I'm Just Making Sure We All Like Red Robin

[mommyto2kids]

I'm thinking about doing a Dine Donate with our local Red Robin in Redding. I just want to make sure Red Robin in general has been kind and earned our business. Please let me know.

[GFestes]

My family loves Red Robin and we find their support of the gluten free community is excellent. So we eat there often -- dating back years, before they ad a gluten free menu. Our local Red Robin (Greeley Colorado) has a dedicated fryer. (Yes, I always ask -- just in case they got so busy they used it for something else.) ad they have recently ( a year? + - ) added gluten free hamburger buns. Their staff is well trained, perhaps because some wait staff must BE gluten free. But, then, I have eaten at Red Robin in other towns and in other states. I find them to be dependable, patient, willing, and very well trained.

[lizard00]

We have two close by, and have eaten at both. Good experiences at both. My experience has always been that they wanted to accommodate as much as possible.

[Darn210]

One of our favorite places to go. We have two that we go to and had good experiences at both.

[mommyto2kids]

That's what I needed to know. You all are so helpful.

[Juliebove]

Two thumbs down from me. They have messed up our orders again and again and again. I doubt we will ever go back. The last time we had to wait 2 hours and still no food. They finally comped our whole meal. And my daughter was late for her dance class.

[mommyto2kids]

I partly agree. We went to the Fairfield one and service was fair. They messed up my order and brought me the fried chicken salad even though I said gluten free. They fixed it after a while. I love our local one and the service is wonderful. Maybe it depends on location.

[Juliebove]

I partly agree. We went to the Fairfield one and service was fair. They messed up my order and brought me the fried chicken salad even though I said gluten free. They fixed it after a while. I love our local one and the service is wonderful. Maybe it depends on location.

We tried the one in Woodinville and also in Bothell. They always get the orders wrong. Heck even before we had to order gluten-free, the one in Lynnwood would get the order wrong.

[JayinUT]

Varies by Location. The one in Murray UT is great but they had a waitress who had celiac who trained their staff. Provo UT is good but West Valley bad Riverton at the District I wouldn't eat at ever. That is a cc event waiting to happen every time.

[xjrosie]

I will not take my family there again. We spent over 2 hours there and ended up missing our movie because of it. The food was only so-so. Personally, the options on Applebee's gluten-free menu are much better.

[sariesue]

I will not take my family there again. We spent over 2 hours there and ended up missing our movie because of it. The food was only so-so. Personally, the options on Applebee's gluten-free menu are much better.

As a server in the restaurant industry I really dislike this comment. It is not a restaurant's fault that you did not plan accordingly to get to your movie. I find this especially on the weekends, when my restaurant usually has a wait. These are the people who were told that we had an hour to an hour and a half wait and still chose to stay. Then they blame the restaurant when they have to alter their plans especially when they come at dinner time on the weekend and still think they can make that 7:40 or 8pm movie. That's not the way it works. The restaurant process really can't take less time at that hour especially if you order full meals, like an app and/or salad and an entree. Many chains have set timings that they follow for service. For example, where I work your entree is supposed to come out 14 minutes AFTER the kitchen receives the order. This remains the same whether you ordered a large well done steak or just a burger. Plus if a restaurant is on a wait there is NO way of rushing an order through the kitchen. As a patron you need to be aware of your time constraints and if you think that the meal is worth possibly missing your next activity especially if you are told there is any wait to be seated. A normal restaurant meal for dinner takes about an 40 minutes to an hour under from the time you sit down until when you pay your check at a sit down chain restaurant. This DOES NOT include any time you have to wait before being seated. So you as a patron really need to consider how waiting will shorten the time you allotted for eating your meal. This might mean that you show up to a restaurant find out there is a wait and you have to decide to stay and eat and possibly miss the movie, or to leave and be 100% sure you can make your movie.

Also, I wouldn't take one long wait at a restaurant as being it's norm or making it not worth going back to. Unless the food was equally as bad.

[AE Paul]

The options on the Applebee's gluten-free menu may look better, but they're training, knowledge, and caring about how to properly serve gluten-free (or food allergies) and avoid x-contamination is as bad as it gets. Don't let the gluten-free menu fool you. You have a VERY high likelihood of being glutened! (That's not to say you should stick with Red Robin if you're not comfortable, but pick a better alternative for your sake.)

[BethM55]

Interesting timing, as we had dinner tonight at the Red Robin in San Bruno, CA. (SF Bay area) I was delighted to learn they could put my hamburger on an Udi's burger bun! This was the first time in nearly 3 years that I've had a burger on a bun. Such a treat, and a good chance to try the Udi's burger buns. (I think I may go back to the lettuce wrap on my burger next time, though. The Udi's bun was good, but felt like just too much bread! I'm not accustomed to that anymore, I guess.)

When I asked our server for a gluten free menu, the manager brought it to me, and made sure I was comfortable with it's format. He also answered my questions. The server brought my dinner out on a plate, rather than in the little baskets with the paper liners, to distinguish it from gluten food. There was one small problem, however. I rarely send food back, but the bun was burned to the point of being inedible. The server returned it to the kitchen, and the manager brought me a fresh plate. (I didn't think to ask how that bun was toasted. I'll know tomorrow, if there was CC, as I don't react for about 18 hours. Here's keeping fingers crossed... )

Overall, it was a very good experience. I didn't have to explain my needs. It seemed the staff was educated concerning food allergies/sensitivities, and were concerned about my well being. I've eaten there other times without problems, and this time was even easier. I'm very grateful that this is one of several places locally where I'm comfortable eating out.

[xjrosie]

As a server in the restaurant industry I really dislike this comment. It is not a restaurant's fault that you did not plan accordingly to get to your movie. I find this especially on the weekends, when my restaurant usually has a wait. These are the people who were told that we had an hour to an hour and a half wait and still chose to stay. Then they blame the restaurant when they have to alter their plans especially when they come at dinner time on the weekend and still think they can make that 7:40 or 8pm movie. That's not the way it works. The restaurant process really can't take less time at that hour especially if you order full meals, like an app and/or salad and an entree. Many chains have set timings that they follow for service. For example, where I work your entree is supposed to come out 14 minutes AFTER the kitchen receives the order. This remains the same whether you ordered a large well done steak or just a burger. Plus if a restaurant is on a wait there is NO way of rushing an order through the kitchen. As a patron you need to be aware of your time constraints and if you think that the meal is worth possibly missing your next activity especially if you are told there is any wait to be seated. A normal restaurant meal for dinner takes about an 40 minutes to an hour under from the time you sit down until when you pay your check at a sit down chain restaurant. This DOES NOT include any time you have to wait before being seated. So you as a patron really need to consider how waiting will shorten the time you allotted for eating your meal. This might mean that you show up to a restaurant find out there is a wait and you have to decide to stay and eat and possibly miss the movie, or to leave and be 100% sure you can make your movie.

Also, I wouldn't take one long wait at a restaurant as being it's norm or making it not worth going back to. Unless the food was equally as bad.

We got to the restaurant at 5:15. We left at 8:10. I went and looked at the receipt. So no, I do not believe I misplanned anything. Almost three hours for a meal is unnecessary. We waited almost an hour for our food, after waiting over half an hour to place our order. It is not my - nor my family's - fault that for whatever reason, they weren't prepared. Not once did we get refills for our drinks until I flagged someone down. The movie was at 8:20. How did I improperly plan for the evening?

When I wrote to the company and told them what happened, they gave me a $10 gift certificate. Really? I spent almost $70 before tip - and would have spent more if were weren't so irritated that we all wanted to go home. And, it took two weeks for anyone to even get in contact with me after I complained. $10 doesn't even cover the cost of my fuel to get to and from the restaurant.

I'm not stupid. I know what good service is and I know what bad service is. I also know I work DAMN hard for the money I spend there. If I am not treated like they care about my money being spent there, I can go somewhere else. I've never had a problem at other restaurants at dinner time, so why should I give Red Robin special consideration? Because they wrap burgers in lettuce for gluten-free patrons? I don't think so.

As for Applebee's - my kids didn't get glutened. At Red Robin, however, my daughter was definitely glutened. So who's careful about food prep? At this point, I don't even take them out anymore. Why bother? My kids all agree that I cook better than any restaurant I've taken them to (except Cheeseburger in Paradise and Mongolian Barbeque).

[lynnelise]

I love Red Robin. I have been to several locations in various states and have always had good service. The manager always comes out when I ask for the gluten free menu and goes over everything with me. Also the manager has always personally brought my meal and stayed at the table for a moment to have me confirm that everything looks as I ordered it.

You can have a bad experience at any restaurant gluten free or not. I think everyone has experienced slow service from time to time and it's usually an isolated incident. I always give restaurants a second chance.

I've got to agree with the previous poster about the Applebee's "gluten free menu". I've given it 4 tries and have gotten hit 4 times. Last time I had a bunless burger on foil and a plain salad and STILL got glutened. They are definitely on my banned list.