Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., more commonly known as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews or simply Red Robin, is an American
chain of
casual dining
Restaurants fall into several industry classifications, based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing, as well as the means by which the food is served to the customer. This article mainly describes the situation in the USA, while catego ...
restaurants founded in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington. In 1979, the first franchised Red Robin restaurant was opened in
Yakima
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uni ...
, Washington. Red Robin's headquarters are in Greenwood Village, Colorado. As of August 2020, the company had over 570 restaurants in operation with 90 being operated as a franchise.
History
The original Red Robin stood at the corner of Furhman and Eastlake Avenues E. in Seattle, at the southern end of the
University Bridge. This building dated from 1940 and was first called Sam's Tavern. The owner, Sam, sang in a
barbershop quartet and could frequently be heard singing the song "
When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)
"When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)" is a popular song written, both words and music, by Harry Woods in 1926.
The song became the signature song for singer and actress Lillian Roth, who performed it often during the height ...
." He liked the song so much that he eventually changed the name to Sam's Red Robin.
![Red Robin Bacon Cheeseburger](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Red_Robin_Bacon_Cheeseburger.jpg)
In 1969, local Seattle restaurant entrepreneur Gerry Kingen bought and expanded the restaurant. The business dropped the "Sam's" and became Red Robin. The first restaurant was 1,200 sq ft (110 m
2). It was a favored hangout for
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
students. Kingen continued to operate the location as a tavern for a few years, but later added hamburgers to the menu, eventually giving fans 28 different burgers to choose from, and sales increased.
After ten years of building the Red Robin concept, Kingen decided to franchise it, which proved to be significant in the development of the chain. The chain drew its strength through franchising and through one franchisee in particular. Kingen's association with the company he founded later ended, but the franchising system endured, creating disciples of the gourmet burger format that extended the physical presence and geographic reach of the enterprise far beyond the efforts of its creator.
In 1979, Kingen sold
Michael and Steve Snyder the rights to open a Red Robin in Yakima, Washington, and The Snyder Group Company became Red Robin's first franchisee. In 1980, Red Robin opened a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. In 1983, Red Robin adopted a mascot named Red. In 1985, Red Robin had 175 restaurants when the corporate headquarters was moved from downtown Seattle to
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...
after CEO Kingen sold a controlling interest in Red Robin Corp. to Skylark Corporation of Japan and where Michael Snyder had Red Robin offices. With marginal successes and poor financial performance under Skylark's management, Kingen, then a minority owner, in 1995 stepped back into Red Robin with Michael Snyder to nurse the company back to profitability. In 2000, the company opened its 150th restaurant. The headquarters was moved to the Denver Tech Center. In 2000, Red Robin merged with the Snyder Group, and Snyder became the company's president, chairman, and CEO. Snyder took the company public in 2002.
The first Red Robin in the
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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area opened in 2001 at
Woodfield Mall
Woodfield Mall is a shopping mall located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, United States, at the intersection of Golf Road and Interstate 290. The mall is the largest shopping mall in the state of Illinois, the second la ...
in
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg ( ) is a village mostly in Cook County and partly in DuPage County in northeastern Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 78,723. Schaumburg is around northwest of the Chicago Loop and northwest of O'Hare ...
. Additional locations opened in
Warrenville and
Wheaton that year.
The original Red Robin closed on March 21, 2010, due to prohibitive maintenance costs for the old building. It was demolished on August 28, 2014.
As of the fiscal year 2015, the company had 538 restaurants with a revenue of US$1.25 billion.
[Red Robin Gourmet Burgers 2015 Annual Report]
/ref> To expand their reach, Red Robin added a "simplified" line of restaurants called Red Robin's Burger Works featuring quick service and with locations in Washington, D.C., Illinois, Ohio, and Colorado. These restaurants, launched in 2011, were mostly closed in 2016; three were rebranded as Red Robin Express to differentiate them from full-service locations.
On December 2, 2018, Michael Snyder died by suicide.
In September 2019, Paul J.B. Murphy III was appointed president, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Company's Board of Directors, effective October 3, 2019.
In October 2019, the company announced plans to close its five locations in Alberta, Canada, by early December.
See also
* List of casual dining restaurant chains
This is a list of casual dining restaurant chains around the world, arranged in alphabetical order. A casual dining restaurant is a restaurant that serves moderately priced food in a casual atmosphere. Except for buffet-style restaurants and, mor ...
* List of hamburger restaurants
This is a list of notable hamburger restaurants. A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked patties of ground meat (usually beef) usually placed inside a sliced hamburger bun. Hamburgers are often served with lettuce, bacon, tom ...
References
External links
*
{{Restaurants in Seattle
1969 establishments in Washington (state)
Companies based in Greenwood Village, Colorado
Companies listed on the Nasdaq
Hamburger restaurants
Restaurant chains in the United States
Restaurants established in 1969
Restaurants in Colorado
Restaurants in Seattle
2002 initial public offerings