TAOS NAME CHANGE NOT HOSPITABLE
By John Foley
(SF Restaurant Business Examiner)

What's in a Name? Larry Whitten found out quickly.

Whitten has been having some very bad days lately since moving too Taos, New Mexico. The ex-Marine turned hotelier has his hands full down in Taos, New Mexico, where the sky is bright blue, the streets artistically funky, and the community as tight knit as a Shetland sweater from The Andover Shop.

Whitten moved to Taos in July after purchasing The Paragon Inn. Whitten has been a hotel turn-around guy for the past 40 years with 20 other projects under his belt.

So when he laid down $2 million for the Paragon, he also laid down some new rules for the staff: No more hard-to-pronounce Spanish names. In an attempt to make it easier for guests to pronounce the names of the Paragon staff, Whitten decided that Martin would be Martin, not Mar-teen. Marcos would be Mark; Juan would be John and so on. He also ruled out employees speaking Spanish in front of him for fear they were talking about him. We presume he didn't initiate the rule if you were going to be talking about him you had to do it in front of him, in English.

In a community where Spanish language and culture has long been a community mainstay, Whitten crossed the line in the eyes of his staff, their relatives and some community residents.

It wasn't long before the picket lines went up across the street and the Associated Press decided to pick up the story. Whitten has now been labeled a racist and his future in Taos hospitality could be jaded.

What was Whitten thinking? Not only were the changes he made insulting to his employees, but they were meaningless. I stayed at The Paragon Inn before Whitten purchased it and the least of the problems at the tired and worn property were the names of the employees.

However, I am sure Whitten does what every dog does to every new hydrant in an attempt to let everyone know who the Alpha dog really is. He put his money on the table a lot of it and wanted to put his mark on the property.

Molding your investment and creating an image that you can be proud of and that works for your customers and community is an admirable feat for any business owner. The rub arises when the new owner and manager quickly makes changes without surveying the demographics of an area.

Every new owner of every old restaurant in ant close-knit community or neighborhood has dealt with it. I have heard it no less than a thousand times: "Oh, you're new here. Well, let me tell you what you can't take off the menu."

And, of course, that is usually the first item on the radar screen of obsolete entrees or offerings. It never fails, the new kid on the block, no matter how old or experienced, is going to be put through community tests to see if they are going to be immediately accepted or if the hoops are going to be erected to subliminally jump through.
(continued...)

Whitten failed to read the market, the power of the workers and the fact that to make someone change their name is not only an assault on them personally, but their heritage and family.

Essentially Whitten inferred his clientele didn't like Spanish names and would prefer a more American setting. If the 64 year old hotelier paid attention, he would realize the Buffies, Muffies, Jonathons, Jasons, Jaspers, Ashtons and Jordans could not clean a bathroom, unload a dishwasher, or carry a bag if their jobs depended on it. Even in the Hamptons, that stereotypical enclave of suits and society gone pink and green, Marcos, Martin and Juan are welcomed souls because without them, the hospitality community would come to a grinding halt seaside and across the country.

I have a theory; the most important person on the baseball team is the bus driver. Without him the team can't get to the game and has to forfeit.

In the restaurant business, the most important person on the staff is the dishwasher for without him, nobody eats or cooks and the restaurant stops.

Whitten made a drastic mistake when he went to that hydrant in the corner. The incident is a terrific example of having to deeply dissect every move we make when dealing with the public. Although we all think we own the restaurants, and hotels, and cafes we pay for, we really don't. One wrong move is often a rallying call to a community or neighborhood to decide our future, whether it be for a day, a week, or forever in that location.

In other words:

Other faves of immigrants wanting to fit in:

Joe
Sam
Dwight
Odd Job
Hey You

#28 | Posted by Dr_Feelgood | Flag: Has Obviously Never Been to Taos, NM

Hey, ChickenChoker, check out the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo when you finish canoodling with the birds.