming one of the ridiculous, I’ll just keep fighting against government sticking its nose in our lives,” Dori promised. “If these ladies want to have a Spanish-speaking cafe, I don’t care — there are plenty of places where you can grab a doughnut within a few blocks of there.”

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from 12-3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.