Wherever Red Robin operates a restaurant, we want to be a good neighbor and make a difference in the community. We believe we can do this not only by establishing a comfortable and fun place for our Guests to meet, eat and have a memorable experience, but also by giving back to the communities where we do business.
Here are some of the ways Red Robin works to support our neighborhoods:
The Red Robin Foundation
Red Robin Team Members live and work in the communities where our restaurants are located, and their success and well-being are important to us. So when one of our Team Members experiences an unexpected hardship, such as a catastrophic event or financial emergency, the Red Robin Foundation is there to help through its Giving Fund. Established in 2002 and financed through generous donations by Red Robin Team Members, franchisees and other donors, the Giving Fund has provided more than $2.5 million in emergency assistance to over 7,000 Red Robin Team Members. In addition to emergency aid, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.1 million in scholarship grants since 2007 to assist Team Members who wish to further their education.
For more information on the Red Robin Foundation, including how to make a donation, click here.
The Red Robin Foundation U-ACT® Program
The Red Robin Foundation U-ACT Program is designed to share Red Robin's "Unbridled" culture of kindness and service with the communities we serve. U-ACT, which stands for Unbridled Acts, or random acts of kindness, is a national character-building initiative specifically designed to bring kindness into schools. Through the U-ACT Program, the Red Robin Foundation inspires kids to celebrate the power of kindness, ultimately helping to eliminate negative, bullying behavior among young people and establishing lasting positive and productive social behaviors. To participate, schools can submit an idea for a program that promotes kindness for a chance to earn a grant ranging from $150 to $2,500. In addition, at the end of the school year, one school will be named the Champion School and will receive an additional $5,000 grant.
Since we launched the U-ACT Program in 2005, more than 280 schools have participated by developing programs to promote kindness and volunteerism, and Red Robin has awarded nearly $200,000 in grants to 40 schools in the U.S.
To learn more about our U-ACT Program and how your school can participate, click here.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®
Through our continued support of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Red Robin promotes programs designed to keep kids in our communities safer. During the grand opening week of every new company-owned Red Robin restaurant, a portion of the proceeds from each gourmet burger sold is donated to NCMEC. We also distribute free Child ID Kits to families at our new restaurant openings. In addition, the Kids' Cook-Off invites kids to submit their own gourmet burger creation to Red Robin. The program helps us generate additional financial support for NCMEC through the donation of a portion of the sales from every grand prize-winning gourmet burger sold in all U.S. Red Robin restaurants. Also, Red Robin compiles the top kid-created gourmet burger recipes from the thousands of burger recipes we receive from kids around the country along with child safety tips from NCMEC to create the Red Robin Kids' Cook-Off Cookbook. Click here to download the cookbook for free.
As a result of our efforts to raise awareness and support for NCMEC, Red Robin has generated more than $430,000 to the organization's programs to promote child safety and help in the recovery of missing children.
Red Robin Kids' Cook-Off Grand Prize Winners
Special Olympics
Red Robin is a proud sponsor of Special Olympics. Since 2005, Red Robin has expanded our support for Special Olympics from one state to 35 U.S. states in 2010. Through in-restaurant Tip-A-Cop fundraisers, where members of the local law enforcement community volunteer to serve our Guests, we've raised more than $2.2 million from tips and other contributions to support Special Olympics programs. In 2011 alone, with the help of Coca-Cola, our guests and local law enforcement, we raised nearly three quarters of a million dollars.
Denver Kids, Inc.
Team Members at Red Robin's Home Office in Denver pitched in to deliver holiday cheer to nearly 60 Denver-area families during the last holiday season through its annual holiday drive to support Denver Kids, Inc. – a non-profit organization that helps at-risk students in Denver's inner city. 2010 marked the 12th consecutive year that Red Robin's Home Office team has "adopted" local families in need of assistance and provided holiday gifts for family members, as well as gift cards from local grocery retailers. To date, Red Robin's support for Denver Kids has brightened the holiday season for more than 500 families, representing more than 2,500 people.
