FOOD NEWS
The Musical Way Red Robin Got Its Iconic Name
And Brand
By Nico Danilovich
Red Robin's jingle — simply the restaurant's name plus "yum" — establishes a connection between music and gourmet burgers in customers' minds. However, there's a deeper connection between music and the restaurant chain than many realize, and it's all in the name.
Red Robin began as "Sam's Tavern,” and Sam was a quartet singer who adored the song entitled "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob Bobbin' Along)." The name changed to "Sam's Red Robin," and the "Sam's" part got dropped from the moniker in 1969, around the time their menu was overhauled to focus on making gourmet burgers.
The original Red Robin sadly could not last forever, and after decades of operation as a burger joint, the site was permanently closed down in 2010. However, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. weathered the pandemic, brought focus to its menus, and became more efficient, so while the first location might be gone, the chain's future may be music to fans' ears, nevertheless!