“Reeeedd Robinnn, YUMMMMM!”
We all know that unforgettable jingle, but not many of us know how it all began.
The first Red Robin was located in Seattle and the original building dates back to 1940. The original name was Sam’s Tavern, but the owner, Sam, changed the name to match his favorite tune “When the Red, Red Robin”. In 1969, a local businessman Gerry Kingen bought the restaurant and dropped, ‘Sam’s’ from the name and added gourmet burgers to the menu. Red Robin became the favorite hangout spot for local kids attending the University of Washington. Ten years later, two regulars of the establishment joined hands with Kingen to open their own Red Robin in Yakima Washington, ushering in Red Robin’s first franchisee, The Snyder Group Company. Today, Red Robin has over 150 locations across the United States.
