I don't make it a habit about blogging about chain restaurants. But something about this place made me take up typing tonight.
There is a defining characteristic about Red Robin- they have portion control down to a science. A large franchise usually does have scientists and mathematicians employed that not only objectify food quantities, but also flavor. And rightfully so. After all, it's a conglomerate that's in it to make money by carefully balancing between borderline small portion sizes and excess food wastage.
Before I start writing about the food, I must say that the service was very good. Our server was pleasant like sunshine on a wintry day. We even had two different managers come up and check on us. Food service times were not a problem and the ambience was inviting and modern. Everything you would expect from a restaurant that has studied it's market audience and their preferences over and over.
For starters, the Great Northern Poutine Fries were a must ($7). I ordered the Avo-Cob-O salad ($10.99) and my partner ordered the Southern Charm burger ($13.99). On flavor, none of these dishes fell short. The Poutine, a combination of deep fried cheese curd bites and fries covered with mushroom brown gravy, was excellent. The Avo-Cob-O salad? Perfect. Big chunks of bleu cheese paired with succulent, perfectly grilled chicken strips. Even the Southern Charm burger with BBQ sauce on a ciabatta bun was delectable. Every flavor the menu promised, the food delivered. One cannot criticize Red Robin on delivering on what they state.
The only drawback of this restaurant would be that the menu is too tantalizing. Can you imagine that as a drawback? The reason is that they have done such a fantastic job on making your mouth water on every page, that your eyes expect a big fat burger fit for a lumberjack landing in front of you after the order is placed. The truth is, most of the burger patties run at 6oz while their signature burgers patties are at 8oz.... portion sizes. Needless to say, the truth is in the fine print in-between the enticing pictures. But in their defense, their price points are not completely outrageous. They were slightly on the higher end for the portion size one is probably expecting but not by a wide margin. Again, a fine balance between going easy on the wallet vs. not quite starving you out of hefty meal.
Bottomless fries are indeed bottomless. But I wish they showed some generosity with potatoes (you know, one of the most affordable vegetables in the united states) by handing you a big basket of them. Somehow, I feel that they have even accounted for each portion size on that- approximately 8 fries per request. The establishment is a well-oiled machine, but it only makes one compare Red Robin to other restaurants that cater to big-boy portion sizes that southerners are far more accustomed and gravitate to.
I have to go on record by stating that I'm a huge opponent of the Ziosk tabletop ordering and payment system. At a restaurant where you expect the server to take care of your needs, I feel that I'm now coerced into partially doing some work that was the servers before. In a way, Red Robin has also partially done away with this workforce and replaced it with an machine that takes up permanent residence on your table throughout the dining experience. I'm boycotting this Ziosk stupidity. It's one step closer to eliminating an entire job sector in hospitality and I'm not buying in on the 'convenience'. I feel like Red Robin has taken their streamlining/portion-control/cost-basis analysis a bit too far by implementing Ziosk. Forget the numbers! I'm a sit-down restaurant and I have an expectation on a basic level of service that entails!
IN A NUTSHELL: The only simile that comes to mind is Olive Garden. Is it the best Italian food you've ever had? No. Do you leave feeling satisfied and with little to no complaints? Probably yes. Red Robin is kind of like that- a well-manicured franchise that knows how to satisfy you without being the best mind-blowing food you've ever eaten. This place is a smart choice when you have a large group with differing tastes that want to go out together. I can assure you, Red Robin has very likely figured out that it can cater to almost any individual preference across a wide spectrum of palates. Some people will cry foul with slightly overpriced food items for the smaller portion sizes that roll out of their kitchen, but others will feel satisfied in that their experience wasn't hindered by any major food or service complaints.
Avo-Cob-O Salad. Notice the small portion size (knife gives a measuring reference). Good for an early bird special. Not so much for the hungry big boys in your family.
Dainty but delicious (the steak fries give you a measuring reference for the burger size). There are 8 fries. If the fries are indeed bottomless, go big or go home on your generosity.
Poutine Fries. Just delicious. But again, fried cheese curd bites were a bit small even for an appetizer.
