Restaurant should do more

In a creative advertising effort, Pizza Schmizza, a pizza restaurant chain out of Portland, Ore., recently hired Peter Schoeff, a homeless man, to hold a controversial poster. The sign read, "Pizza Schmizza paid me to hold this sign instead of asking for money." While some have accused restaurant owner Andre Jehan of exploiting his life-size advertisements, the homeless people don't seem to have a problem with the deal.\n"I think it's a fair trade. We're career panhandlers, that's the only other way we can get money," Schoeff said. It seems as if everyone is happy: Jehan gets to experiment with his advertising campaign, and his homeless helpers get a free meal and a few bucks by holding the sign for just under an hour.\nWhile there is nothing wrong with the business agreement Pizza Schmizza has with its homeless workers, it is reasonable to question if the restaurant is doing enough. Jehan said that he felt uncomfortable not being able to associate with the homeless people and merely intended the signs to be funny. \n"People don't have to feel guilty while still appreciating the person is homeless. It's a gesture of kindness more than anything," he said. The sincerity of Jehan's intentions is questionable considering he owns and operates 26 restaurants in Washington and Oregon. \nIf he really cared, why not create a company program helping homeless people enter the employment world? Wouldn't it look better for Pizza Schmizza's public relations if Jehan showed his gratitude by offering the homeless workers more than a slice of pizza, a drink and a couple bucks? \nSome prominent groups have even more questions for Pizza Schmizza. Commercial Alert, a watchdog organization for advertising, claims the restaurant is exploiting the homeless. Gary Ruskin, the group's director, contends that any homeless person being utilized as a human advertisement and not being paid minimum wage is being exploited. \nWhile Commercial Alert's concern is applaudable, two mature adults have every right to make a business deal that is settled on their own terms. Schoeff wasn't forced to accept Pizza Schmizza's offer. Commercial Alert does rightly claim, however, that the pizza company's use of the homeless just boosts the congestion of commercial advertising.\nIndustrial lingo calls this "ad clutter," and Pizza Schmizza is not alone in its quest to defeat the monotony of this congestion with fresh and effective advertising. Sony Ericcson and Beach N' Billboards Inc. have been innovative in their advertising methods as well. \nAdvertising is a very timely business, for it grows and adapts to changes in society and culture. It seems as if Pizza Schmizza is just trying to fit in with the inherently trendy nature of advertising. One would assume, though, that a large restaurant business would show a more legitimate concern for the people it purports to help. Hopefully, from this point on, Pizza Schmizza will take its commitment to the homeless population more seriously. \n-- Vincent Carr for the Editorial Board