Red Robin facts for kids
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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, |
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Number of locations
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502 (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 | Burgers, Chicken, French Fries, Sandwiches, Appetizers, Desserts, Milkshakes, Salads, Soups, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft Drinks |
| Revenue |  US$1.002 billion(FY February 25, 2021) |
| US$276.07 million (FY February 25, 2021) |
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Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., often called Red Robin, is a popular American restaurant chain. It serves delicious casual dining meals, especially burgers. The first Red Robin restaurant opened in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington.
In 1979, the first Red Robin restaurant owned by a different person (a franchise) opened in Yakima. Today, Red Robin's main office is in Greenwood Village, Colorado. As of August 2020, there were over 570 Red Robin restaurants. About 90 of these were run by franchisees.
Contents
How Red Robin Started
The very first Red Robin restaurant was in Seattle, Washington. It was near the University Bridge. This building was built in 1916 as a grocery store. Later, in the 1920s, it became a restaurant.
In 1942, the restaurant was named 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 restaurant got its name.
Growing the Restaurant Idea
In 1969, a local restaurant owner named Gerry Kingen bought the restaurant. He made it bigger and changed the name to just Red Robin. The first restaurant was small, about 1,200 square feet. It was a favorite place for students from the University of Washington.
At first, Kingen kept it as a tavern. But then he added hamburgers to the menu. Soon, customers could choose from 28 different kinds of burgers! This made sales go up a lot.
Expanding with Franchises
After ten years, Kingen decided to let other people open Red Robin restaurants. This is called franchising. This idea helped the restaurant chain grow a lot.
In 1979, Kingen sold the rights to Michael and Steve Snyder. They opened a Red Robin in Yakima, Washington. This made The Snyder Group Company the first Red Robin franchisee. In 1980, another Red Robin opened in Portland, Oregon.
In 1983, Red Robin got a mascot named Red. By 1985, there were 175 Red Robin restaurants. The company's main office moved from Seattle to Irvine, California.
Changes and Growth
Over the years, the company went through many changes. In 2000, Red Robin opened its 150th restaurant. The main office moved to the Denver Tech Center.
In 2002, Red Robin became a public company. This means its shares could be bought and sold by anyone.
The first Red Robin in the Chicago area opened in 2001. It was at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. More locations opened in Warrenville and Wheaton that same year.
The Original Restaurant Closes
The very first Red Robin restaurant in Seattle closed on March 21, 2010. The old building needed too many repairs. It was torn down on August 28, 2014. A new apartment building called the "Robin's Nest" was built there.
Recent Years
By 2015, Red Robin had 538 restaurants. Their total earnings were $1.25 billion. To reach more people, Red Robin tried a new idea called Red Robin's Burger Works. These were quick-service restaurants. 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 president and CEO of Red Robin. The company also decided to close its five locations in Alberta, Canada, by December that year.
In 2021, Red Robin focused on growing in its home state of Washington. A new restaurant 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.
See also
In Spanish: Red Robin Gourmet Burger and Brews para niños
- List of casual dining restaurant chains
- List of hamburger restaurants
