Date: April 18, 2016To: Patty Cady

English 402 ProfessorWashington State University

From: Emily Rusdal, Cara Carpenter, Rose Dang, Tanner Varrin, and Spencer KoszarekSubject: Recommendation Report for Red Robin to come to the Quad-Cities (Pullman,

Moscow, Lewiston, Clarkston)

Attached is the report for our Collaborative Research and Repurposing Recommendation Report. We have completed this feasibility report in order to assess the viability of a Red Robin restaurant opening in the Quad-city area, specifically in Pullman, WA. We created this report by initially researching information on the company of Red Robin in order to determine whether or not the company would be successful in the area. From there we proposed a location we believed would be the most successful for this area, then we conducted a market analysis and a marketing plan for the possible opening of the restaurant.

Red Robin. Created feasibility report to see if it would be viableLooked into marketDivided up research

What do I think? We think it should come here

Red Robin International Corporate Office6312 S Fiddlers Green Cir

Greenwood Village, CO 80111

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Recommendation ReportEmily Rusdal

Cara CarpenterRose Dang

Tanner VarinSpencer Koszarek

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April 18, 2016

Project 4: Collaborative Research and Repurposing Recommendation Report

Prepared for: Patty CadyEnglish 402 Professor Washington State University

Prepared by: Emily Rusdal, Cara Carpenter, Rose Dang, Tanner Varin, and Spencer Koszarek

April 18, 2016

Red Robin International Corporate Office6312 S Fiddlers Green Cir

Greenwood Village, CO 80111

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….....Problem Statement……………………………………………………………………………….. Company Overview……………………………………………………………………………….

Business Goals……………………………………………………………………………..Historical Direction and Results…………………………………………………………..Customer Base/Analysis…………………………………………………………………..Location of Operations……………………………………………………………………Future outlooks/projections………………………………………………………………..

Market Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………..Industry…………………………………………………………………………………….SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………………………………Competition Analysis………………………………………………………………………Target Market………………………………………………………………………………Growth Opportunities………………………………………………………………………

Location Proposals………………………………………………………………………………..Location Information and Renovations…………………………………………………….

Marketing Plan……………………………………………………………………………………Strategies and Tactics………………………………………………………………………Positioning………………………………………………………………………………….Channels of Distribution……………………………………………………………………Rationale……………………………………………………………………………………

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………References…………………………………………………………………………………………Appendices………………………………………………………………………………………..

Survey Results……………………………………………………………………………..Original Pitch Proposal………………………………………………………………………….. Deliverables……………………………………………………………………………………….

Flyer……………………………………………………………………………………..

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The businesses we have chosen to bring to the Quad City area, as well as describe the opportunities we believe are in the Quad-Cities and the surrounding area is the restaurant, Red Robin. It will replace the old Denny’s used to be in order to provide another eating establishment and career opportunity to both the locals and the students that primarily inhabit the area.

Problem Statement Red Robin is a well-known gourmet burger and beverage establishment in Seattle, Washington. We believe that Pullman is the proper place to expand the Red Robin brand due to the vast amount of students in the Quad-city area as well as the lack of any large established restaurants (and lack of variety) in the area. This is a great opportunity because a majority of the population in the Palouse is students, and, quite frankly, most of us don’t know how to cook a good meal. Red Robin would be perfect for the area because it provides another place to eat as there aren’t many food places around, or the lack of variety is clearly evident. On big game days and mom or dad’s weekend it will provide an alternative to overcrowded smaller restaurants.  Red Robin provides a quality service of burgers, milkshakes, and other such gourmet American foods at quality prices comparable to other joints in the area with the added bonus of it being a nice sit-down atmosphere able to hold a large amount of customers. This is what we based our main opportunity criteria off of—price, quality, space, and jobs. With the price area being that of Cougar Country or a meal at McDonald’s, it’s not too expensive and easily attainable to students and locals alike. The quality of food, especially the burgers and sauces, is also high. Each burger is crafted and created uniquely, providing much needed variety to the area. A full restaurant and sports bar area would make this one of the larger restaurants in the area, helping alieve waiting times on large customer nights. And of course the addition of another restaurant would create new jobs and internship opportunities for students.                      Company OverviewLike any businesses, Red Robin stands by their mission statement and values. Red Robin wants to bring the best customer service for their guests. They want to create a friendly atmosphere so customers would feel that Red Robin is their second home. The values they stand by are honor, integrity, continually seeking knowledge, and having fun. They want their employees to understand that they are fortunate to create memories for their customers. Integrity plays a role because Red Robin only seek for people who are willing to go above and beyond to serve the customers and the company will train them to do so. Also continually seeking knowledge is important because the company wants the employees to share their knowledge in order to become a clever and quick individual. Lastly, having fun is one of the values because it will help to make the jobs more enjoyable. Random act of kindness is one of the core to the mission statement. Typically, people tend to think random act of kindness is about giving out free things such as free products or free meals. However in the food industry, it’s different because the company needs to survive but they can still incorporate random act of kindness. To Red Robin is about going out of their ways to make their customers comfortable and satisfy. On Red Robin’s website, they included a section for “Burger stories” and it helps represent what Red Robin’s culture is about. One of the stories is called “Helping a Family” and this was located in Frederick Maryland. The second story goes “A little girl came in for her sixth birthday. Her parents, one of which just transferred from Fort Brag, were very happy she made it to her sixth birthday because she was born with only one chamber in her heart. Since then, she has had 14 surgeries and many more to come. The parents also adopted a 4-year-old who has cancer and four other diseases. Their server, Sara, donated ten dollars of her own money to the family to help the kids. She even

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wrote them a note telling them how brave they were. When they were leaving, the kids were so thankful that they gave Sara a hug and a kiss on the cheek goodbye.” Red Robin is more than a simple dining place but also where you can connect with others. The second story happened in Auburn Super Mall in Washington. It goes “I ate a lovely dinner at Red Robin last night and the service was excellent. Afterward a friend and I sat outside in my vehicle until late visiting and catching up. Then, very inconveniently in the dark, my car battery died and my window was stuck down with my valuables inside the car. Your employee, Brian, very generously came out, took a look at the car, tried jumping it and quickly determined I needed a new battery. We were near a Wal-Mart so I went there with my friend in her car, purchased a battery and he quickly installed it for me! A lifesaver! I felt like I was back in the old days when people cared about strangers. Thank you for having such great caring employees with great work ethic and all around big hearts, citizenship and integrity.” Their mission of statement is more than words on a website but for the employees to live by it.

Business GoalsRed Robin has many goals that they would love to accomplish. It’s more than just making money but also making a difference for people. The company realized that a lot of people out there has food allergies so they are limited on what they can eat and Red Robin wants to have a menu that are also dedicated towards them. Red Robin wants to bring family together by having weekly free meals for children, calling it “Kids Night”. Also to increase parental and student company awareness, Red Robin want to promote student brand ambassadors. Red Robin wants to increase brand loyalty and word of mouth by providing the customers the best service and care. The company wants to reach out to different potential customers by working with local companies to create advertisements. And lastly, be involved with the community by giving back as such hosting charity events and sponsorships for youth athletic. The company’s objective is to have an increase of 10% for total number of customers, and non-burger dinner entrée sale. Also annually, the goal is to have an increase of 5% of net income. Red Robin was estimated the amount of money of $1,234,784 that will need to be spent in order to achieve their goals.

Historical Direction and ResultsIn 1969, Red Robin was founded in Seattle, Washington by Gerald Kingen near University of Washington. Before it was called Red Robin, it had a few other names, which were Sam’s Tavern, and Sam’s Red Robin They served gourmet burgers and it became a big hit, and so Kingen had the idea to expanding the restaurants in different areas. An important person, Mike Snyder from Yakima became Red Robin’s franchisee in 1979 because Kingen sold the rights to Snyder to open a Red Robin in Yakima. It lead to great success so Synder open another one and another one. While Kingen continued to open more restaurant’s as well. Years later, Snyder became part of Red Robin franchises. Kingen sold his company to Skylark Co. Ltd, a Japanese owned restaurant operator. Under Skylark Co. Ltd control, the company expanded however Red Robin lost its focus and concept, which lead to a huge decrease in profits. But Snyder helped Skylark Co. Ltd and in 1996, Snyder became the president and chief operating officer of the chain. In 1997, he became the chairman of board because he helped Red Robin get back on its feet. The sales start booming because Snyder had a clear objective of what Red Robin should be like. For example, the employees were given bonuses when they reach their sales goals. Within the 5 years Snyder had control over, the average annual sales was $3 million and the profit margins increase to 19.2%. In 2000, Quad-C, a private firm invested $25 million in Red Robin,

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which made them the largest stockholder of the company. And over the years, Red Robin has continued to expand their chains around the states, and as well as out of the country. On June 16, 2008 Red Robin’s opens their 400th restaurant in Covington, Washington. Also in 2008, Red Robin gave Ohio’s Milford Junior High School $20,000. It’s for promoting kindness and Red Robin wants the students at Milford Junior High to understand that’s an important aspect in life. And this is not the only school that received money from Red Robin; they’ve helped many schools all over the states. As for awards, Red Robin has received many and one of them is being part of the “10 Best Restaurant Chains” in the United States from Parents magazine.

(The original Red Robin) (The original logo)

Customer Base/AnalysisCustomers of Red Robin seeks a healthy, and gourmet dining. The company provides a friendly environment to welcome all of their customers because the company is well known to all ages and ethnicities groups. Red Robin believes their customer base is families who enjoys delicious gourmet burgers and simple dining experience at an affordable price with the best service. Red Robin is known for hosting birthday parties and other social events because it ties in with their values; honor, integrity, continually seeking knowledge, and having fun. Like many companies, they want their customers to spread the news about how great they are to other people, that’s exactly what Red Robin want their customers to do; spread the word about them.

Location of OperationsCurrently, the closest Red Robin to Pullman is an hour and half way in Spokane. There are 3 Red Robin in Spokane. The second closest location to Pullman is in Coeur d'Alene, ID and there’s only 1 Red Robin there. Red Robin operates in 31 cities in Washington. Also they are operating in 45 states of 478 locations. As for outside of the United States, they have some locations in Alberta and British Columbia.           

Future outlooks/projectionsRed Robin is a well-known restaurant so people often wonder if a Red Robin would open in their area. The company doesn’t disclose any information about new restaurants because sometime

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things may not go as planned. However, Red Robin does share that information in a few months before opening. And they advertise through local newspapers and radio, mails, website, and social media.   

Market Analysis IndustryThe obvious industry we are entering into in the Palouse area is the food and beverage industry. While the area does have some choices, stemming from both sit-down establishments to fast-food joints, they are bleak and often provide lower than satisfactory food. The establishments that Red Robin would be primarily competing with would include Southfork, Zips, Cougar Country, McDonald’s, Rico’s, Valhalla, Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and The Coug, although they will realistically be competing with every other place that offers food and alcohol. With the exception of Southfork and Applebee’s however, majority of these places that offer similar burgers are not family environments and are primarily for quick eats or to get a couple beers at. Red Robin not only has a large space big enough to seat above 100 customers (including families), and while the majority of the customer base will likely be college and high school age students there would never be a problem for families to come in and feel both welcome.

On the beverage level, there are several other places that Red Robin would compete with. These include Rico’s, The Coug, My Office, The Sports Page, Mike’s, Valhalla, and Etsi Bravo. While these are all well-established bars and well-liked by the community in the area, we feel that the amount of bar space, laid-back atmosphere and lack of loud and rowdiness separates Red Robin from the rest of the bars in the area. Whereas some bars people welcome being bumped into and beer spilled all over themselves with the constant overbearing feel of people coming to the bar with the simple intention of leaving with a stranger, Red Robin just doesn’t give that feel. With a vast amount of quality drinks ready to be served quickly at the bar, including signature margaritas and the like, it would create a place that is still comfortable for customer’s and students to unwind at with a much lower chance of being bumped around and spilt on.Another industry that Red Robin breaks into in the Palouse area is the arcade industry.  As far as our group has seen, there hasn’t been a Red Robin build that doesn’t have a decent sized arcade near the front doors of their restaurant.  While this would not be the main focus of the establishment, it could bring in a different sort of clientele. The main aim of the arcade would be toward younger kids, usually in between the ages of 3-12, but we as a group have also found that parents (specifically fathers), and potential drunk customers would more often than not spend a couple dollars on some arcade games per visit. This would create more traffic of families with children, as well as that of adults with the feeling of nostalgia to play some games before they eat one of our fine burgers.

SWOT AnalysisOne of the nice things about Red Robin is that it has many strengths as far as a restaurant goes. It has decent, quality food for non-outrageous prices. The bar has a plethora of various drinks ready to be made at the whim of a customer of age, all with a variety of price ranges and qualities of alcohol to be served. The sports bar and grill feel is welcoming to a wide variety of customer base, making it ideal for a college area such as this that fosters a variety of people to come together into one area. With the availability of the customary televisions around the entirety of the establishment, it would create the perfect place for students from both Moscow and Pullman

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to watch Vandal and Coug games respectively.  This would create a much-needed space for fans to watch away games for football, baseball, and basketball games that aren’t shown on regular television (you might be surprised by how many complexes don’t offer that cable option, nor how many students refuse to pay for cable television at all).  This would draw in a large amount of business on away game weekends from both of the major college cities in the quad city area, making up for nights and weekends that would otherwise not make the establishment as much money.  Not only would this increase food sale on bleak weekends, but also with the constant teeter-totter of Cougar football, among other sports, alcohol sales would skyrocket during game times.

Some weaknesses we discussed include the lack of people that do not eat out during weekdays in the Palouse area.  While in other areas that have Red Robin have a larger population to appeal to, the Palouse is largely limited to college students with a small population of local folks. Unfortunately, most of the population made up in the Pullman and Moscow area is of college students.  This limits the disposable income available to be spent at Red Robin immensely during the weekdays as well as during the summer months of the years.  While there would obviously be outliers during the year that may make up for the known deficits described above, it should be known that the establishment may not do as well during those times of the year. Another limitation of Red Robin could include their all-you-can-eat French fries that are sold to anyone who gets fries with their meals or sides.  While in other areas people may eat their fill of fries and leave, it can be assumed in a college town that students may come in and order a side of fries and proceed to eat for them for the rest of the evening exclusively.  While there is most certainly cost accounting put in place for such practices that would otherwise avoid losses in profit, that cost allocation may or may not take into account strict college towns such as this.Some opportunities available to Red Robin include the bleak amount of restaurants in the area. Due to the limited amount of places to eat, the quality food provided by a well-known establishment would be a welcome addition to the area.  This could provide students a good feeling of home to remind them of something that is more prevalent on the west side.  Also, as described above, the most major opportunity available to Red Robin is the away games to be broadcasted on less-available channels.

Finally, the threats to Red Robin’s break into the restaurant market in the Palouse area include the already established restaurants in the area.  These restaurants have been listed above. The only other threat would be other entering restaurants, specifically those that deal with American food and burgers.

Competition AnalysisOur competition includes most of the sit-down and fast-food restaurants in the Quad-City area, which include but are not limited to include Southfork, Zips, Cougar Country, McDonald’s, Rico’s, Valhalla, Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and The Coug. We have chosen to not include the sit-down and fast-food restaurants in the Lewiston/Clarkston area due to the site being in the Pullman area.  While several of our competitors offer similar, and some may say superior food and drink options, we believe that Red Robin has something that the “other guys” don’t have—brand name.  For obvious reasons, there is a population of people that would rather go to a restaurant that they have been to before and have a larger presence than say Southfork has in our area. The closest major competition that has a nationwide basis is Buffalo Wild Wings and Applebee’s.  Although both of those restaurants offer similar menu options, and Applebee’s

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offers similar drink options, it is safe to say that Red Robin is usually thought of higher end than either Applebee’s or Buffalo Wild Wings.  Aside from burgers, which all of the given restaurants serve in bulk, Red Robin has a plethora of other options that make the menu better-rounded than the other two.  They offer many more salad options, making them an option for a group of people that require a variety of food types to eat (the variety being junkier bar foods to eat for the normal type of people that like to have fun and healthier options for those who are dieting or require other types of foods to eat.) Finally, Red Robin hits that happy medium area between fast food and a sit down restaurant—they offer the comfort and atmosphere of a sit down restaurant and the speedy turn out of food similar to a fast food place.                                                                Target MarketOur target market includes the people of the Quad-City area, but extends beyond that. Our main group of people is the college students with a sort of disposable income that is used on eating out. We decided that they were our primary target due to the concentration of them in the area as well as the type of food that is offered at the establishment.  Since students make up more than half of the population in the Pullman and Moscow area, it is logical to think that they would make up at least half or better of the customer base for the new restaurant.  Other groups that we were aiming at include the locals that live in the Palouse year round, locals from the surrounding smaller towns, visiting friends, parents, or relatives, and families that are looking to have a nice family meal. While the our group agrees that the restaurant should try to cater most to the students, we also believe that families will create a large amount of business for us, and therefore should be welcomed into the restaurant in the most embracing way possible.  With the pleasing atmosphere that can help hold young children’s attention as well as bring a feeling of nostalgia to parents, we believe that it will create a large draw.

The third major customer base we believe will spend the most money at Red Robin is alumni and visiting parents and relative for Mom/Dad’s Weekends. Although football weekends are limited and Parent’s weekends are only two weekends out of the year, we believe that they older folks are more willing to spend larger amounts of money and stay for longer durations, helping level any deficits in the off seasons (summer and winter break).

Growth OpportunitiesAlthough our group believes that the growth opportunities in the Palouse area for Red Robin are limited, we believe that it is possible to expand our operations to the Lewiston/Clarkston area given the eventual success of a Pullman Red Robin. While this may take away from some of the business from the Pullman restaurant, we believe that it would actually just make the opportunity more available to a larger group of people, namely those that don’t want to drive from the Lewiston/Clarkston area to get a burger or shake from Red Robin. This creates more of an opportunity for others to get one of the restaurants burgers when they are in Lewiston or Clarkston for shopping, or the like.

The second opportunity that could be broken into, which seems much more profitable, would be to start including a region exclusive menu for our clientele.  It should include fresh local beef in the burgers and Idaho potatoes to be used in the fries. Not only would this become a draw for the people that believe in both organic and local uses of nearby resources.  This may be hard to convince corporate to incorporate for a single or a few restaurants, but given the opportunity we believe that it would increase our sales and amount of customer traffic in the doors.

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Location ProposalCurrently there are 478 Red Robin locations existing in 48 different states. However despite there being so many existing locations, the Red Robin closest to the Palouse is in Spokane nearly an hour and twenty one minutes north of Pullman, Washington. In Spokane, there are three locations within 15 minutes of each other.

(Map of Red Robin locations in Spokane, WA)

Considering there are many other food options already existing in the Palouse, the likelihood of someone driving nearly an hour and a half for Red Robin is very slim. With this information in mind, Pullman, Washington would be an ideal location for a new full-sized Red Robin Restaurant. Red Robin considers numerous factors when deciding on expanding its restaurant base. The primary factors include general economic conditions, forecasted financial performance, the availability of buildings that are appropriate, the competition in local markets and the availability of a team to manage the new location. With these factors in mind, Pullman, Washington would be a great location for a new Red Robin.

Location Information and Renovations The old Denny’s restaurant location would be ideal for Red Robin because it fits the essential criterion that is necessary for a new location. The address of the Denny’s building is 1170 SE Bishop Blvd., Pullman, WA 99163.This location is currently vacant and is listed under property type as retail and for property sub-type as restaurant. The size of this building is 5,675 square feet with the lot size being 27,000 square feet. The building was built in 1995 so it is now 21 years old. Because of the age and the requirements necessary for a Red Robin restaurant, renovations will be essential. The price for this location before renovations is $725,000 equating to $127.75 per square foot.

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(The current building in which Denny’s used to reside)

(What the location could possibly look like once it were remodeled and turned into a Red Robin restaurant)

There are many benefits regarding the old Denny’s building that would make a new Red Robin restaurant successful. Included with the cost, this location contains a fully equipped commercial kitchen, a large dining area, a banquet room and a bar area. There is also a large private off-street parking lot included. This location is also adjacent to the new Holiday Inn Express, which could bring a lot of business to the restaurant from people visiting. Considering there are many events nearby this location at Washington State University, which will cause the Holiday Inn express to be booked, there will be a lot of traffic around the proposed Red Robin location. Examples of some of the more mentionable events are freshman orientation, Dad’s weekend, Mom’s weekend and fall and spring graduation. This will increase the success of the proposed Red Robin restaurant because it is very close to both the Holiday Inn Express and the campus of Washington State University. Another benefit to this location is that it would be located within minutes from downtown Pullman where much of residential Pullman exists. Also, the mentioned location is within one minute of the Village Centre Cinemas, which is the only movie theatre in Pullman. This would help attract more customers because it would be easy and convenient for people to eat a meal or get drinks at Red Robin before going to see a movie.

           Another location that could be viable for Red Robin exists just across the street from the old Denny’s building. The old Fireside restaurant shares many of the same benefits as the old Denny’s building although it is a much newer and larger building. Built in 2006, this building is only a decade old. Because of the age and features, there would be fewer renovations compared to the old Denny’s location. This location however is not for sale but for rent at $1.22 per square foot per month. At 9,000 square feet, the price equates to $10,980 per month or $131,760 per year.

Marketing Plan

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Red Robin has extensively looked through its values, mission statements, target audience, and competition analyses in order to position themselves high up in the market and create a recognizable name for themselves. They use a marketing mixture of price, product, place and promotion. In 1969, the old Red Robin Tavern converted in order to serve any and all people who love a gourmet burger. This opened many doors for them especially within the marketing world. In this last year, 47 years later, the company is moving forward with reaching out to individuals to customize the dining experience. With over 400 locations, the company has provided satisfactory services and we will take a look into the positioning and rationale Red Robin takes for all its marketing strategies and channels of distribution to reach its intended audience. Strategies & Tactics

In Pullman, Red Robin would continue reaching out to its target market audience, including families, children, students, businessmen or sporting fans, those looking for healthy options and those looking for a pleasant dining experience with food allergies. They are an all American dining experience with gourmet food at affordable price. In a marketing strategy they focus on attracting these target customers and maintain relationships that will advocate for them to attract an even larger customer base. One marketing strategy Red Robin is extremely famous for is their bottomless fries. This includes a lower cost for a side dish which would entice people to order drinks as well. This could always become a weakness when considered in profits but overall it attracts more than it takes away. Red Robin seeks to appeal towards family and are geared towards family oriented dining. Along with reaching out to these specific customers, they double team a celebration as a route to customer’s hearts. The Red Robin birthday song with free dessert/burger and balloons has always attracted not only families but those looking to celebrate in a friendly casual restaurant with staff who are going to get you excited to turn another year old. Their strategies include their all American trend in design and décor attracting those sporting fans and those over 21 into their sports bar that represents all American teams and entertainment. This might be very useful when coming to a college town such as Pullman because students, their parents or even locals are looking for a bar/restaurant showing the PAC12 games with affordable food and beverages around them. The last strategy Red Robin has implemented more recently has been their healthier menu along with their allergy conscious menu. They are taking advantage of new technologies to get apps out there for you to customize your meal in order to still get a quality dining out experience without having to worry whether you will interact with something you are allergic to. This strategy would work great around a populated area such as Pullman/Moscow for student looking for healthier options and a dining experience for families worried about the quality of their children’s meals. In marketing these new tools Red Robin now offers, they showcase the new products and how they will benefit you through Facebook, Instagram, and word-of-mouth.

Positioning

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers intended position in the market is to establish itself as a healthy and delicious substitute for the casual dining experience. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers strives to provide the highest quality ingredients in a family friendly environment to help promote an individually satisfying dining experience for every lifestyle. One example of how Red Robin has

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established their position in the market is identifying its brand and burgers with a slogan. “Red Robin, Yummm” has been a staple for many children when they see the brand name or the mascot as well. It is targeted to a wide range of people as a simple slogan and easy to recall. When evaluating where to go with its marketing plan specifically to Pullman, Red Robin would keep its main values front and center to connect with the target audience within our population. The four main values are honor, integrity, having fun, and continually seeking knowledge. When it comes to positioning in the market knowledge is key to getting your services out there, the more the audience knows about what needs the client would like fulfilled then we can position our advertisement and products towards fulfilling those needs. The two major subjects to gear towards are location and pricing. Red Robin runs many TV commercial advertisements and affordable pricing at a location that is incredibly convenient will entice anyone to remember Red Robin as their one night out for the week or a casual dinner during the week day. When marketing the positon Red Robin has taken within Pullman, the target audience, families and students, would be offered discounts and the knowledge that the location is convenient and won’t break your bank.

Channels of distribution There are many ways in which Red Robin has chosen to distribute their products and services. One way we would love to utilize when bringing Red Robin to Pullman is their social media. Each location Red Robin constructs has their own Facebook page that is released before opening to initiate there will be a grand opening but it will also be structured identical to the corporate Facebook page so there are preset items we would need to follow when conducting advertising and marketing through Facebook. The company might also pay for a special announcement to commercialize on Television for a grand opening in the Pullman/Moscow area. Within the college, we believe that flyers are a big way to reach out and get responses from the students. Especially with advertising the affordable prices along with student discounts. On a more local side, the Chamber of Commerce puts out a monthly newspaper with updates on the local market and events. Red Robin would catch a lot of attention among local families and anyone around the town. Red Robin continues to implement its values when opening its brand in different locations. They value honor within a community. They have action plans that will help connect their audience who also values the same ideals. (Burns, etc.) I believe that Pullman would benefit from these channels of distribution because it involves an environmentally stable practice, and exclusive offers for students and even military discounts which veterans account for a portion of the WSU population. The action plans consist of continuous organizations and fundraising opportunities Red Robin is participating in as well as before construction, during and after. The construction would include high communication with city council, chamber of commerce, and any businesses affected will be contacted in a friendly way to let them know Red Robin is an addition to the community not a replacement for certain businesses established already. The advertisement through social media, newspapers, and campaigning through flyers would start about a month before the grand opening. After the opening there would be continuous action plans towards community involvement as well as discounts and special offers to attract new customers to Red Robin’s products and services. These would advertise the gourmet burgers and the fun loving environment Red Robin has established as their own recognizable reputation.

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Rationale  Every year Red Robin reevaluates its marketing plans and the rationale that goes into these strategies and executions. Each year holds new market needs that can be targeted to fulfill with Red Robin certain products or if they are lacking the needs of today’s consumer, what they would need to implement to continue their hold on the market. One thing Red Robin has come up with in order to better position themselves in the market is their “Customizer app”. Each meal can be individually tailored to your preferences before you even walk into the establishment. This makes a gourmet meal become quick and easy. Red Robin is branded as a casual dining experience, this would be their rationale to try to target individuals rather than a specific audience because their foods and services can be for a broad range of individuals. They are set out to serve as many as possible and this helps them tailor to anyone and everyone needs from the busy student to the busy mom. Each advertisement should be focused more towards your product than solutions because problems and trends change but your brand will always be remembered in one light. Red Robin has a light of friendly, fun, and affordable. These main rationales for advertising won’t change much but the products that are invented can be refocused in each market to help fulfill their current needs. Red Robin has recently started making alcohol milkshakes. This products is targeted to 21 and over. They would they target those who love dessert and want to enjoy an alcoholic drink. This would be one example product first, so we rationale our advertisement to fulfilled the craving for a milkshake and for an alcohol beverage as a solution second. Red Robin is primarily looking at families and children to market their all American menu. This is the reason they offer an extensive children’s menu, a friendly mascot, balloons, and affordable items for families. Their goal is to increase profits and satisfaction at the same time. Another value that Red Robin has incorporated in random acts of kindness. To show this is a true value, they have community outreach programs and offer special values such as a free birthday dessert and decorations for the table. The rationale portion of the marketing plan also looks into their competitive advantages against those who compete as casual dining restaurants. They have honest to goodness service, high quality ingredients and meal options,

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they are a made to order company and it is served with pleasure. They are most known for their awards in best burger. There is very few companies that can offer really low costs without forgoing the gourmet food and quality that goes into the dining experience.

Conclusion After our extensive research into Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, we are confident in saying our report is highly feasible to take into action bringing the company to Pullman, Washington. The location is effective in numbers, size, pricings, and an easy to advertise. Pullman is the largest city in the Whitman county area, with a total of close to 50,000 people populating these areas, Red Robin should have no trouble in finding customers who know their brand or would love to start a relationship with the brand. Pullman is home to Washington State University, which would expand its target market to almost 30,000 college students, and 26 local schools as an after school treat or a family outing to catch up on daily lives. Red Robin has expanded immensely over the last 40 years from one location to over 400 locals in the U.S.A and Canada. They are completely open to expanding and we believe the report has outline how Pullman, WA can be a great addition to its success stories.

ReferencesBurns, Johnny, Chris Grosser, Garret Guzman, Saul Marin, and Sasha Wallace. "Red Robin Marketing Plan." Dictionary of Marketing Communications (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

About Us, and Our History. Retrieved April 08, 2016, from http://www.redrobin.com/about

Burns, J., Grosser, C., Guzman, G., Marin, S., & Wallace, S. (2012, April). Final Red Robin Marketing Plan. Retrieved April, 2016, from https://findingsasha.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/final-red-robin-marketing-plan.pdf

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. (n.d.). Retrieved April, 2016, from http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Red_Robin_Gourmet_Burgers_(RRGB)

Appendices

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Each of the members in our group surveyed 5 people they knew in order to complete these results.

Above: Results for if people want a Red Robin in Pullman.

Below: Results for is people would go to the Red Robin restaurant if there were to be one in Pullman.

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Do you want a Red Robin in Pullman?Yes No Don't Care

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Would you go to a Red Robin restaurant if there was one in Pullman?

Yes No

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Original Pitch ProposalTo:                      Classmates and P. Cady, ENGL 402From:                  Cara Carpenter, CCSubject:               Pitch ProposalDate:                   2/29/2016

The purpose of this memo is to introduce a pitch proposal on bringing Red Robin, America’s Gourmet Burgers and Spirits, to the wonderful town of Pullman. I will outline where and how this should occur and the characteristics of those I need to get involved.

SummaryRed Robin is an American style restaurant that will bring Pullman together as a weekend destination for families and those 21+. It was founded in Seattle, WA in 1969. We are keeping our northwestern roots by bringing in America’s gourmet burgers and spirits.

DiscussionTo create a future for Red Robin in Pullman we would need to examine our competitors, a good location, and communicate with the corporation for our best financial options. Around Pullman, there are fast food restaurants that serve burgers who could be thought of as an alternative. South Fork, Birch and Barley, and/or Black Cyprus which is a more upscale but any restaurant could be a potential competitor. The closest Red Robin is in Spokane, WA and then in the Seattle area next.  I would renovate the old Denny’s lot on Bishop Blvd. It would be a complete transformation of the building with all new equipment since the restaurant has been doormat for a while. There will be high communication between corporate Red Robin to follow their standards of service and implementing their menus, uniforms, and complete style.To complete these steps I will need expertise and skills associated with business, entrepreneurial spirit, and hospitable characteristics. I would need those who want to carry on the kindness and energy of the brand we would represent. There would be a need for financial skills. Those with a passion for American burgers, family, and brews.

If you were to work towards this project you would have a role in the operations. This would give management skills, business communication skills, and become sales savvy when working with a corporate entity.

RecommendationAny concerns, comments, or interest in the task of bringing Red Robin, American gourmet burgers and spirits. Please participate in the discussions and the project, by contacting me at my email cara.carpenter@wsu.edu or my cell (425) 736 2832. Let’s create some fun!

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Deliverables

Above is an example of a flyer that would be posted on social media cites as well as around the WSU and UofI campuses. We wanted to also put it into the local newspapers for the other part of the community in which does not attend one of the local colleges, such as families.

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