1940s: Red Robin started as a tavern near the University of Washington in the 1940’s. It
was called Sam’s Tavern. Sam sang in a barber shop quartet and loved to sing the song “When the red
robin goes bob bob bobbin along…” Sam eventually changed the name of his tavern to Sam’s Red
Robin.
1969: Over the years Sam’s Red Robin simply became Red Robin. It was transformed from the
tavern into the first Red Robin restaurant that opened in a 1,200 square-foot building perched on a Seattle hilltop.
1973: Red Robin expands the menu from jumbo beers, cellophane-wrapped sandwiches and popcorn
to include Red Robin’s most popular burgers – the Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburger, the Red Robin Bacon
Cheeseburger and the Royal Red Robin Burger™, which is crowned with fresh fried egg.
1979: Red Robin regulars, Mike and Steve Snyder, decide to open their own Red Robin in Yakima,
Wash. The Snyder Group Company becomes Red Robin’s first franchisee.
1980: On course to becoming “America’s Gourmet Burgers & Spirits,” Red
Robin expands beyond Washington by opening a restaurant in Portland, Ore.
1983: Red Robin hatches one of America’s only restaurant mascots, a colorful robin named
“Red.” Children everywhere become overnight fans.
1985: A domestic success, Red Robin crosses the U.S. border and opens a Canadian Red Robin restaurant
in Burnaby, British Columbia.
1985: Skylark, a food-service operation in Japan, acquires a majority interest in Red Robin from
the restaurant’s owner.
1994: Already known as a place for great family fun, Red Robin reinforces its reputation as a
restaurant industry leader by offering Bottomless Steak Fries™ (a.k.a. all-you-can-eat) with its gourmet
burgers.
1996: Red Robin International cuts its ties with Skylark and is brought back home from Tokyo.
The headquarters are moved from Irvine, Calif., to Greenwood Village, Colo.
1998: Red Robin ranks 15th in a casual-dining survey by Nation’s Restaurant News,
a leading publication of the restaurant industry.
2000: Red Robin merges with the Snyder Group, its largest franchisee, and celebrates the opening
of its 150th restaurant in May. Securing $75 million in financing, Red Robin continues its nationwide expansion
efforts.
2001: Red Robin holds a national “Gourmet Burger Recipe Contest.” Guests from around
the country are asked to submit their own unique gourmet burger recipes for a chance to have their burger featured
on the Red Robin menu in 2002. Lauren Berg, 13, of Colorado Springs, Colo., and her Grilled Portobello Burger
beat out more than 500 other recipes to win the contest. Proceeds from the sale of her burger – up to $50,000
– benefit Starlight Children’s Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to improve the lives
of seriously-ill children and their families.
2002: On July 19, Red Robin goes public with an initial public offering of 5,038,000 shares,
of which 4,000,000 shares were sold, at a price to the public of $12.00 per share. The remaining 1,038,000 shares
were offered by selling stockholders. Red Robin received net proceeds of $42.8 million from the offering. Red
Robin also entered into a three-year $40.0 million revolving credit agreement to fund construction and acquisition
of new restaurants, to refinance existing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes, including working capital.
2003: Red Robin receives the Dealmakers Award in the Retail and Restaurant category presented
by the Denver Business Journal. Red Robin was selected to receive the award for its successful IPO in July
2002, continued growth and increased revenue.
In November 2003, Red Robin completed a secondary offering of 3,458,673 shares of common stock, of which it sold
750,000 shares, at a price of $26.50 per share. The remaining 2,708,673 shares were offered by selling stockholders.
The Company received proceeds of $18.0 million from the offering, net of $1.0 million of underwriting fees and
commissions and $868,200 of other offering costs. In December 2003, the Company’s underwriters exercised
their over-allotment option with respect to 518,801 additional shares offered by selling stockholders. The Company
received no proceeds from the over-allotment exercise.
2004: Red Robin continues its growth with the opening of its 250th restaurant. At the 2004 Multi-Unit
Foodservice Operations (MUFSO) Conference, Nation’s Restaurant News and Coca-Cola present Red Robin with
the People and Performance Award (PAPA) for its outstanding employee recognition programs.
In August 2004, Red Robin completed a secondary offering of 1,937,543 shares of common stock, all of which were
held by selling stockholders, at a price of $32.36 per share. The Company did not receive any proceeds from this
offering. Fees related to this offering, which were borne by the Company, totaled $200,400 and were recorded in
general and administrative expenses.
2005: Red Robin is honored with Restaurant Hospitality’s Chain of the Year award and receives
Restaurants & Institutions’ Choice in Chains Crystal Award in the Burger category. The company celebrates
the third anniversary of its initial public offering by opening the NASDAQ stock market in New York City on July
19 and demonstrates it Unbridled culture by hosting a Freckled Lemonade Stand in Times Square and distributing
its signature beverage and Metro subway cards to tourists for free.
2006: Red Robin’s chief financial officer, Katie Scherping, is the recipient of an Outstanding
Women in Business Award presented by the Denver Business Journal. The company is a national finalist for
the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Neighbor Award and a finalist for ColoradoBiz magazine’s
Top Company of the Year Award.
Red Robin held the inaugural "The Next Gourmet Burger Kids Contest." Kids ages 10 and under were asked to submit
an original burger creation and a 100-word statement on why their burger deserved to be America's next Gourmet
Burger. More than 16,000 entries were accepted at Red Robin® restaurants nationwide. Nine-year-old Adrianna
Montgomery from Raleigh, N.C., wins the contest with her Spicy Asian Burger. The burger was sold in every U.S.
Red Robin® restaurant during the summer of 2007. In addition, more than 50 recipes were selected to be included
in a kids' cookbook sold to benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC).
2007: Red Robin’s president and chief operating officer, Eric Houseman, is the recipient of the
Forty under 40 Award presented by the Denver Business Journal. The award recognizes Denver’s young, dynamic,
up-and-coming business leaders under 40 for their business success and community contributions. The company is
honored with Restaurants & Institutions’ Choice in Chains Gold Award in the Burger category and is selected
as a winner of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Excellence in Advertising on Television (EAT) Award.
Eleven-year-old Joey Yarwick’s “Au Brie Burger a la Francais” is selected as the winning recipe at Red Robin’s
second annual “The Next Gourmet Burger Kids’ Recipe Contest” during a Championship Event held in Denver, Colo.
2008: Red Robin’s chief financial officer, Katie Scherping, is the recipient of the CFO of the
Year Award in the medium-sized public company category presented by the Denver Business Journal. The Award
recognizes eight CFOs from metro Denver public, private and non-profit companies for the work they’ve done for
their organization and their communities.
Milford Junior High School in Milford, Ohio, is named the 2007-2008 Red Robin U-ACT Champion School for their
efforts to promote kindness among students. U-ACT, or Unbridled Acts of Kindness, is Red Robin's character-building
initiative that aims to inspire and energize junior high and middle school students about the value of being kind
to others. As the U-ACT Champion School, Milford Junior High received a $20,000 grant from Red Robin. Red Robin also selected
two Award of Excellence schools including Portsmouth Christian School in Portsmouth, Va. and Lugoff Elgin Middle
School in Lugoff, S.C.; and seven Award of Merit schools including Carter Middle School in Warren, Mich.; University
Preparatory Academy in Detroit, Mich.; Prairie Hill School in Cary, Ill.; Charleroi Middle School in Charleroi,
Pa.; Lompoc Valley Middle School in Lompoc, Calif.; Excel Academy in Newark, Ohio; and Chambersburg Middle School
in Chambersburg, Pa.
Red Robin is named one of Ten Best Family Restaurants in Parents Magazine.
The 400th Red Robin® restaurant is opened on June 16 in Covington, Wash.
Seven-year-old Charlie Beckett from Rathdrum, Idaho is crowned the grand prize winner of Red Robin’s Next Gourmet
Burger Kids’ Recipe Contest at the Championship event in Denver, Colo. with his spicy "Holy-Peño Burger."
2009: Word of God Catholic School in Pittsburgh, Pa. is named the 2008-2009 Red Robin U-ACT®
Champion School and received a grant for $20,000 for the Unbridled Acts their school participated in over the
course of the school year. In addition, Red Robin also rewarded two Award of Excellence Schools including Salem
Christian School in Crozier, Va., and Lugoff-Elgin Middle School in Lugoff, S.C., who will each receive a $10,000
grant and seven Award of Merit Schools including Chambersburg Area Middle School in Chambersburg, Pa., Walters
Junior High in Fremont, Calif., St. Amelia School in Tonawanda, N.Y., Resurrection Academy in Fontana, Calif.;
Milford Junior High in Milford, Ohio; Edward Harris Jr. Middle School in Elk Grove, Calif. and Sierra Middle School
in Parker, Colo. who each receive a $500 grant.