When staff at Red Robin cut the ribbon on the new location in Southern California on August 8, they will also be taking part in an act of philanthropy.
For every new location opening, Red Robin pairs with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children nonprofit to raise awareness of child safety issues in the gourmet burger chain’s latest locale.
Of all the nonprofit organizations, Red Robin chooses to support NCMEC’s initiatives because, “it ties in with the family-friendly theme of our restaurant,” says Jamie Winter, Red Robin spokesperson.
In celebration of the grand opening in Thousand Oaks, California, Red Robin plans to host a Burgers With a Heart fundraiser to support NCMEC. During grand opening week from August 8 to 14, the restaurant will donate 50 cents from every gourmet burger sold to the nonprofit.
Winter says that over the course of the past six years Red Robin has donated $430,000 to the center. “We partner with NCMEC on a couple of other initiatives,” she explains. “Child safety is important to us too.”
Red Robin will also spend its grand opening week giving out free customary Child ID Kits, which the brand created in partnership with NCMEC.
A Child ID Kit is a three-fold pamphlet with a child’s name, height, weight, age, and photo. “Child ID Kits are a simple yet effective method to help parents and guardians maintain a current photograph and other descriptive details about their children,” NCMEC president and CEO Ernie Allen says. He credits Red Robin with helping to make local communities safer.
To promote the Burgers With a Heart fundraiser, Red Robin will rely on media outreach. Winter believes, however, that word of mouth will ultimately drive local customers into the restaurant on opening day. “Great media stories get people in the area nearby talking about the restaurant,” she explains.
She says the NCMEC drive epitomizes Red Robin’s mission of providing a family-friendly destination. “We want to make sure families have a dining experience they remember.”
Red Robin also opened a new location Monday in Lakewood, California.
By Sonya Chudgar
