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A look at what makes Red Robin soar

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Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., (Red Robin) was founded on four core values: Honor, Integrity, Continually Seeking Knowledge and Having Fun. These core values are at the foundation of every decision we make from creating our insanely delicious Gourmet Burgers to hiring energetic Team Members, and even to choosing new restaurant locations. They also are the foundation for how we treat our Team Members, Guests and the communities we serve. These core values are even embroidered on the sleeve of every Team Member’s uniform, serving as a constant reminder of what makes us unique and special.

Red Robin also has an unparalleled and extraordinary approach to Guest service known as Unbridled Acts. Unbridled Acts are random acts of kindness Team Members bestow upon restaurant Guests and other Team Members. Our core values and Unbridled atmosphere are at the heart of our energizing culture and nearly 36,000 Team Members across North America.

There are thousands of stories of Red Robin Team Members who live our values through these random acts of kindness on a daily basis. Each Unbridled Act, regardless of size, is a testament to our unique culture and the care we take for each and every Team Member and Guest.

Here are a few examples of how Unbridled Acts differentiate Red Robin in the casual dining industry:
 
Roseville, CA – Team Member Brad from the Creekside, California Red Robin, came into work one morning after stopping at the Starbucks drive-through. As it turned out, he knew the manager at Starbucks, and the manager bought him his coffee. Brad quickly pulled money out of his pocket and told the manager to pay for the car behind him. The manager took the money and told the next car in line about what Brad had done. That car went ahead and paid for the next car in line, which started something awesome - the following 23 cars continued to “pay it forward!”
 
Later that day, a couple came into Red Robin and asked to be seated in Brad’s section. When they sat down, the couple told Brad that they were the car behind him that he had paid for, which started the 23-car Unbridled Act. They wanted to meet him and thank him. And thank him they did; they left Brad a 100 percent tip on their bill. Just by doing a small Unbridled Act, Brad managed to make the day of so many others and bring some new Guests into our restaurant. Thanks, Brad, for being the catalyst of an amazing Unbridled Act.

Puyallup, WA – Chase, a 5-year-old Red Robin Guest at the Puyallup, Washington Red Robin, was proudly showing off his brand-new wallet, filled with several fake, cardboard credit cards and $15 in cash. After Chase and his mom left the restaurant, Team Member Michelle noticed Chase left his wallet at the table. Michelle notified Tina, the Manager on Duty, who called Chase’s house with the good news. Before Chase returned to pick up his wallet, Team Members collected $50 to put into Chase’s wallet along with a $50 Red Robin^® gift card so Chase would have a real “credit card” for his wallet. Chase was crying when he went back to the restaurant, but his tears of sadness turned into tears of amazement when he saw the new items in his wallet.  Thanks, Michelle, Tina and Team Puyallup for making Chase smile again.

Chesapeake, VA – Rhonda, a Guest at the Chesapeake, Virginia Red Robin, phoned in a To-Go order, but had to cancel after an emergency arose – her son, Trevor, was hit in the head with a baseball bat during baseball practice and was rushed to the emergency room. Trevor’s grandmother went to Red Robin to pick up the food, but canceled the order on the spot when she heard the news. Brent, the Assistant Manager, asked Stewart, the General Manager, if the restaurant could take the food to the ER for the family. Brent agreed and offered to drive. When Brent found the family, they thanked him and hugged him. They even tried to pay for the food, but Brent refused. Thanks, Brent and Stewart, for going above and beyond for Guests.

Ingredients

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Founded:         
1969 in Seattle, Washington

Headquarters:   
6312 S. Fiddler’s Green Circle, Suite 200 North
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111

Concept     
Casual dining restaurant chain that serves up wholesome, fun, feel-good experiences by offering its guests an imaginative selection of more than two dozen high-quality gourmet burgers and innovative menu items in a kid- and family-friendly atmosphere.

Total Restaurants
As of March 1, 2008, there are more than 380 Red Robin® restaurant locations across the United States and Canada, which include both corporate-owned locations and those operating under franchise or license agreements.

Total Revenues:   
For the year ending December 31, 2007, total company revenues, which include company-owned restaurant sales and franchise royalties and fees, increased 12.3% to $183.8 million, and diluted earnings per share were $0.60 vs. $0.53 in diluted earnings per share last year.

Leadership   
Dennis B. Mullen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Eric C. Houseman, President and Chief Operating Officer   
Todd A. Brighton, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Katherine L. Scherping, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Annita M. Menogan, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
Susan Lintonsmith, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

Team Members
Nearly 36,000 across North America

Company Mascot:  
Red

Popular Burgers:   
The Royal Red Robin Burger^® – This is the aristocrat of all Red Robin gourmet burgers because it’s crowned with a fried egg.  To finish it off, the burger is also topped with three strips of hickory-smoked bacon, American cheese, crisp lettuce, tomatoes and mayo.
   
The Banzai Burge^® – Marinated in teriyaki sauce and topped with grilled pineapple, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo, this burger will make you want to ride the pipeline with its West Coast flare.
   
Whiskey River^® BBQ Burger – Basted with our signature Whiskey River^® BBQ Sauce and lasso'd together with Cheddar cheese, crispy onion straws, lettuce, tomatoes & mayo.

California Chicken Burger – A tender, juicy charbroiled chicken breast topped with Monterey jack cheese, zesty guacamole, hickory maple-smoked bacon, tomatoes, pickles and mayo.

Sautéed 'Shroom Burger – Loaded with fresh, plump, sautéed mushrooms, a hint of garlic Parmesan butter and topped with melted Swiss for that extra Mmmm. A mushroom lover's dream come true.

A glossary of terms used by
Red Robin Team Members and Guests

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We have coined a few words and phrases to help explain what makes Red Robin so unique. After all, no Guest experience would be the same without a Gourmet Burger that smiles, or a drink so special it has to be made by a Mad Mixologist.  

Team Member
Not to be confused with employee. Red Robin’s philosophy of TEAM, meaning Together Everyone Achieves More, is fueled by pure energy. Every Red Robin Team Member is empowered to go the extra mile to provide not just good service, but Unbridled Guest service.

Guest
Not interchangeable with customer. Guests are visitors to Red Robin who deserve high-quality food made with fresh ingredients, energetic Team Members and a fun, welcoming restaurant experience.

Unbridled Acts
Unbridled Acts are random acts of kindness our Team Members bestow upon restaurant Guests and other Team Members. They are encouraged, shared and celebrated at every Red Robin^® restaurant.

Red
Red Robin’s fun-loving mascot. Red originated from a sketch on the wall at the original Red Robin in Seattle. Red appeals to Guests of all ages and embodies our belief that everyone should have fun.

Gourmet Burger
A Red Robin Gourmet Burger must be made with fresh, high-quality, Honest to Goodness^® ingredients. We serve more than two dozen Gourmet Burgers that feature a variety of toppings such as grilled pineapple, guacamole, green chilies, honey mustard sauce, barbecue sauce, fried onion straws, and sautéed mushrooms. We serve beef, turkey, chicken, fish and veggie burgers.

Smiling Burger
Do Gourmet Burgers smile? At Red Robin they do. Team Members take special pride in presenting Guests with Gourmet Burgers that look as if they are smiling, which means all ingredients are visible.

Mad Mixology^® Beverages
With a bit of this, a dash of that and a burst of color, our trained bar staff are known as Mad Mixologists. They create one-of-a-kind Mad Mixology^® Beverages from a Nuclear Ice Tea to Sand in Your Shorts^® to a Hawaiian Heart Throb^® Smoothie.

Bottomless Steak Fries^®
Our steak fries go so well with our Gourmet Burgers; Guests don’t want to run out. So, at Red Robin, the fries are always all-you-can-eat. 

Building upon a distinguished past

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1940s: Red Robin started as ‘Sam’s Tavern’ near the University of Washington in the 1940’s. Sam sang in a barber shop quartet and loved to sing the song “When the red robin goes bob bob bobbin along…” Sam enjoyed the song so much he eventually changed the name of his tavern to Sam’s Red Robin.

1969: Over the years, Sam’s Red Robin simply became Red Robin. The restaurant was transformed from the tavern into the first Red Robin^® restaurant.  The restaurant was 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 a 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 Red Robin’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.

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.

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 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 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 its Unbridled culture by hosting a Freckled Lemonade® Stand in Times Square, which included distributing its signature Bottomless Beverage™ and Metro subway cards to tourists for free.
    
2006: Red Robin’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, Katie Scherping, is the recipient of an Outstanding Women in Business Award presented by the National Association of Women Business Owners and 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 at the chain’s annual Leadership Summit 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), a non-profit organization whose mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

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, San Diego, Calif. resident, 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. The burger will be sold in all U.S. Red Robin^® restaurants during the summer of 2008 with 50 cents from every one of his gourmet burgers sold benefiting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children^® (NCMEC). A second edition of the kids’ cookbook will be sold online beginning May 13, 2008 with a minimum of $2 from each cookbook benefiting NCMEC.

Outstanding achievements and marks of success

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Excellence in Advertising on Television (EAT) Award (2007)
Red Robin is selected as a winner of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Excellence in Advertising on Television (EAT) Award, which recognizes advertising excellence in television. Red Robin received the award in the “Best Television Commercial Campaign Over $500 Million” category, based on total system-wide sales.

Colorado Gold Pick Award (2007)
Red Robin’s “The Next Gourmet Burger Kids’ Recipe Contest” is selected as a Gold Pick winner at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Colorado’s award ceremony that celebrates a year of well-executed PR campaigns and components by Colorado professionals during the past year.

Choice in Chains Gold Award (2007)
Red Robin is honored with Restaurants & Institutions’ Choice in Chains Gold Award in the Burger category. Winners are chosen based on the results of a national consumer research survey of U.S. households in the areas of food quality, menu variety, value, service, atmosphere, cleanliness and convenience.

Forty under 40 (2007)
Red Robin’s president and chief executive 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.

Outstanding Women in Business (2006)
Red Robin’s chief financial officer, Katie Scherping, is the recipient of the Outstanding Women in Business Jean Yancey Award in the large business category presented by the National Association of Women Business Owners and the Denver Business Journal. The Award recognizes women who are leaders in their industry and in the community.

Top Company of the Year (2006)
ColoradoBiz magazine has named Red Robin a Top Company of the Year finalist in the retail category. Companies selected must demonstrate strong financial performance, innovation in their industry and community commitment.

Restaurant Neighbor Award (2006)
The National Restaurant Association has recognized Red Robin as a state winner and national finalist of its Restaurant Neighbor Award. Red Robin was honored for its commitment to its local communities, specifically its support of National Fire Prevention Week in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Choice in Chains Gold Award (2006)
Red Robin is honored with Restaurants & Institutions’ Choice in Chains Gold Award in the Burger category. Winners are chosen based on the results of a national consumer research survey of U.S. households in the areas of food quality, menu variety, value, service, atmosphere, cleanliness and convenience.

Web Marketing Association’s Internet Advertising Competition (2006)
The Web Marketing Association awarded Red Robin with the Outstanding Achievement in Internet Advertising for the Red Robin Customizer,^™ which allows guests to customize any Red Robin burger. The annual awards program, now in its seventh year, is produced annually by the Web Marketing Association and has become the premier event for web developers and marketers.

Rocky Mountain News’ Colorado 50 (2006)
The Rocky Mountain News named Red Robin one of its Colorado 50, which recognizes the biggest and best public companies in Colorado. The award takes into account companies’ revenues, market, capitalization, number of employees, net income, and one-year growth in earnings per share for 2005.

Chain of the Year (2005)
Restaurant Hospitality awards Red Robin with its Chain of the Year distinction for its impressive stock performance, same store sales growth and restaurant expansion.

Top 100 Growth Stock Companies (2005)
Business Week names Red Robin on the “Special Report – Hot Growth: Top 100 Growth Stock Companies.” Article mentions companies were included on the list because of talent, teamwork and creativity.

Top 200 Franchise Systems (2005)
Franchise Times names Red Robin on the list of Top 200 Franchise Systems based on worldwide sales.

Choice in Chains Crystal Award (2005)
Red Robin is honored with Restaurants & Institutions’ Choice in Chains Crystal Award in the Burger category. Winners are chosen based on the results of a national consumer research survey of U.S. households in the areas of food quality, menu variety, value, service, atmosphere, cleanliness and convenience.

People and Performance Award (2004)
Nation’s Restaurant News and Coca-Cola^® presented Red Robin with the People and Performance (PAPA) award honoring excellence in Employee Recognition at the annual MUFSO Conference.

Restaurant Neighbor Award (2004)
The Colorado Restaurant Association honored Red Robin with a Restaurant Neighbor Award in its large business category for the state of Colorado. Red Robin was honored for its outstanding work in the communities it serves, specifically focusing on “Burgers with a Heart” in Spokane, Wash.