Joey Vento

Joseph Anthony Vento (December 18, 1939 – August 23, 2011) was an American cook and restaurateur who founded Geno's Steaks, a cheesesteak restaurant, in 1966, starting a longtime rivalry with neighboring restaurant Pat's King of Steaks.^[1][2]

Joey Vento
Born	(1939-12-18)December 18, 1939 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	August 23, 2011(2011-08-23) (aged 71) Shamong Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Nationality	Italian American
Known for	Cheesesteak chef Founder of Geno's Steaks

Early life

Joseph Anthony Vento, a third generation Italian American, was born in Philadelphia to Eva and James Vento. He dropped out of school in the 9th grade to assist his father in running a restaurant.^[1] Vento came from a family of sandwich makers; his grandfather operated a sandwich shop in the Italian Market in the 1920s.^[3] Before opening Geno's, Vento worked various jobs including dishwasher and meat truck driver, saving $2,000 to open his own steakshop at age 23.^[4] He named the restaurant after his son Geno, who was born in 1953.^[5]

Restaurant business

Vento opened Geno's Steaks in 1966 on the corner of 9th and Passyunk,^[6] starting a longtime rivalry that is ongoing with Pat's King of Steaks. His restaurant is considered one of Philadelphia's Big Three cheesesteak establishments and is open 24/7.^[1] Vento serves his cheesesteak without chopping the steak^[7] and believes provolone is the preferred cheese to be added.^[8]

Controversy

Vento had been accused of discrimination on multiple occasions against Hispanics and immigrants who had trouble speaking English. Vento's family and Geno's steaks has never officially apologized for the sign. Many people claim this is to not interfere with their business to anti immigration supporters.^[9]

In 2006, his sign, which stated "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH.", generated controversy and received attention from the Commission on Human Relations for possible violation of Philadelphia's ordinance due to discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The ruling in 2008 stated the sign was not in violation of ordinance. Vento has denied accusations of racism, stating he has never turned away anyone on the basis of race or language but many locals of eastern Asian and Latin American descent have spoke of times where they have been refused service for ordering with an accent.^[10][11]

Death

Vento died of a heart attack on August 23, 2011, at his home in Shamong Township, New Jersey, at the age of 71.^[1] Ownership of Geno's Steak was passed to his son Geno, whom he named after the restaurant.^[12]