Like every other business, a restaurant with a unique selling proposition is more likely to succeed. One of the good business strategies is to find a niche market, your specific target audience, and then offer a particular service to them. We think that highlighting a welcoming atmosphere and hospitality to couples composed of mixed races can be a good idea to try. If you check any popular interracial dating website, you will see how popular this trend is. However, so as not to be too superficial, let’s check the stats.
Can interracial couples be a good market segment?
Though interracial relationships are not that much a new concept, there has been an increase in the number of such couples over the past years. In the US, the percentage of interracial marriages in all registered marriages has risen from 3% to 19% since 1967. And the approval of the public has grown from 5% to 94% over the past 50 years. Interracial marriages regard couples of White and Black, Black and Asian, and other races.
Interracial couples are getting more numerous, however, they still face a lot of bias and have to choose places where to travel and dine. That is why opening a restaurant for interracial couples will be profitable in some places, where there are many such couples. Or it can become a disaster if this idea is applied in the wrong city.
Are there any cities good for interracial restaurants?
Some countries are already very welcoming to mixed couples, and they won’t even see any problem with it. For example, Brazil has been a place where interracial marriages are accepted for years. It is unlikely that you will surprise someone with such an idea there. You already can see many couples composed of Black, White, Middle Eastern, and Asian people. Many interracial couples travel there for a vacation and hence go to restaurants and cafes, but the competition will be quite high and you won’t have the fact of serving interracial couples as an advantage.
In Australia, the situation is a bit different. Many Australians don’t mind interracial couples, they don’t publicly condemn them, but still treat this concept with some suspicion. As a tourist destination, Australia is quite a popular place among interracial couples. So, you can use this to your advantage and attract to your restaurant interracial couples that are already traveling to Australia.
What about the US?
As for the United States, the melting pot, the situation is a bit less easy to understand. While the overall acceptance of interracial couples is on the rise, you can see both the cities that are very friendly to mixed couples and marriages and vice versa the cities where people can be condemned and even physically hurt for their feelings.
This is a list of cities with the least acceptance of interracial couples:
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Antonio
- Boston
- Tucson
- Mississippi
Opening a restaurant for interracial couples can on the one hand let you develop faster in an atmosphere of low competition, but on the other hand, it is very dodgy because many couples know about it and try to avoid visiting these cities. In addition, locals who don’t feel very welcoming toward interracial couples can also treat your restaurant with a certain degree of suspicion.
In contrast to so to say bad cities, there are places that are quite welcoming for interracial couples. They are Honolulu, San Diego, New York, Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, and Montclair. While being open to interracial couples these cities are also popular tourist centers. Many mixed couples also know where it is safe to travel. By opening a restaurant there, you will only improve the friendly image of these destinations and get more clients interested particularly in your open-minded policy and services.
And is Europe a good choice?
As for Europe, the most welcoming to interracial couples are Brussels, Lisbon, Barcelona, Milan, and London. Brussels has a big African community and, in general, is a multicultural city that is quite tolerant and welcoming to interracial couples. It is also a crowded tourist destination, which makes it a nice place to open a restaurant. Portugal in general is a place of mixture of many nations. Lisbon is very welcoming to all races and all kinds of relationships between people and will understand an idea of a restaurant for interracial couples. You can have even more success if you show your service as a way to unite people and make them acquainted with the culture and cuisine of each other.
What do you think about starting a restaurant business with a focus on interracial couples?