Red Robin facts for kids
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A Red Robin restaurant in 2015
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Trade name
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Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews |
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Formerly
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| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Casual dining |
| Founded |
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| Founder | Gerry Kingen |
| Headquarters | Tuscany Plaza 6312 S Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 200 Greenwood Village, Colorado, 80111, United States
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Number of locations
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506 (2023) |
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Area served
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Key people
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G.J. Hart (CEO) Todd Wilson (CFO) Sarah Mussetter (CLO) Kevin Mayer (CMO) Jason Rusk (CBDO) Jyoti Lynch (CTO) |
| Products |
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| Revenue |  US$1.002 billion(FY February 25, 2021) |
| US$276.07 million (FY February 25, 2021) |
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Red Robin is a popular American restaurant chain. It's known for its gourmet burgers and other tasty food. The first Red Robin restaurant opened in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington.
In 1979, the first Red Robin restaurant owned by a different company opened in Yakima, Washington. Red Robin's main office is in Greenwood Village, Colorado. As of December 2024, the company had 498 restaurants. About 91 of these were run by other companies as franchises.
Contents
The Story of Red Robin
How Red Robin Started
The very first Red Robin was in Seattle, Washington. It was near the University Bridge. The building was built in 1916 as a grocery store. Later, in the 1920s, it became a restaurant.
In 1942, the restaurant was called Sam's Red Robin Tavern. The owner, Samuel Caston, loved to sing. He often sang the song "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)." This is how the name "Red Robin" likely came about.
Growing the Restaurant
In 1969, a local restaurant owner named Gerry Kingen bought the place. He made the restaurant bigger. He dropped "Sam's" from the name, and it became just Red Robin. The first restaurant was about 1,200 square feet. It was a favorite spot for students from the University of Washington.
At first, Kingen ran it as a tavern. But then he added hamburgers to the menu. Soon, customers could choose from 28 different burgers. This made the restaurant very popular, and sales went up a lot.
Expanding with Franchises
After building up the Red Robin idea for ten years, Kingen decided to let other people open Red Robin restaurants. This is called franchising. This decision was very important for the chain's growth. The company grew strong through these franchise agreements.
In 1979, Kingen sold the rights to Michael and Steve Snyder. They opened a Red Robin in Yakima, Washington. The Snyder Group Company became Red Robin's first franchise owner. In 1980, another Red Robin opened in Portland, Oregon.
In 1983, Red Robin got a mascot named Red. By 1985, Red Robin had 175 restaurants. The main office moved from Seattle to Irvine, California. This happened after Kingen sold a big part of Red Robin Corp. to a Japanese company called Skylark Corporation.
Changes and Growth
In 1995, Gerry Kingen and Michael Snyder worked together again. They helped Red Robin improve its business. In 2000, the company opened its 150th restaurant. The main office moved to the Denver Tech Center.
Also in 2000, Red Robin joined with the Snyder Group. Michael Snyder became the company's president and CEO. In 2002, Snyder made Red Robin a public company. This meant people could buy shares of the company.
The first Red Robin in the Chicago area opened in January 2001. It was at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. More locations opened in Warrenville and Wheaton that same year.
The original Red Robin restaurant in Seattle closed on March 21, 2010. It was too old and expensive to keep up. The building was torn down in 2014. A new residential building called "Robin's Nest" was built there.
Recent Years
By 2015, Red Robin had 538 restaurants. The company tried a new idea called Red Robin's Burger Works. These were smaller restaurants with faster service. They opened in places like Washington, D.C., Illinois, Ohio, and Colorado. Most of these closed by 2016. A few were renamed Red Robin Express.
In September 2019, Paul J.B. Murphy III became the new CEO of Red Robin. The company also announced plans to close its five locations in Alberta, Canada, by early December of that year.
In 2021, Red Robin focused on opening new restaurants in its home state of Washington. A new location opened in Federal Way, Washington, on November 15. In November 2022, the company closed its restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It also finished closing all its locations in the Boston area.
In February 2025, Red Robin shared plans to close about 70 restaurants over the next five years. These were locations that were not doing well. The goal was to help pay off company debt. About 10 to 15 closures were expected in 2025.
In May 2025, Red Robin started a "Burger Pass" promotion. For one month, customers could get a daily burger and side for $20. The website had problems because so many people tried to use it. This led to some customer complaints.
See also
In Spanish: Red Robin Gourmet Burger and Brews para niños
- List of casual dining restaurant chains
- List of hamburger restaurants
Images for kids
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Red Robin's Gourmet Bacon Cheeseburger
