Restaurant Marketing Watch: Restaurants show rainbow of support with #LoveWinsRestaurant Marketing Watch: Restaurants show rainbow of support with #LoveWins

NRN editor and restaurant marketing expert Jennings breaks down what you should be watching in the industry this week. Connect with her on the latest marketing trends and news at @livetodineout and [email protected].

The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision Friday to legalize gay marriage sparked celebrations that ran through the weekend on city streets, in bars and restaurants, and on social media, with a number of restaurant chains joining in to show support.

Under the hashtag #LoveWins, restaurants posted videos or rainbow-colored tweets to show their support for a milestone in the ongoing battle for equal rights.

Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz posted a short video Friday saying how proud he was to be an American.

Starbucks has long supported marriage equality and been an advocate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In 2013, the company filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, and earlier this year signed onto The People’s Brief, a campaign that collected 207,551 signatures in support of legalizing marriage for all.

Starbucks has faced criticism from some shareholders for its stance. During the company’s annual shareholder meeting in 2013, one shareholder questioned the position, but Schultz responded by saying, “Not every decision is an economic decision. The lens in which we are making that decision is through the lens of our people.”

Schultz also told the shareholder, “If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38 percent you got last year, it’s a free country. You can sell your shares in Starbucks and buy shares in another company.”

Since then, Starbucks’ support for the LGBT community has only grown. The Seattle-based chain has added coverage of transgender reassignment surgery to employee health benefits, and it covers prescription drugs for hormone replacement therapy and mental health care.

Ben & Jerry’s has also long supported marriage equality.

The Burlington, Vt.-based ice cream chain celebrated the Supreme Court ruling by renaming its Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream “I Dough, I Dough” for the summer.

Ben & Jerry’s featured a short video on Facebook Saturday about Tori Sisson and Shante Wolfe, the first same-sex couple to be married in Alabama.

Independent restaurants also hosted promotions across the country, from specialty cocktails to adding rainbow sprinkles to milkshakes.

To celebrate the legalization of gay marriage, New York City seafood restaurant BKB is offering a free dinner for two to married couples who tie the knot through Friday, including two appetizers, two entrées and a round of drinks.

Customers are invited to make reservations on OpenTable and include #LoveWins in their notes. They are also asked to bring a photo from the wedding with a time stamp or a copy of their marriage license.

In Atlanta, several restaurants brought in ordained ministers or wedding officiants over the weekend for guests who decided to marry on the spot.

Showing support on social media

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Restaurant chains were among the many brands that showed support, with rainbow-colored social media postings.

Blaze Pizza found a way to tie its support to a marketing message about its build-your-own pizza.

Shake Shack’s rainbow logo gave props to the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck for the design.

KFC worked the rainbow into its ongoing campaign featuring a new-and-improved Col. Sanders.

Chili’s Grill & Bar went for pure celebration, and won a good bit of love from followers as a result.

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Twitter post caused a bit of a stir, but most comments indicated that followers appreciated the joke.

At the Pride Parade in San Francisco, Chipotle units handed out this card:

Chipotle is also selling the image as a tee shirt.

But not all on Twitter were celebrating.

In a post that reportedly drew some heat, Louisiana Sen. David Vitter posted a photo of himself Friday holding up a Chick-fil-A bag and proclaiming, “Chick-fil-A kind of day.”

Vitter was thought to be referring to Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy’s condemnation of gay marriage in 2012, a position Cathy later backed away from.

Twitter followers took note of Chick-fil-A’s lack of participation in the rainbow logo parade, despite attempts by some to provoke a response.

That’s not to say the Atlanta-based chain didn’t show support in its own way.

A Chick-fil-A operator in Iowa City reportedly donated 200 sandwiches and side dishes to an Iowa City Pride festival earlier this month, even before the Supreme Court ruling.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
Follow her on Twitter: @livetodineout