Eskimo Joe's to keep name, logo
Customer survey showed support for longtime Stillwater restaurants to stay as is
STILLWATER — Backed by the support of an online survey, Eskimo Joe's restaurant has decided it will make no changes to its long time name or logo.
"We want to thank the more 30,000+ people who filled out our online survey. At this time we will be keeping our name and logo," the restaurant announced Monday on its Facebook page.
The company started the survey recently in response to an online petition calling for an end to people of color being depicted in caricatures and used as mascots, specifically in Eskimo Joe's and sister restaurant Mexico Joe's branding.
The Eskimo Joe's logo is a caricature of an Indigenous person from northern North America, and the logo for Mexico Joe's is a caricature of a man holding a taco and a guitar while wearing a poncho and a sombrero.
Of the more than 30,000 respondents to the restaurant's survey, "the overwhelming majority — more than 90% — encouraged us to keep our branding of 45 years," the restaurant reported. "They love Eskimo Joe and Buffy, who have always represented fun and excellent service while welcoming and respecting all people."
"As a company, we pride ourselves on giving our loyal customers what they want, so we currently plan to make no changes to our name and logo."
Eskimo Joe' s officials declined to comment further on the decision.
The petition calling for the change was organized on Change. org by Tatiana Hayton, whose profile identifies her as an Atlanta resident.
As of Monday morning, it had 5,300 signatures supporting its call for a" total rebranding" of the restaurants to remove" dehumanizing imagery and the slur 'Eskimo.'"
"Eskimo Joe' s has been a beloved but racially insensitive Oklahoma brand since it was established in Stillwater in 1975," Hay ton wrote. "Everyone in Oklahoma knows Eskimo Joe's, but few question the restaurant's name or branded mascot as offensive or racist, or even know the term 'Eskimo' is considered a racial slur."
According to the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Alaska Native Language Center, "Eskimo" was a name assigned to Indigenous groups by nonnatives, and because of that is now considered unacceptable by many natives.
"Inuit" is currently the preferred term in Alaska and across the Arctic, the center reports.