WEBVTT - Red Robin’s Food and Service Fuel Turnaround

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Chopping It Up. I'm your host, Mike Hallen,

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<v Speaker 1>the senior restaurant and food service analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

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<v Speaker 1>Today we're joined by G. J. Hart, President and CEO

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<v Speaker 1>of Red Robin Gourmet Bergers. Thanks for doing this, Thanks Mike.

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<v Speaker 2>Good to be with you.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, our audience can't see us, but it's good to

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<v Speaker 1>see you. Let's let's just jump right in here. Man,

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<v Speaker 1>what attracted you to the Red Robin job.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, let's let's go back in time a little bit

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<v Speaker 2>when when we were building and growing Texas Roadhouse, Red

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<v Speaker 2>Robin was in it's really in its prime time and

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<v Speaker 2>was really one of the premier casual dining restaurant brands,

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<v Speaker 2>and we learned a lot in terms of what they

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<v Speaker 2>were doing and doing it well. And the biggest thing

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<v Speaker 2>is just how the differentiated space about kids, family, great food,

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<v Speaker 2>great hospitality, reasonable price, and so following them, I've always

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<v Speaker 2>had an affection form. They were phenomenal around being parts

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<v Speaker 2>of communities, giving back to communities, all things that we

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<v Speaker 2>were doing at Texas Roadhouse, and so roll forward over

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<v Speaker 2>the years, I was asked if I would be interested

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<v Speaker 2>in going on the board of Red Robin at the time,

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<v Speaker 2>and that was in twenty nineteen and right before COVID,

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<v Speaker 2>and I was like, you know, if I could make

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<v Speaker 2>some difference because they were, you know, hit upon some

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<v Speaker 2>challenging times and I thought, well, shoot, I'd like to

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<v Speaker 2>do that. And so going on the board first. And

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<v Speaker 2>then when the board approached me about the opportunity to

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<v Speaker 2>take over. You know, I had been retired for about

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<v Speaker 2>six months at the time, nine total, and I was like,

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<v Speaker 2>I was ready. I was too young to not work

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<v Speaker 2>and sitting boards is great and I love it, but

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<v Speaker 2>it's not the same as operating a business. And so

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of things lined up really, really well, and

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<v Speaker 2>so I jumped in because I just felt like I

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<v Speaker 2>could add some value here and really take this brand

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<v Speaker 2>back and make it come back to its roots and

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<v Speaker 2>make it relevant for today. So it's been an exciting run.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm having a heck of a lot of fun.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, good stuff. I saw some news out this week.

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<v Speaker 1>Our friend Nicole Miller Reagan was placed on the board,

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<v Speaker 1>which is great. Nicole's awesome. What about the senior management team?

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<v Speaker 1>Are they in place or do you still have roles

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<v Speaker 1>to fill there?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So we've done We've put together a phenomenal team.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm really proud of the group that we've put together.

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<v Speaker 2>And the one position that we have left, we've got

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<v Speaker 2>an interim who was my former chief people officer Texas

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<v Speaker 2>Roadhouse who retired and he came back as interim, and

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<v Speaker 2>we're on the final stages of that search. We've actually

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<v Speaker 2>got an offer out and there'll be an acceptance I'm

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<v Speaker 2>pretty sure for the Chief People Office role and then

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<v Speaker 2>we'll be totally complete. But the team is definitely ready,

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<v Speaker 2>willing and enable, and we're high functioning and I believe

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<v Speaker 2>that we're going to get some high performance out of them.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, good stuff. So just for the audience that may

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<v Speaker 1>not be familiar, what's the store count now Red Robin

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<v Speaker 1>and where is it strong geographically?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so the store count today is a total count

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<v Speaker 2>of five hundred and ten restaurants. Our strongest markets are

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<v Speaker 2>up really on the West coast. Red Robin was originally

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<v Speaker 2>founded up in Washington State, so we've got a big

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<v Speaker 2>pros big presence up in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and

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<v Speaker 2>of course you know on the East coast as well.

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<v Speaker 2>We're probably a little bit lesser density in the Midwest.

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<v Speaker 2>We've got a good presence in the Southwest, but clearly

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<v Speaker 2>the West Coast is the predominant portion of Red robin.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh okay, So being on the West Coast, do you

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<v Speaker 1>think you're going to see any impact from the for

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<v Speaker 1>the fast food wage increases that we're we're seeing in California?

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<v Speaker 1>I know there have been some people talking about how,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, they expect maybe full service chains to have

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<v Speaker 1>to pay a little bit more in the kitchen. Is

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<v Speaker 1>this something that that you've discussed with the team.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we're we're paying attention to it. Clearly, there'll be

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<v Speaker 2>some compression and there'll be some expectations. You know, generally speaking,

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<v Speaker 2>if you think about our team members on the West Coast,

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<v Speaker 2>particularly in places that there's no tip credit, they're they're

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<v Speaker 2>well above that now in terms of total compensation. But

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<v Speaker 2>at the end of the day, as you know, there's

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<v Speaker 2>an expectation and as those positions in fast food go up,

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<v Speaker 2>that they're going to need to go up as well.

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<v Speaker 2>So you know, we're going to watch it real closely

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<v Speaker 2>and see kind of what's what what's the right course

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<v Speaker 2>of action. It's not just about just taking price because

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<v Speaker 2>you know, as you know, the consumers ever more sensitive

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<v Speaker 2>today to price, So we'll we'll watch it and we'll see.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so who is the the Red Robin customer.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's interesting our our our guest base is pretty

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<v Speaker 2>wide and demographics pretty wide, so you get, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>a varied income. It tends to skew a little bit

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<v Speaker 2>more female generally, which is not surprising candidly although it

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<v Speaker 2>being Burgers being premiere, but we do skew that way.

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<v Speaker 2>And and it's a pretty wide spectrum from everything from

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<v Speaker 2>your from your hard working sort of you know, Middle

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<v Speaker 2>America high income folks to two people that are that

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<v Speaker 2>are at the high income levels. So that's the benefit

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<v Speaker 2>that we do have because we're so family and kid

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<v Speaker 2>centric that it allows people to come in and as

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<v Speaker 2>they are and feel comfortable in the Red Robin no

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<v Speaker 2>matter what walk of life that you're in.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, my son, when he was younger, you always loved

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<v Speaker 1>the place. And I am a huge fan of the

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<v Speaker 1>onion rings too. So uh so I was answering too. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>all right, cool, why don't we talk a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>about the guest experience improvements? You know, all good turnarounds

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<v Speaker 1>start with better food and better service. Right, so if

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<v Speaker 1>you could talk a little bit about the improvements that

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<v Speaker 1>the team's made there.

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<v Speaker 2>So we put together a plan that I really developed

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<v Speaker 2>with all the different stakeholders, different folks around the company,

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<v Speaker 2>just to realign ourselves on what our north star would

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<v Speaker 2>be and what's that overall mission vision and brand promise

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<v Speaker 2>and over our core values. And we came up with

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<v Speaker 2>this north Star plan and the first part of that

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<v Speaker 2>plan was was around people and culture and you have

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<v Speaker 2>to start there. And what had happened with Red Robin

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<v Speaker 2>over the years, and I've talked about this a lot,

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<v Speaker 2>is there were some decisions made for whatever reason that

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<v Speaker 2>clearly were not good for the overall guests, nor was

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<v Speaker 2>it good for the team ember things like getting rid

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<v Speaker 2>of bussers back in twenty eighteen and started to do

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<v Speaker 2>away with the expo the need for a senior person

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<v Speaker 2>in the expo window, or not having a true management complement,

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<v Speaker 2>more generalists and not have kitchen managers or service managers,

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<v Speaker 2>and then really challenged by COVID and staffing challenges in

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<v Speaker 2>some of the decisions made made it verally challenging for

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<v Speaker 2>the company, and so we really started to look back

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<v Speaker 2>at the basics around that first started with management compliment,

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<v Speaker 2>put back our certified training, restaurants started to go back

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<v Speaker 2>to kitchen managers. We've put over two hundred and fifty

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<v Speaker 2>kitchen managers in place in addition to what we already had.

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<v Speaker 2>And when I say already had, some of the restaurants

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<v Speaker 2>did not follow suit with some of the sort of

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<v Speaker 2>changes that came down from the corporation. So we started there,

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<v Speaker 2>and then we started really building up our staff. And

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<v Speaker 2>one of the things that had happened in the hospitality

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<v Speaker 2>model was it was more of a team approach, and

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<v Speaker 2>in and of itself, that's fine. So you had server

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<v Speaker 2>assistants and so servers were having many more cables and

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<v Speaker 2>if a server assistant or you had a staffing problem,

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<v Speaker 2>which as you know, coming through COVID was close, but

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<v Speaker 2>then even coming back was challenging. Now all of a sudden,

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<v Speaker 2>a server can't possibly service our guests when they have

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<v Speaker 2>ten tables and so without the proper services. So we've

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<v Speaker 2>gone more to a traditional model, less tables for servers,

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<v Speaker 2>added back busters, added back to the expos stations with management.

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<v Speaker 2>So we started there and that was first and foremost,

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<v Speaker 2>and then we started working on the food as the

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<v Speaker 2>second piece of it. And on the food front, we

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<v Speaker 2>changed the cooking process for gourmet burgers because I asked

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<v Speaker 2>the question, if our brand promise is about the best

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<v Speaker 2>gourmet burgers, are we convinced we could do that with

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<v Speaker 2>the what we're doing today And the answer is no.

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<v Speaker 2>And so we started looking back and Jeff Brian, our chef,

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<v Speaker 2>and I started working on what makes the most sense,

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<v Speaker 2>and we changed the whole system to flat top cooking.

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<v Speaker 2>So we got rid of the nico the belt driven

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<v Speaker 2>ovens that gives us not only a better burger, it's bigger,

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<v Speaker 2>it's juicier, all those kind of things. It actually helped

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<v Speaker 2>efficiency as well as it us more optionality for menu

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<v Speaker 2>development down the road, which is a big part of

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<v Speaker 2>our plan in the North Star plant anyway. So I'm

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<v Speaker 2>pleased to say that in that whole process, the hospitality

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<v Speaker 2>piece has come through. Been in the system the longest,

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<v Speaker 2>so we've seen our overall net sentiment for service has

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<v Speaker 2>gone up twenty eight percent. So if you serve all

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<v Speaker 2>the social data points, I mean, twenty eight percent increase

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<v Speaker 2>over this period of time is really I think terrific.

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<v Speaker 2>The food is coming now. We did the change mid

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<v Speaker 2>year for the flat tops, but we actually in the fall.

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<v Speaker 2>We just just recently launched our full menu with where

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<v Speaker 2>we've touched eighty five percent of the menu and we've

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<v Speaker 2>upgraded ingredients. So we've done things like improve our bund

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<v Speaker 2>we've improved our mayonnaise. We've improved our going from a

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<v Speaker 2>regular tomato to a vying ripened tomato. We've improved our bacon,

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<v Speaker 2>we've improved all of our sauces, so we've touched almost

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<v Speaker 2>every part of it. And that was launched just a

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<v Speaker 2>few weeks ago and that's doing really really well, and

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<v Speaker 2>we're super excited about people really seeing the difference in

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<v Speaker 2>our burgers and seeing the difference in our optionality on

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<v Speaker 2>the menu because we've added clentres, meaning we've added Whiskey

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<v Speaker 2>River barbecue ribs, we've had a tsunami shrimp, we've added

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<v Speaker 2>a non fried appetizers with the shrimp, and then we've

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<v Speaker 2>added Brussels sprouts and some additions like that that help

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<v Speaker 2>us to really have more optionality, less veto vote for

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<v Speaker 2>the guests, and so those are the type of things

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<v Speaker 2>that we're doing. We've still got a long way to go.

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<v Speaker 2>But first, the first hospitality service and people. Now it's

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<v Speaker 2>going into food and we're working. We're pretty excited about

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<v Speaker 2>what we're doing for twenty twenty four.

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<v Speaker 1>Good stuff. And you revamped the market partner program. Can

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<v Speaker 1>you speak to that, sure?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, the company was had typical general managers that had

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<v Speaker 2>a base salary and a bonus opportunity, and bonuses were

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<v Speaker 2>changed each year based on the prior and I'm not

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<v Speaker 2>a big fan of that because a lot of times

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<v Speaker 2>you tend to leave out the guest experience right at

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<v Speaker 2>the end of the day, growing guest traffic and sales

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<v Speaker 2>as a result of people doing the right thing, and

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<v Speaker 2>if you take care of the people, they take care

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<v Speaker 2>of your guests. And so you know, going to a

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<v Speaker 2>managing partner compensation program where they really get paid each

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<v Speaker 2>month based on their success of their restaurant, to me

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<v Speaker 2>makes sense. It gets that sense of ownership, that pride factor.

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<v Speaker 2>They become very much involved in every aspect of their

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<v Speaker 2>business and they become business people, not just great restaurant operators.

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<v Speaker 2>And so we launched it for our multi unit midyear

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<v Speaker 2>this year and it's going extremely well. And we started

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<v Speaker 2>there so that we can learn and adjust. When you

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<v Speaker 2>have a big restaurant count like we do having done

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<v Speaker 2>this before. It takes a while and it's difficult to

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<v Speaker 2>implement a system like this in a big, big number

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<v Speaker 2>of restaurants. So we started there great learning and our

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<v Speaker 2>plan is through and we will be rolling out the

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<v Speaker 2>managing Partner program right after the first of the year.

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<v Speaker 2>And we're excited about it because, you know, we think

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<v Speaker 2>it's really going to move the brand forward with that

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<v Speaker 2>sense of ownership and pride.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, very cool. And you mentioned that customer experience is

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<v Speaker 1>included in there, so you know a lot of these

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<v Speaker 1>programs people are comped out based on sales, so it

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<v Speaker 1>sounds like you have some customer service scores involved in

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<v Speaker 1>the compensation structure.

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<v Speaker 2>No, it'll be solely around guest traffic, sales, and profitability. However,

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<v Speaker 2>you can't drive sales or profitability or traffic without really

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<v Speaker 2>having a great guest experience. So the idea is you

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<v Speaker 2>share all these operators, share best practices from it, what's working,

0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:47.199
<v Speaker 2>what's not, and they tend to be competitive with each

0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:50.280
<v Speaker 2>other in terms of things like guest satisfaction scores. But

0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:54.199
<v Speaker 2>all of it flows back that it's about being running

0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:56.000
<v Speaker 2>a business, and you know, Mike if you're running your

0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:58.480
<v Speaker 2>own business, if you take care of your people, they're

0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:00.640
<v Speaker 2>going to take care of your business. So that's that's

0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:01.600
<v Speaker 2>the idea here.

0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:06.959
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, for sure, you know, customer service scores and speed

0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.040
<v Speaker 1>of service and all that stuff is so closely linked

0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:13.120
<v Speaker 1>to traffic obviously, totally, totally, all very cool. And so

0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:16.440
<v Speaker 1>you're also going to implement the single unit operator program.

0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:18.400
<v Speaker 1>Is that going to be similar to what you implemented

0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:19.959
<v Speaker 1>at Texas Roadhouse and Torches?

0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:24.720
<v Speaker 2>It will be similar. All the dynamics are different for

0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:28.160
<v Speaker 2>each brand, but yes, it would very much be similar

0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:28.400
<v Speaker 2>to that.

0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:33.960
<v Speaker 1>Okay, great, And you're making some changes to the loyalty program.

0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:39.040
<v Speaker 1>A lot of people in the restaurant industry are making

0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:41.319
<v Speaker 1>some changes right now, So can you speak to that

0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:41.800
<v Speaker 1>a little bit?

0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:47.520
<v Speaker 2>Sure, Well, we do have a big, big loyalty base.

0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:51.199
<v Speaker 2>It's they're about thirteen and a half million members, and.

0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:52.560
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's strong for them.

0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:58.080
<v Speaker 2>It is strong, and we're still gaining. The loyalty platform

0:13:58.160 --> 0:14:02.520
<v Speaker 2>has historically in my pay and being focused on maybe

0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:05.560
<v Speaker 2>not the right thing to me. Loyalties about rewarding your

0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:08.760
<v Speaker 2>most loyal guests for frequency and for being loyal to

0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:12.240
<v Speaker 2>the brand versus trying to acquire new and then give

0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:18.240
<v Speaker 2>them ongoing discounts and ongoing promotional activities. So we're going

0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:21.280
<v Speaker 2>to flip that and really start to reward our most

0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.440
<v Speaker 2>loyal guests. And we're going to go to a point

0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:27.840
<v Speaker 2>based system versus what we have today where you've got

0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:30.600
<v Speaker 2>to get nine, you get to ten free. So the

0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:34.040
<v Speaker 2>points where it's more in real time and we think

0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.880
<v Speaker 2>makes more sense for our guests going down. And we'll

0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:41.080
<v Speaker 2>get that launched and sort of the first half of

0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:46.240
<v Speaker 2>next year, and we're super excited about it. What we've

0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:50.840
<v Speaker 2>learned is the company was really messaging mostly discount promotionals

0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:53.960
<v Speaker 2>to the loyalty base. And what we want to do

0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:56.840
<v Speaker 2>is start just having a dialogue and start to individualize

0:14:56.880 --> 0:14:59.720
<v Speaker 2>that communication that we can do with our guest base.

0:15:00.440 --> 0:15:03.280
<v Speaker 2>That'll tap longer term into how we can communicate on

0:15:03.360 --> 0:15:06.720
<v Speaker 2>an individual basis. So we're super excited. It is a

0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:08.840
<v Speaker 2>big asset of the company. We think it's we can

0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:12.720
<v Speaker 2>lever it the right way, tell our story more successfully

0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:18.760
<v Speaker 2>that way, and I'm really liking the path that we're on. Great.

0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.200
<v Speaker 1>So you know, on your earnings call, you mentioned that

0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:26.400
<v Speaker 1>you saw a shift and that from September to October

0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:35.040
<v Speaker 1>and results had improved despite student loan repayments resuming, And

0:15:35.440 --> 0:15:37.680
<v Speaker 1>we kind of saw the same thing industry wide. You

0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:40.480
<v Speaker 1>may have your improvement may have been larger than the industry,

0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:44.400
<v Speaker 1>but we did see some improvement in October industry wide

0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:47.560
<v Speaker 1>that we we thought was a little bit surprising. What

0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:50.520
<v Speaker 1>do you you know, what are you seeing as there?

0:15:50.880 --> 0:15:52.320
<v Speaker 1>You know, and what did you think was the main

0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:54.640
<v Speaker 1>reason for that improvement in October?

0:15:55.760 --> 0:15:59.280
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So in our case, we're making a lot of

0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:03.560
<v Speaker 2>changes we just talked about, from management, hospitality to food.

0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:07.400
<v Speaker 2>We're doing so much that we think that we're going

0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:09.840
<v Speaker 2>to see and are seeing effects of that as a

0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:14.960
<v Speaker 2>result of our change. The current bigger picture or macro environment,

0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:21.000
<v Speaker 2>it's hard to say and ascertain exactly, you know, how

0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:23.320
<v Speaker 2>much is coming from where given all the change that

0:16:23.360 --> 0:16:26.480
<v Speaker 2>we've got, But nevertheless, we'll take it right and so

0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:30.320
<v Speaker 2>so feeling good about that. And Mike, you may have read,

0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:33.040
<v Speaker 2>you know, we had negative comp for the quarter. We

0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:36.640
<v Speaker 2>signaled that it was within expectations because again we were

0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:39.560
<v Speaker 2>making some decisions to get ourselves out of virtual brands,

0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:41.960
<v Speaker 2>because to focus on the brand long term. The Red

0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:44.800
<v Speaker 2>Robin brand we think that's the right decision. Well, that's

0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:47.480
<v Speaker 2>you know, that definitely comes at at a price. We

0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:52.560
<v Speaker 2>have gone away from all this deep discounting in every

0:16:52.640 --> 0:16:56.080
<v Speaker 2>channel to be and focused on brand development long term

0:16:56.480 --> 0:16:59.480
<v Speaker 2>in providing our guests and experience they can count on

0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:02.000
<v Speaker 2>day in, day out, and that comes with the price.

0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:04.480
<v Speaker 2>So we had all those things on top of, you know,

0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.280
<v Speaker 2>within all this noise. So there's just a lot in

0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:10.760
<v Speaker 2>terms of us analyzing, you know, just the macro environment

0:17:10.760 --> 0:17:13.680
<v Speaker 2>in and of itself. What I would say to you though, is,

0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:18.520
<v Speaker 2>you know, I've been pretty pretty surprised how resilient the

0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:22.960
<v Speaker 2>overall consumer has been and continues to be, because you know,

0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:25.040
<v Speaker 2>if you really look at some of these economic trends,

0:17:25.280 --> 0:17:27.800
<v Speaker 2>you know, we feel certain things and things are not

0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:31.879
<v Speaker 2>necessarily perfect, but generally speaking, people have more money and

0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:37.320
<v Speaker 2>more disposable money to spend. So I've been pretty surprised

0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:40.760
<v Speaker 2>at how resilient they've been. So hopefully that continues and

0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:43.400
<v Speaker 2>and and then as we make our changes, we'll benefit

0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:45.560
<v Speaker 2>and really be able to grow our business.

0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:49.919
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and it looked like investors were happy with with

0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:52.840
<v Speaker 1>the earnings report even though you know, same sort of sales.

0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:54.800
<v Speaker 1>One thing went down, So it seems like they're they're

0:17:54.840 --> 0:17:57.520
<v Speaker 1>bullish on you know, these changes that you're making and

0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:01.280
<v Speaker 1>the direction that Red Robin is moving in. Back in August,

0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:04.199
<v Speaker 1>last time I saw you at the prosper conference, you know,

0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:06.720
<v Speaker 1>you know, we were chatting it up and I was

0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:09.440
<v Speaker 1>telling you how I was surprised how find dining results

0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:12.560
<v Speaker 1>had been so poor this year. That was probably the

0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:16.520
<v Speaker 1>biggest surprise I've had, you know, throughout the industry. Is

0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:20.800
<v Speaker 1>there anything that's surprising you about the US consumer outside

0:18:20.800 --> 0:18:23.879
<v Speaker 1>of it being resilient, you know, and whatever else you

0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:25.119
<v Speaker 1>had already spoken about.

0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:28.800
<v Speaker 2>Now, you know America, American consumers like to spend right,

0:18:28.880 --> 0:18:30.560
<v Speaker 2>So at the end of the day, I don't know

0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:35.159
<v Speaker 2>that I'm surprised, I say it. You know, I'm a

0:18:35.200 --> 0:18:37.919
<v Speaker 2>little bit surprised, as I just pointed out, But at

0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:41.440
<v Speaker 2>the end of the day, that's good news. So yeah,

0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:45.200
<v Speaker 2>you know, if there was an overriding concern, I think

0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:49.800
<v Speaker 2>it's really centered around more of the geopolitical situation and

0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:52.479
<v Speaker 2>just you know, how does that because it definitely affects

0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:56.240
<v Speaker 2>people at home, and I think that that that worries

0:18:56.280 --> 0:18:58.320
<v Speaker 2>me a bit. There's obviously nothing I can do about it,

0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:01.840
<v Speaker 2>but it is something that h that that they do

0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:03.600
<v Speaker 2>think about. But at the end of the day, now

0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:06.560
<v Speaker 2>there's no no huge surprises of the then how resilient

0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:06.960
<v Speaker 2>they are?

0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:13.000
<v Speaker 1>Okay, good stuff and uh you like another one of

0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:18.680
<v Speaker 1>your h casual dining competitors made the move to cut

0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:22.600
<v Speaker 1>back on discounting, and I think that's important. I don't

0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:26.239
<v Speaker 1>think you want to train your customers to only come

0:19:26.280 --> 0:19:29.080
<v Speaker 1>to your restaurant when you're offering some sort of a discount.

0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:31.840
<v Speaker 1>So can you talk about how that's gone and how

0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:36.879
<v Speaker 1>it's going, and you know how this maybe uh you

0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:41.920
<v Speaker 1>know might impact your your decision to about how you're

0:19:41.920 --> 0:19:43.760
<v Speaker 1>going to deploy marketing spend and if you're going to

0:19:43.800 --> 0:19:45.600
<v Speaker 1>increase it or to decrease it over the next year.

0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:49.280
<v Speaker 2>Well, let me let me unpack that a little bit.

0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:51.679
<v Speaker 2>And in terms of how it's going, it's going fine.

0:19:51.800 --> 0:19:56.040
<v Speaker 2>I think to the to build a brand successfully over time,

0:19:56.280 --> 0:20:01.639
<v Speaker 2>you need to provide guests uh uh, the ability to

0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:03.919
<v Speaker 2>know exactly what they're going to get when they're that

0:20:04.080 --> 0:20:06.000
<v Speaker 2>every time they come in they're going to get that

0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:08.959
<v Speaker 2>same type of experience. And sure there's times you want

0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:11.399
<v Speaker 2>to promote certain things, but not just to come in

0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:15.280
<v Speaker 2>as a result of some discount. So it's going fine. Guys,

0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:17.520
<v Speaker 2>we just talked about you know, we felt it in

0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:20.240
<v Speaker 2>terms of sales and traffic a little bit, but we're

0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:22.880
<v Speaker 2>going to roll over that. And last year the company

0:20:22.920 --> 0:20:25.600
<v Speaker 2>was really throwing a lot at all the different channels

0:20:25.600 --> 0:20:28.800
<v Speaker 2>and really discounting significantly. So as we roll over that,

0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:31.560
<v Speaker 2>we'll get through that. And I do believe with the

0:20:31.640 --> 0:20:34.119
<v Speaker 2>changes that we're making, people are experience. We're seeing it

0:20:34.160 --> 0:20:37.159
<v Speaker 2>and the feedback that we're seeing as I just mentioned

0:20:37.200 --> 0:20:40.280
<v Speaker 2>some of the consumer sentiment data, some of the overall

0:20:40.520 --> 0:20:43.919
<v Speaker 2>experience data that we're getting is showing that they see that.

0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:48.200
<v Speaker 2>So I think all in all, we're feeling really good

0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:51.199
<v Speaker 2>about the progression that we're making and the progress that

0:20:51.240 --> 0:20:54.359
<v Speaker 2>we've seen so fully intent and we're optimistic about the

0:20:54.359 --> 0:20:59.320
<v Speaker 2>future here in terms of marketing spend, let me just

0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:01.679
<v Speaker 2>do with that. One of the things I want to

0:21:01.720 --> 0:21:05.400
<v Speaker 2>just say about marketing spend is we're really unpacking and

0:21:05.440 --> 0:21:07.760
<v Speaker 2>really taking a look at how do we how do

0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:11.200
<v Speaker 2>we use our dollars to be more effective than maybe

0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:14.200
<v Speaker 2>what we've been in the past, being very laser focused,

0:21:14.440 --> 0:21:17.880
<v Speaker 2>being more community oriented, really targeting as We just talked

0:21:17.880 --> 0:21:21.240
<v Speaker 2>about loyalty and using those platforms to make our dollars

0:21:21.280 --> 0:21:23.840
<v Speaker 2>work that much harder for us, and we think we

0:21:23.880 --> 0:21:25.440
<v Speaker 2>can do that. So at the end of the day,

0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:28.160
<v Speaker 2>will we need to spend a little bit more. We've

0:21:28.160 --> 0:21:30.200
<v Speaker 2>talked about that, We've been asked quite a bit of that.

0:21:30.359 --> 0:21:32.720
<v Speaker 2>We're going to make the right decision because we need

0:21:32.760 --> 0:21:35.800
<v Speaker 2>to bust through to get people to understand it. There's

0:21:35.840 --> 0:21:38.359
<v Speaker 2>a new day here at Red Robin and this comeback

0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:41.320
<v Speaker 2>is real. We're bringing it relevant to today and just

0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:44.960
<v Speaker 2>come give us a shot. So we're kind of figuring

0:21:44.960 --> 0:21:49.040
<v Speaker 2>out exactly how best to do that, and then from there,

0:21:49.040 --> 0:21:50.840
<v Speaker 2>what's the level of investment. It's not going to be

0:21:50.880 --> 0:21:54.239
<v Speaker 2>significantly different than what we've done this year, but you know,

0:21:54.280 --> 0:21:56.920
<v Speaker 2>this year we've we've cut back the marketing spend to

0:21:56.960 --> 0:22:00.800
<v Speaker 2>focus on operations. Get that right. First, you've invested a

0:22:00.800 --> 0:22:04.280
<v Speaker 2>tremendous amount back into the business and we've talked about

0:22:04.320 --> 0:22:06.920
<v Speaker 2>that on our last earnings call. How many millions of

0:22:06.960 --> 0:22:10.399
<v Speaker 2>dollars we've invested back into the company with all the

0:22:10.400 --> 0:22:12.879
<v Speaker 2>food investments, in the labor investments and all those things.

0:22:12.920 --> 0:22:15.959
<v Speaker 2>So more to come on that, but at the end

0:22:16.000 --> 0:22:18.080
<v Speaker 2>of the day, we think marketing dollars, we can spend

0:22:18.119 --> 0:22:19.000
<v Speaker 2>a lot more effectively.

0:22:19.960 --> 0:22:22.760
<v Speaker 1>Okay, great, Now, are you you shifting your mix of

0:22:22.920 --> 0:22:25.719
<v Speaker 1>traditional versus digital ad spending in the next year or two?

0:22:26.280 --> 0:22:30.119
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you know, clearly, you know the whole we're going

0:22:30.200 --> 0:22:32.920
<v Speaker 2>to have less traditional and more digital. You know, I

0:22:33.000 --> 0:22:35.520
<v Speaker 2>think that's the way of the way it is today.

0:22:35.680 --> 0:22:38.520
<v Speaker 2>Long term, it's how do we communicate and understand enough

0:22:38.560 --> 0:22:41.600
<v Speaker 2>about each individual guest to be able to communicate them

0:22:42.160 --> 0:22:44.520
<v Speaker 2>on a one on one level. We're not there yet,

0:22:44.560 --> 0:22:46.919
<v Speaker 2>but we think longer term we can get there with

0:22:47.000 --> 0:22:49.439
<v Speaker 2>some of those changes, and that's when they real magic

0:22:49.480 --> 0:22:52.040
<v Speaker 2>can happen. Is Hey, Mike, you came in, you know,

0:22:52.119 --> 0:22:54.080
<v Speaker 2>last week and you got X, Y and Z. Would

0:22:54.280 --> 0:22:57.040
<v Speaker 2>you know, would you like to try the same thing

0:22:57.119 --> 0:22:59.159
<v Speaker 2>or would you like to try something new? And you know,

0:22:59.200 --> 0:23:01.199
<v Speaker 2>those kinds of relations and hips will be important and

0:23:01.280 --> 0:23:04.840
<v Speaker 2>through the total guest experience, people want to know, want

0:23:04.880 --> 0:23:06.720
<v Speaker 2>to feel special, and we need to be able to

0:23:06.760 --> 0:23:09.440
<v Speaker 2>do that in a fun environment where they can come

0:23:09.480 --> 0:23:11.280
<v Speaker 2>as they are, and that's what we're going to do.

0:23:12.600 --> 0:23:16.639
<v Speaker 1>Okay, great. Also, uh, you know, you got you have

0:23:16.680 --> 0:23:18.679
<v Speaker 1>a lot of a lot of moving pieces. Man, you

0:23:18.680 --> 0:23:21.240
<v Speaker 1>have an ambitious plan. It's it's great because it's all

0:23:21.280 --> 0:23:24.760
<v Speaker 1>stuff that makes a lot of sense and seems to

0:23:24.800 --> 0:23:28.399
<v Speaker 1>be gaining some uh, gaining some steam. But can you

0:23:28.400 --> 0:23:31.920
<v Speaker 1>talk about the renovation plans a little bit? I mean,

0:23:31.960 --> 0:23:34.640
<v Speaker 1>what what what percentage of the stores do you expect

0:23:34.640 --> 0:23:38.280
<v Speaker 1>to touch and how long do you expect it to take?

0:23:39.040 --> 0:23:42.480
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, the when when you talk renovation, why don't we

0:23:42.560 --> 0:23:46.800
<v Speaker 2>just say this coming out of COVID as many restaurant

0:23:46.800 --> 0:23:51.280
<v Speaker 2>companies struggle to keep up with just general maintenance.

0:23:51.320 --> 0:23:53.360
<v Speaker 1>And oh yeah, R and M is up for all

0:23:53.440 --> 0:23:54.720
<v Speaker 1>my companies, this yere.

0:23:55.200 --> 0:24:00.000
<v Speaker 2>And and so to be candid, we're actually, I won't

0:24:00.000 --> 0:24:03.480
<v Speaker 2>say they're all renovations, but we're spending the bulk of

0:24:03.520 --> 0:24:06.160
<v Speaker 2>our capital dollars going back to get our restaurants where

0:24:06.200 --> 0:24:09.800
<v Speaker 2>we need them to be just day to day operationally

0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:15.200
<v Speaker 2>and looking right. And so we're spending tremendous, tremendous amounts

0:24:15.240 --> 0:24:18.200
<v Speaker 2>of dollars. Having said that, we also know, as we've

0:24:18.200 --> 0:24:23.160
<v Speaker 2>got an aging an aging fleet, we need to think

0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:26.320
<v Speaker 2>about what does that remodel look like. And we've announced

0:24:26.359 --> 0:24:28.800
<v Speaker 2>that we were going to do a few restaurants in

0:24:28.840 --> 0:24:31.960
<v Speaker 2>a couple of markets to see kind of what level

0:24:32.000 --> 0:24:34.359
<v Speaker 2>of investment we need to make and what kind of

0:24:34.400 --> 0:24:38.199
<v Speaker 2>returns that we can get a good return. So we haven't.

0:24:39.520 --> 0:24:42.560
<v Speaker 2>We're actually doing the plans now. We will actually do

0:24:42.640 --> 0:24:44.760
<v Speaker 2>some of the work for those renovations in the first

0:24:44.920 --> 0:24:47.959
<v Speaker 2>part of next year and then we'll monitor those aside

0:24:47.960 --> 0:24:51.280
<v Speaker 2>from there. But again, there's so many uses of our capital.

0:24:51.320 --> 0:24:55.040
<v Speaker 2>We're trying to be really effective here, and so the

0:24:55.119 --> 0:24:58.880
<v Speaker 2>remodel program in the way you're thinking about it will

0:24:58.920 --> 0:25:02.800
<v Speaker 2>take numerous years for us to do as we earn more.

0:25:02.840 --> 0:25:04.760
<v Speaker 2>It's like I tell people, this is we need to

0:25:04.800 --> 0:25:07.639
<v Speaker 2>earn our way, and that's what we're doing and reinvesting

0:25:07.720 --> 0:25:10.760
<v Speaker 2>that capital to make sure that we're not just doing

0:25:10.760 --> 0:25:12.840
<v Speaker 2>it and just food quality. We're also making sure the

0:25:12.920 --> 0:25:17.480
<v Speaker 2>facilities are right and giving our team members the assets

0:25:17.520 --> 0:25:19.280
<v Speaker 2>and something that they can work with.

0:25:19.920 --> 0:25:22.119
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you're doing it the right way, because you know,

0:25:22.200 --> 0:25:24.960
<v Speaker 1>if you spend a lot of money on ads and

0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:28.560
<v Speaker 1>renovating your stores before you get the operations nailed and

0:25:28.600 --> 0:25:32.159
<v Speaker 1>the food improved, what's the point, right, So yeah, that

0:25:32.240 --> 0:25:36.359
<v Speaker 1>makes a whole lot of sense. Do you do your

0:25:36.920 --> 0:25:41.920
<v Speaker 1>stores employee server handhelds and are there any other tech

0:25:42.000 --> 0:25:45.800
<v Speaker 1>enhancements that that you're interested in implementing.

0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:49.680
<v Speaker 2>So again, it's sort of back to basics here, and

0:25:49.760 --> 0:25:53.760
<v Speaker 2>we do use handhelds, but to be to be candid,

0:25:53.880 --> 0:25:56.359
<v Speaker 2>we're upgrading all of our restaurants. Will have done here

0:25:56.480 --> 0:25:58.680
<v Speaker 2>very shortly where we'd have Wi Fi in every restaurant

0:25:59.119 --> 0:26:01.960
<v Speaker 2>and so metch of the handhelds that we currently are

0:26:02.080 --> 0:26:04.679
<v Speaker 2>using our radio frequency and kind of the old way.

0:26:05.160 --> 0:26:08.560
<v Speaker 2>And we are working now to plan to uh to

0:26:08.640 --> 0:26:11.760
<v Speaker 2>have handhelds with with Wi Fi and the restaurants. And

0:26:11.960 --> 0:26:17.240
<v Speaker 2>we're currently taking our infrastructure and updating all of it

0:26:17.359 --> 0:26:21.800
<v Speaker 2>so that we can be so in this century, if

0:26:21.800 --> 0:26:26.480
<v Speaker 2>you will. And so I tell people, first things first,

0:26:26.480 --> 0:26:28.960
<v Speaker 2>and that's what we're doing. First. Are there plenty of

0:26:28.960 --> 0:26:30.920
<v Speaker 2>bells and whistles we can do down the road to

0:26:31.440 --> 0:26:33.639
<v Speaker 2>achieve some of the things I've talked about that individual

0:26:33.680 --> 0:26:36.800
<v Speaker 2>relationship with guests. We are, but we've got to do

0:26:36.840 --> 0:26:40.000
<v Speaker 2>this first. First things first, and so this infrastructure is

0:26:40.000 --> 0:26:42.200
<v Speaker 2>really important and the handhelds will be a big part

0:26:42.240 --> 0:26:42.439
<v Speaker 2>of that.

0:26:43.480 --> 0:26:48.800
<v Speaker 1>Okay, cool, And what about the sale, lease back traction transactions?

0:26:48.840 --> 0:26:52.240
<v Speaker 1>Excuse me, still not recovered from Las Vegas and R FDC.

0:26:54.280 --> 0:26:55.960
<v Speaker 1>So if you could give us an update on the

0:26:56.040 --> 0:26:58.840
<v Speaker 1>on the cell least back and what do you plan

0:26:58.880 --> 0:26:59.880
<v Speaker 1>on doing with the cash.

0:27:00.200 --> 0:27:07.440
<v Speaker 2>Sure, So, we've completed two tranches of it's nineteen restaurants

0:27:07.440 --> 0:27:09.520
<v Speaker 2>at this point. We've got one more trench that we're

0:27:09.520 --> 0:27:13.000
<v Speaker 2>looking to do and with the two we've actually invested

0:27:13.000 --> 0:27:15.119
<v Speaker 2>it back into business. We've paid down some debt, we

0:27:15.160 --> 0:27:17.399
<v Speaker 2>talked about that at our earnings release as well, and

0:27:17.440 --> 0:27:20.639
<v Speaker 2>we bought back a little bit of stock. So so

0:27:20.720 --> 0:27:23.760
<v Speaker 2>our plan with if we get the third trunch completed,

0:27:23.880 --> 0:27:27.000
<v Speaker 2>which we're currently working on, then that would go to

0:27:27.080 --> 0:27:29.440
<v Speaker 2>reduce debt and at the end of the day, we're

0:27:29.560 --> 0:27:31.280
<v Speaker 2>using it to strengthen our balance sheet.

0:27:32.000 --> 0:27:35.040
<v Speaker 1>All right, great, where does where does the leverage ratio stand?

0:27:36.600 --> 0:27:39.160
<v Speaker 2>Well, what we we hope to do, you know, sort

0:27:39.200 --> 0:27:42.840
<v Speaker 2>of getting down to a leverage less than two to one.

0:27:43.040 --> 0:27:46.919
<v Speaker 2>So we think we'll have that completed by the end

0:27:46.960 --> 0:27:47.440
<v Speaker 2>of this year.

0:27:48.160 --> 0:27:51.359
<v Speaker 1>Okay, great, And I heard Red Robin was on the

0:27:51.400 --> 0:27:55.119
<v Speaker 1>tonight show and something you mentioned something about a burger

0:27:55.160 --> 0:27:57.399
<v Speaker 1>teeny What can you talk a little bit about that.

0:27:57.600 --> 0:28:01.920
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so we were working with a celebrity bartender group

0:28:01.960 --> 0:28:05.040
<v Speaker 2>that was that's a reality star that wanted it that

0:28:05.119 --> 0:28:07.840
<v Speaker 2>came to us and our PR team have been working

0:28:07.880 --> 0:28:10.560
<v Speaker 2>hard and came with this idea doing a burgertini, martine

0:28:10.640 --> 0:28:14.880
<v Speaker 2>and burgertini and basically taking burger juice and a bunch

0:28:14.920 --> 0:28:19.080
<v Speaker 2>of ingredients and making a martini and and UH. Anyway,

0:28:19.160 --> 0:28:24.639
<v Speaker 2>so then there's this this this UH program called Chainfest,

0:28:24.680 --> 0:28:27.359
<v Speaker 2>which is a Michelin star chef out in California in

0:28:27.480 --> 0:28:31.200
<v Speaker 2>LA that really likes chains and then takes and really

0:28:31.280 --> 0:28:35.840
<v Speaker 2>romanticizes eight brands items to something that he thinks was cool.

0:28:35.880 --> 0:28:38.040
<v Speaker 2>And they're doing these big events coming up I think

0:28:38.080 --> 0:28:42.600
<v Speaker 2>in early December, and we're one of the restaurant companies.

0:28:42.640 --> 0:28:47.000
<v Speaker 2>And and last night on the on the Late night show,

0:28:47.120 --> 0:28:50.920
<v Speaker 2>they had had a mission star chef on there and

0:28:51.680 --> 0:28:53.840
<v Speaker 2>a couple of the items and most of it was

0:28:53.880 --> 0:28:56.600
<v Speaker 2>around Red Robin and and our burgers and UH and

0:28:56.680 --> 0:28:58.520
<v Speaker 2>the burgertini. It was a lot of fun. It was

0:28:58.760 --> 0:29:00.200
<v Speaker 2>it was a good piece, you know. And look, at

0:29:00.200 --> 0:29:02.440
<v Speaker 2>the end of the day, we're anywhere where we can

0:29:02.520 --> 0:29:04.480
<v Speaker 2>start to tell people there's a new day here at

0:29:04.480 --> 0:29:06.959
<v Speaker 2>Red Robin. We're trying to do and these are just

0:29:07.000 --> 0:29:09.880
<v Speaker 2>fun little events that if we have people talking about us,

0:29:09.880 --> 0:29:11.560
<v Speaker 2>they're gonna hopefully give us a shot.

0:29:12.640 --> 0:29:14.560
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's cool, and I feel like Red Robin has

0:29:14.600 --> 0:29:19.240
<v Speaker 1>some of that like experimental, like innovative type stuff in

0:29:19.280 --> 0:29:19.880
<v Speaker 1>its DNA.

0:29:20.000 --> 0:29:20.160
<v Speaker 2>Right.

0:29:20.320 --> 0:29:23.200
<v Speaker 1>I remember the uh, you know, the first time I

0:29:23.240 --> 0:29:26.600
<v Speaker 1>ever saw like beer floats, you know, with Sam Adams

0:29:26.960 --> 0:29:30.720
<v Speaker 1>beer and a milkshake was at Red Robin. Right.

0:29:31.400 --> 0:29:34.800
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so we're known for those those first of all

0:29:35.000 --> 0:29:37.720
<v Speaker 2>in beverage innovation for sure, and we've got a great

0:29:37.760 --> 0:29:40.640
<v Speaker 2>team working on things now. You know, we need to

0:29:40.680 --> 0:29:42.240
<v Speaker 2>come back and one of the things we're trying to

0:29:42.280 --> 0:29:44.320
<v Speaker 2>use his own shakes again to your point, come up

0:29:44.320 --> 0:29:48.440
<v Speaker 2>with some cool creative shakes. We're the non alcoholic beverage

0:29:48.560 --> 0:29:52.240
<v Speaker 2>we continue to lead away and freckled lemonade is still

0:29:52.280 --> 0:29:55.000
<v Speaker 2>you know, our most popular drink and and so yeah,

0:29:55.040 --> 0:29:56.800
<v Speaker 2>we're known for that. And the same thing with burger,

0:29:56.960 --> 0:29:59.720
<v Speaker 2>you know, gourmet burger innovation. And so you're going to

0:29:59.760 --> 0:30:02.360
<v Speaker 2>see some really cool things coming. We have a Lava

0:30:02.400 --> 0:30:04.360
<v Speaker 2>Burger coming, which is going to be a really cool

0:30:04.440 --> 0:30:08.640
<v Speaker 2>kind of experience at the table. And yeah, that's the

0:30:09.040 --> 0:30:11.760
<v Speaker 2>beauty and that's the history of this fifty four year

0:30:11.760 --> 0:30:14.760
<v Speaker 2>old brand, iconic brand that it's been known for that

0:30:14.840 --> 0:30:17.880
<v Speaker 2>and we want to bring those fun elements back to

0:30:17.960 --> 0:30:21.640
<v Speaker 2>this brand. We brought our mascot back, Red, as you know.

0:30:22.360 --> 0:30:24.400
<v Speaker 2>I have to tell you, Mike that we had our

0:30:24.440 --> 0:30:26.880
<v Speaker 2>town hall where after our earnings, we get our whole

0:30:26.880 --> 0:30:29.440
<v Speaker 2>teams together, and we had Red there and we had

0:30:29.440 --> 0:30:32.200
<v Speaker 2>a we do a lot with Make a Wish Foundation

0:30:32.360 --> 0:30:37.200
<v Speaker 2>and the family. The fifteen year old son was the

0:30:38.400 --> 0:30:41.160
<v Speaker 2>wish recipient, but they had his brother was a young

0:30:41.240 --> 0:30:44.040
<v Speaker 2>little kid and stall Red and we had a couple

0:30:44.080 --> 0:30:45.960
<v Speaker 2>hundred people in this room and I watched this little

0:30:46.040 --> 0:30:48.280
<v Speaker 2>kid just walk all the way to follow Red and

0:30:48.320 --> 0:30:50.480
<v Speaker 2>then just literally put his hands up in the air

0:30:50.520 --> 0:30:52.960
<v Speaker 2>for Red to pick him up. And it was just priceless,

0:30:53.000 --> 0:30:54.560
<v Speaker 2>you know. And that's kind of what you want.

0:30:54.960 --> 0:30:58.440
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that is cool. Yeah, and you know it makes

0:30:58.440 --> 0:31:00.200
<v Speaker 1>your job a little more fun. It sounds like can

0:31:00.360 --> 0:31:03.200
<v Speaker 1>I could tell the passion you have in your voice

0:31:03.200 --> 0:31:05.320
<v Speaker 1>and you talk about the brand. That's great, man. So

0:31:05.800 --> 0:31:08.520
<v Speaker 1>uh yeah, it's on my list. Man. This weekend, me

0:31:08.560 --> 0:31:10.800
<v Speaker 1>and Jake are gonna make it over to the Seacaucus.

0:31:10.840 --> 0:31:14.800
<v Speaker 1>Red Robin. I'm looking forward to it. So thanks again

0:31:14.800 --> 0:31:16.800
<v Speaker 1>for doing this. Where can the rest of the members

0:31:16.840 --> 0:31:20.600
<v Speaker 1>of the audience find their nearest restaurant, and uh, you

0:31:20.640 --> 0:31:22.960
<v Speaker 1>know where can they find Red Robin on social media?

0:31:23.680 --> 0:31:26.840
<v Speaker 2>Well, any of the social media redrobin dot com, and

0:31:26.920 --> 0:31:30.080
<v Speaker 2>they can find us and there'll be a restaurant near

0:31:30.120 --> 0:31:30.680
<v Speaker 2>them for sure.

0:31:31.600 --> 0:31:33.880
<v Speaker 1>All Right, thanks man, This is it's a great story

0:31:33.920 --> 0:31:37.280
<v Speaker 1>and I'm looking looking forward to continuing to follow it.

0:31:37.320 --> 0:31:40.280
<v Speaker 1>And you know, I wish your success, all right, my friend.

0:31:40.600 --> 0:31:43.320
<v Speaker 1>Thanks all right, and thanks to the audience for tuning in.

0:31:43.840 --> 0:31:45.720
<v Speaker 1>If you liked the episode, please share with your friends

0:31:45.760 --> 0:31:46.440
<v Speaker 1>and colleagues.