Stuff Parents Need

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Red Robin Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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A few months ago, I read an interesting article in Parents magazine that highlighted the top 10 chain restaurants in the U.S. to consider if you are going out to eat with children. Red Robin was one of those restaurants.

Until recently, I had never been to a Red Robin in my entire life! I was so curious about what made this restaurant great that I contacted the company and asked if they wanted to be put to the ultimate test: have me come check out the place for the first time ever, viewing the restaurant with the eyes of a parent who does NOT enjoy going out to eat with her toddler. I love little D, but she is a pain in the rear at restaurants, always wanting to walk around checking everything out, wanting her food YESTERDAY and wiggling in and out of her seat constantly. It’s exhausting to me and I always feel stressed out, and never relaxed when going out to eat. That’s why we rarely go! So yeah, Red Robin had a tall order to fill when they invited my family to come check out their restaurant.

When we walked into Red Robin just after they opened, the place seemed ready for business, with a handful of families already beating us there in the first few minutes! That seemed like a good sign when people are ready to go in as soon as they open.

The staff was very friendly. Our waitress asked if we had ever been to Red Robin before, and when we told her that we were new, she gave us a lot of helpful information about how their menu works and special perks to be aware of in their restaurant. There were a few things that REALLY impressed me about their menu:

1. If the meal comes with steak fries, those fries are bottomless, meaning that you can get as many helpings of them as you’d like.

2. You can substitute those fries for sweet potato fries (or SEVERAL other side dishes). The sweet potato fries have an extra charge, but they are also bottomless. Yay!

3. For kids entrees, the side dishes are excellent (apple slices, mandarin oranges and the like) and they are also bottomless. Darah had 3 servings of mandarin oranges!!!

4. Kids entrees come with milk or juice (although soda is also an option). And it is bottomless, too! I was absolutely delighted to see that as a choice for Darah.

In addition to the great menu perks, there were other things that really impressed me about Red Robin:

1. Bendy straws for the kids. Seems like a minor point until you are trying to help a toddler drink something. That’s when you realize that the bendy straw is brilliant.

2. Red Robin celebrates with you. We were asked by our waitress if we were celebrating anything special, and we mentioned that Darah’s birthday was the following day. Well guess what? At the end of our meal, she got a special birthday song and a sundae! 

3. Red Robin has a loyalty card. You get a free appetizer just for registering, a free burger on your birthday and get your 10th purchase free when using the card. Pretty awesome, right?!

4. The chocolate milkshake. OMG. So good. You can see that Darah was impressed by the fact that she quickly pulled both our shakes to her side of the table.

This is the most fun that I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time. The staff seems  not only used to being around kids, but also genuinely fond of them and infinitely patient with them. That goes such a long way toward making a nervous mama feel more relaxed. I thought the food was tasty and I felt like the value was excellent. I’m sad that I waited so long to visit a Red Robin, but that certainly won’t be my last visit! It’s at the top of my list, now, of places to go out to eat with Darah.

I wanted to highlight two cool things happening at Red Robin right now. First, there is a special burger on the menu called the Mt. Vesuvius Burger. It was created by a 12 year old in the Red Robin Kids’ Cook-Off last year. This burger is topped with applewood smoked bacon, provolone cheese, bleu cheese and tangy lava sauce, which is a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.  Sounds great, right? Here’s what makes it even better: fifty cents from every one of his burgers sold will benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, up to $50,000!

Second, the 2011 Kids’ Cook-Off Cookbook is available for you to check out. It has 50 gourmet burger recipes from kids across the country, as well as child safety tips and activities from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Best of all: it’s FREE! Go to the Red Robin website to download it now!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 gift card to Red Robin! The contest will run until August 22nd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Check out the Red Robin menu and tell me something you’d like to try (or something you already know you love!)

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like Red Robin on Facebook! Don’t forget to come back here and leave me a comment that you did.

2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by email or RSS

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of the page.

Disclosure: I received a gift card to Red Robin for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

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Comments

  13. I’d like to try the Royal Red Robin Burger. I’ve been so tempted to go to one, but have not yet. With this gift card, I would surely go.

  19. My favorite thing to order at Red Robin is the Whiskey River BBQ burger. I ask them to go light on the sauce and it is simply divine!

  20. Sauteed shroom burger is my son’s fave and we don’t get to go there too much but it is a treat

  22. I’ve never been to a Red Robin restaurant. Looking at the menu online, I would love to order the Ensenada Chicken Platter. I love Mexican food, chicken, and salads. This looks to have all three. What a meal!

  35. Like Red Robin on FB!

    username: Diana Russell
    e-mail: lucky02130 (at) gmail (dot) com

  64. I would love to try their Chicken Caprese Sandwich. It looks good. reejen at comcast dot net

  66. I love thier french onion soup! One of the best I’ve ever had! The onion rings are another downfall of mine, lol.

  73. My favorite is the Sautéed ’Shroom Burger! I have seriously had dreams about this burger — it’s THAT GOOD!
    Dara Nix
    kitty32504 at cox dot net

  91. I used to go the Red Robin every so often with my dad when I was real little, maybe 4 or 5, and we used to “share” something called a Mud Pie…I believe it was a giant ice cream concoction. Without whipped cream though, because I hated that. I just looked at the menu and i think they’ve changed it…memories (:

  94. I seem to be on a “wrap kick” lately so I would love to try their Whiskey River BBQ River Chicken Wrap. I see they also come with the bottomless fries (love the garlic parmesan ones).

    Thanks.

  120. I haven’t been to a Red Robin for a long time–there only 3 in the area and they are a little out of my normal area. But the Gourmet Cheeseburger looks good.

  130. I would like to try the Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip at Red Robin.

    chrisdeglen(at)gmail(dot)com

  136. We recently moved near a Red Robin and have been enjoying it!!! Our kids LOVE Red Robin — it is totally their favorite place to eat. 🙂 Thanks for the chance to win!

  145. I would like to try the Sauteed Shroom Burger. I’ve never been to a Red Robin but one opened up near me recently and I can’t wait to try it out !

  150. I ate the Guacamole Bacon Burger just last Saturday. Yummy! I love guacamole and this burger was delish!

  156. I would love to try the Sauteed Shroom Burger from Red Robin.

    jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com

  167. I’d like to try the Whiskey River Barbeque Burger! 🙂
    Katharina angelsandmusic[at]gmail[dot]com

  169. i would LOVE to try the “classic creamy mac and cheese” entree
    sarah at realtorsd.com

  200. My favorite is the patty melt(with a veggie burger). My kids love the baked potato soup!!
    One of our favorite restaurants—hands down:)

  211. I love love love Red Robin! My boyfriend and I always split a Whiskey River Burger with endless fries. He love the freckled lemonade, but I like the peach iced tea. 😀

  215. I’d like to try the Apple Harvest Chicken Salad.
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    eswright18 at gmail dot com

  216. I would like to try the Burnin Love Burger! Sounds very good!!! Lone Star Burger is my second choice!!

  240. A restuarant that kids and parent like, That is Red Robin. Bottomless fries is also good.

    Love taking the family here it is a happy medium.

    We would put this gift card to good use.

    Thanks

  247. Love the Towering Onior Rings – Yummy. Like on FB and thanks for the great sweep. Hope to win 🙂

  251. Red RObin’s BBQ Chicken Wraps are my favorite. Although I have tried several other items from their menu and liked them all.

  257. I love Red Robin. I have always had great service there. I really love the Whiskey River BBQ chicken wrap. The burger of the same name is great, but the wrap doesn’t seem as messy.

  268. I positively LOVE the crispy chicken tender salad!!! I always get the honey mustard dressing with it and for me, it is perfectly divine!!

  277. I would love to try the crispy chicken sandwich. I usually get that meal from McDonalds so I would be curious to see which one is better. A Red Robin just opened 2 towns away from me and I would like to try it!

  282. The prime rib dip looks really good…in fact after seeing this, I’m thinking of taking the family to Red Robin’s tonight for dinner in Redlands CA., because get this, I’ve never had Red Robins before! 🙂

  293. I would love to try the Southwest Chicken Salad…..I’ve never been to a Red Robin, but I understand the food is pretty yummy!!
    PS I liked RR on FB!

  294. I would love to try the whiskey river bbq burger. mmm

    I also liked red robin on facebook 🙂

  304. I have only been to red robin once, which was years ago. The food was excellent. Looking at the menu now, I think I would like to try the southwest grilled chicken salad.

  305. Just ate at Red Robin last week. Had the chili chili and it was so good. Love, love Red Robin!!!!!!!

  311. I’d love to try the Crispy Chicken Tender Salad – it’s a yummy meal and has greens too!

  314. I love red robin took my kids their service and choice of burgers was great!!!! It’s our new favorite place to go

  332. Great review,we’ve never been there either! I would like to try the Classic Creamy Mac ’n‘ Cheese

  334. My son loooves Red Robin- Always asks for a corn dog w/ a side of avocado!
    inalak at msn dot com

  341. I swoon over Red Robin’s BONSAI BURGER! Mmmmmm…I can almost taste it now 🙂

    ~Kristen

  348. I know their burgers are good so I would like to try their asian chicken salad. thank you!!

  357. I am really wanting to try the Prime Rib Dip at Red Robin.
    lyndaclark81(at)yahoo(dot)com

  417. I love their Turkey Burger! These are are hard to find in restaurants, but since I don’t eat red meat, I like this alternative.
    PMNSL95 at triad dot rr dot com

  423. I love their apple harvest chicken salad. And anything with the campfire sauce. 😉 Thanks!

    blondredhead at mc dot com

  426. My favorite is the Royal Red Robin Burger! For some reason, I love eggs on hamburgers!

  430. I LOVE their chocolate banana milkshakes… A lot.
    I have to have one every time we go.

  435. I’ve always wanted to go to a Red Robin! I’ve never been to one. The picture of D with the shakes is so precious! I think the Banzai Burger would be the first thing I’d like to try! I’ve never had pineapple on a burger before!

  439. I didn’t know the oranges were bottomless! My kids could eat a ton and are bummed when they gulp them down so fast! I love the whiskey river chicken. We used to only go once a year or so but they just opened one near us!

  450. I love the Apple Harvest Chicken Salad. I’ve actually been craving one for a while now, but just haven’t gotten to a Red Robin recently. Perhaps we’ll have to go this weekend. And it’s a great restaurant for kids! Red Robin…YUM!
    missusoz at gmail dot com

  468. I love love love their Burnin Love Burger! I get it everytime I go. It’s just right in terms of hotness and the taste is ridiculously good!

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