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Restaurants get mixed reviews in survey of gay, lesbian consumers

Restaurants get mixed reviews in survey of gay, lesbian consumers

With buying power estimated to exceed $600 billion a year, the gay and lesbian community represents a potentially lucrative market for restaurateurs to tap. But some operators are doing a better job than others at attracting that audience as customers and employees, according to a recent survey of gay and lesbian consumer habits and brand perceptions.

Sponsored by Prime Access, an advertising agency specializing in reaching lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups, and PlanetOut Inc., a media entertainment organization also serving the LGBT community, the survey found Seattle-based Starbucks to be among the country’s most gay-friendly restaurant brands, while Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Olive Garden and Dunkin’ Donuts were perceived by respondents to be less gay-friendly.

The study, which was conducted by marketing research firm Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo, polled nearly 6,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 64. Respondents were broken up into three categories: a total of 757 came from the gay and lesbian community, another 1,502 were culled from the general population, and an additional 3,156 were PlanetOut subscribers and readers.

“There’s been a lot of research over the years that showed gays and lesbians are highly loyal to brands they buy,” said Howard Bu-ford, president of Prime Access, “and our statistics show that between 68 percent and 72 percent of gay and lesbian consumers are strongly motivated to purchase brands they consider gay-friendly.”

Buford said the national brands presented to survey participants were chosen based on product and service category. He also indicated that some companies were selected as less gay friendly based on perceptions of hiring practices and negative media and word-of-mouth reports.

“This consumer survey not only looks at one piece of the picture, but also at hiring policies and benefits,” he said.

In evaluating Starbucks, which ranked eighth on the list of gay-friendly companies, 26 percent of the general population, 23 percent of gays and lesbians and 53 percent of PlanetOut respondents said they believed the brand was gay friendly. Other companies perceived as gay friendly through the survey included Bravo Network, Apple, Showtime, HBO, Absolut, Levi’s and American Express.

“Companies at the top [of the list] have learned that it’s just good business to have equal employment opportunities in place and market to all types of talent, including gays and lesbians,” said Redge Norton, spokesman for San Francisco-based Out & Equal, an employment advocacy group.

The survey found that 13 percent of the general population, 3 percent of gays and lesbians and 2 percent of PlanetOut respondents said they perceived Cracker Barrel as gay friendly. Meanwhile, 10 percent of the general population, 10 percent of PlanetOut subscribers and 7 percent of gays and lesbians said they perceived Olive Garden as gay friendly. And 11 percent of the general public, 3 percent of gays and lesbians and 3 percent of PlanetOut respondents said they viewed Dunkin’ Donuts as gay friendly.

Although Buford said that he wasn’t sure why Olive Garden and Dunkin’ Donuts were viewed as less gay friendly than other brands, he noted that Cracker Barrel’s hiring history likely contributed to the company’s negative perception among gays and lesbians.

“Things like this often have to do with employment policies, market outreach and a presence in different communities,” Buford said. “Sometimes it’s the act of one franchisee that gets a lot of [coverage] in the gay press and gay people make a judgment about the brand.

“In the case of Cracker Barrel, we do have some knowledge about its highly publicized hiring policies,” he continued. “There is a belief in the community that their hiring policies do not accommodate gay and lesbian people and also that gay and lesbian customers are not welcome in the restaurants.”

But Julie Davis, a spokes-woman for the 497-unit, Lebanon, Tenn.-based family-dining chain, said the company was dismayed with the ranking and questioned its methodology.

“Obviously, we are disappointed in the results and question how accurate a representation of the brand this might be,” she said. “Please note that Cracker Barrel Old Country Store welcomes all guests, and our equal opportunity employment statement clearly states that we will not tolerate discrimination based on sexual orientation.”

At Dunkin’ Brands, the Canton, Mass.-based parent of the Dunkin’ Donuts chain, company executives said they were genuinely perplexed at the perception of the quick-serve bakery-cafe concept, particularly in light of its gay-friendly hiring practices.

“For nearly a decade, Dunkin’ Brands has extended benefit rights to domestic partners and offered its employees partner benefits regardless of gender or sexual orientation, including medical and dental coverage for children of unmarried partners,’ said spokesman Stephen J. Caldeira.

“At Dunkin’ Brands, we have built our company around a set of core values that guide everything we do. These values include honesty, transparency, humility, integrity, respectfulness, fairness and responsibility. As such, Dunkin’ Brands is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, country of origin, ethnicity, disability, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law.”

By the year 2010 gays and lesbians will spend approximately $835 billion annually, Buford said.

“They need to know they’re welcome, that their business is valued and important,” he said of the gay and lesbian community. “One other thing is that the gay community tends to be a trendsetter. Most of them tend to be influencers of other people. As such, they are important consumers to have because they influence the purchasing behavior of others.”

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