Red Robin culture serves as positive example for any business

Red Robin exudes a positive culture

Recently on Consumerist.com, a North Carolina Red Robin became the focus of attention as an expectant mother’s meal was comped, with a note wishing her good luck.

The store manager explains to the blog author that it’s not actually a big deal or rare occurrence, that it is part of the company’s culture, as they often perform “Unbridled Acts,” or acts of kindness, which is encouraged company-wide.

“Treating our guests in a way that’s special and unlike anything they’ll experience at other restaurants helps us stand apart in a world where there are many options for dining out,” the manager tells Consumerist. “Our goal is to create lasting memories for the individuals and families who visit our restaurants.”

He says it’s easy to make someone’s day special and that “If our guests know we welcome their feedback, I think they’ll talk with us and speak up even if it’s to say they had a positive and satisfying experience with us, and hopefully also to say they’ll be back again soon.”

Red Robin mployees actually wear the core mission on their sleeves, making their culture evident:

Red Robin culture and your business

All businesses have a core mission statement and values that the founders abide by, but down the chain, it is common for employees to not know the mission, nor is it common for it to be so common that a headline grabber illustrated above would be part of the culture and not really a big deal internally.

Random acts of kindness is not a marketing ploy, it should be a way of doing business. Maybe for your business, it isn’t giving someone a free product or not charging for your services, perhaps it is going above and beyond to make sure someone is comfortable, or gets something earlier than they expected.

The idea is not just to have a mission statement, but to live by it, and make sure every single employee not only knows it and embraces it, but that at all levels, team members are empowered to execute the company’s values so they don’t ring hollow as most in modern culture do.