The Truth Behind Rumors of Red Robin Closing

Red Robin is known for its vast selection of burger choices, from beef to chicken with endless toppings and styles. Their milkshake menu is extensive, and the restaurant’s interiors feel within the lineage of classic all-American burger joints. But rumors have some worrying, is Red Robin closing?

Some of their fan-favorite items include the Bacon Jammin’ Burger along with their fries which you can douse with Rob Robin’s seasoning (which is left atop each table and often seems to disappear). 

But recently, Red Robin was part of a group of restaurants in which rumors circulated that they were going out of business. Was this true? Where did it come from? How could a seemingly so popular restaurant, which is always packed, just lock up shop? 

We are here to find out. 

In this article, we will take a look over Red Robin’s as a company, see how they are doing today, and try to unravel if there is any truth that their doors might be closing.

But first, is it closing?

So, is Red Robin Actually Closing? 

The good news is that Red Robin has no plans to go out of business, so all of you burger fanatics out there can take a deep breath. But that doesn’t mean that they haven’t had to make adjustments for Covid.

According to Nation’s Restaurant News, The Greenwood Village, Colorado-based company Red Robin was forced to permanently close a number of their locations which were already temporarily shut down due to Covid restrictions.

But overall, the restaurant has crawled back to being profitable and experience-driven by taking new measures to bring customers in during a time when indoor dining isn’t the first thought on our minds. 

Recently, in response to Covid, Red Robin has expanded their outdoor seating areas, added dividers to indoor tables, increased the new items available on their menu, and returned to normal advertising practices.

Because of this, they have seen company growth in adjusting back to normal, slowly but surely.

Even with the newest Delta and Omicron Covid variants, Red Robin has navigated and maintained a healthy course for their company and remaining locations. 

But if the company was never in dire straits of closing, where did these rumors come from? The story doesn’t end solely with Red Robin. 

Where Did These Rumors Come From?

It all started at the end of 2020 when a media outlet known as Money Pop insinuated in one of their advertisements that Red Robin (among other nationally spread restaurants) were closing their doors. 

This insinuation caused panic, and before long, rumors that Red Robin was closing spread like wildfire. Along with Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Olive Garden, and others, Red Robin reacted quickly to let the public and their customers know that they were not closing all of their restaurants. 

Money Pop’s advertisement was misleading, and when readers clicked on it, they quickly learned that Red Robin was not going out of business but was suffering losses from the pandemic. 

Reactions calmed as the rumors subsided for the most part, though there are still misunderstandings about the truth to this day. And with Red Robin closing a number of their locations, it’s easy to see where the confusion grew. 

But with all of the uncertainty about tomorrow, can we know if Red Robin will close in the future?

Will It Close in the Future?

Again, this is impossible to say.

As of recently, the burger chain has been crawling back from hits they took in the pandemic, and as long as there are no other unexpected turns of events, it looks like Red Robin has a good chance of hanging in there for quite a while. Especially with the growth of delivery applications and order-in food options on the market today. 

With the addition of Donatos Pizza to almost 40 of their locations, the increased customer base for pizza eaters has helped Red Robin’s profits steadily stay in the green in the last quarter of 2021. 

Along with Donatos Pizza, Red Robin opened three new digital delivery options as well, including Chicken Sammy’s, Fresh Set, and The Wing Dept.

With additions like these, it appears Red Robin has set itself up for success and is taking the appropriate actions towards adjusting to the evolving world around them. 

But are most other restaurants in the same position?

Other Restaurant Closings

While Red Robin has been able to stay on top of the pandemic’s ever-changing food marketplace, some other restaurant chains have not been so lucky. Pizza Hut, for instance, closed many of its locations, and others are still seeing hardships.

Chains such as Taco Bell have done well, on the other hand. This comes in spite of the rumors that they, too, were closing.

Taco Bell opened new drive-thru-only locations and offered delivery options with little to no fee included, which gives them an edge over other fast-food service chains that rely on third-party delivery apps and expensive additional fees. 

But the challenges remain even if the customer base is coming back to dine in restaurants.

A worker shortage has plagued America since the pandemic hit, and many restaurants are having trouble staffing their locations. This is causing further problems for companies like Red Robin

Final Thoughts

For now, America’s favorite burger joint is still available to us. With their ever-expanding burger, milkshake, sandwich, and dessert menu, the chain stays ahead of the competition by always offering something new, as well as maintaining their signature items. 

And though the challenges will continue to morph, this chain (with many others like them) are doing their best to keep it fun, keep it memorable, and above all, make us smile.

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