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COPYRIGHT 2004 The Dallas Morning News
Byline: Karen Robinson-Jacobs
Nov. 20--Huddled around three laptops in a small Dallas restaurant, a handful of Spanish-speaking employees toyed with an online program that teaches English.
"I want to grow in the business," said Rodolfo Padilla, a 25-year-old native of Mexico who works for the owner of the cheese-steak restaurant.
He and other U.S. restaurant workers are potential beneficiaries of a new restaurant industry approach to teaching English -- one more focused on technology, from online programs to toy-inspired touch-pads.
"Technology provides a key element of flexibility," said Tom Landis, who owns seven local franchised restaurants including Texadelphia on Greenville Avenue, where the classes are held. "It's just cool."
The new tech-focused attempt is designed to deal with a major challenge for the $440 billion industry: Too many workers who speak too little English, and there are too few effective options for change.
In the last six years, Mr. Padilla has progressed from busboy at one restaurant to manager of Mr....
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