Restaurant owner’s dismay at relentless anti-Welsh remarks
A RESTAURATEUR says he is having to deal on an almost daily basis with complaints from English customers about his staff speaking Welsh.
Tudur Owen says he’s tired of having to defend the language after the latest complaint in a review posted on TripAdvisor.
The Anglesey-born comic, who owns Tŷ Golchi near y Felinheli, said the criticism is “relentless”.
Lesley J, who has written 15 reviews for the travel website, wrote: “Called here last year and thought what a nice place to stop. So we made a special trip this week for mid morning drinks as we were staying in Llandudno.
“We were seated with menus, however two pairs of the young waitresses seemed to want to catch up on chat and we waited quite a while.
“Evenentually we caught someone’s eyes and she took our order without much enthusiasm. The drinks arrived and again not with too much gusto.
“The place was filling up and we noticed all conversations was in Welsh, both with staff and customers. It appeared it was a place that gave preferential treatment.”
The writer added: “Our party of four was English and felt very isolated. Will not be returning here.”
Mr Owen said: “I’m finding this relentless criticism of the Welsh language draining, it feels at the moment like we have to defend it on a daily basis.
“A minority of English people do seem to be quite ignorant of the fact that people speak Welsh as their first language – that’s it’s not a hobby and we don’t speak it to make English people feel isolated. It’s not a secret code.”
Mr Owen, who leases the eatery to a couple from Anglesey, added: “The staff in no way give preferential treatment to other Welsh people. The restaurant’s policy is that it is totally bi-lingual – both languages are given equal footing.
“Menus are in Welsh and English, and staff as a rule greet people in Welsh first.
“Foreign visitors love hearing the language, but a tiny minority of English people don’t.”
Radio presenter and S4C tv star Mr Owen said the complaints “can get quite ugly”, adding: “We’ve had the Welsh menus thrown on the floor and sometimes there are nasty comments, but again this is from a tiny minority – nine out of 10 people are fine.
“If people would learn just a couple of words in another language then it makes everybody smile. We live in a bilingual country and I can’t believe in this day and age we still have to defend it.”