"Craft beer" at Red Robin?

I took my nephew to Red Robin for lunch (his choice) while I was back in Columbus a few weeks ago. No issues whatsoever. Good selection of mostly national craft beers alongside the typical macro swill, and we had fries out the yin yang.

I wouldn't go there if I was in a hurry, for sure.

 

Reeddd Raahhbin...meh.

We used to go there fairly often with the kids. They got balloons and whatnot. After one visit, two of our cherubs proclaimed the burgers were OK at best. We don't go anymore.

 

LOL to them that beer list is "Craft" and to most of their customers they think it rocks.

 

The Red Robin near me definitely has a sad selection of beer. I don’t mind though, craft beer doesn’t usually go well with burgers anyway.

 

My local Red Robin has marginally better options. We always have one or two Ithaca beers and a few local microbreweries like Horseheads or Upstate. As long as there's Flower Power I'm happy. One time they even had Allagash White on tap, which made me ecstatic, as that is hands down my favorite witbier. That's better than the local Buffalo Wild Wings. However, all of the chain restaurants around here have a pretty terrible beer selection overall. I usually either order Sam Adams, or just go with Coke.

 

This goes back to acquisitions in my mind. Most national chains seem to have a tap list that includes the macro offerings from a large conglomerate and the rest are the "crafty" brands from the same corporation. It's the easy move for the national beer buyers for red robin or chilis or applebees. But more to the point, why would I waste money on a half assed frozen burger slopped together by someone who doesn't care when I can go to a locally owned burger joint like www.craverealburgers.com for the same price?

 

Our Dead Robin actually does have some regional craft, the burgers are pretty good, and while the fries get refilled after a fashion, they don't seem as good as at other Dead Robins. We don't go much because it's at the mall, so usually a hassle.

Like other nationwide restaurants, the craft selection seems to depend on management. If the manager cares about and understands craft, they'll get some good stuff if allowed by corporate. But most just leave it to their distributor, who shockingly recommends ABInBev macro and ex-craft.

 

I know someone who works at one. They said once their local kegs were kicked, they'd be going back to national branding. Seems like they want to streamline their whole operation.

Sad stuff.

 

Chain places for the most part are trying to play both sides I suppose. They're a burger place first and foremost that's their business, 95% of their customers are probably fine with AALs if they want beer, but are ok ordering a Coke or Ice Tea. So they offer a few better beer offerings to a very small percent of those customers that want it, and why is anyone surprised with this? Theyre a burger joint not a beer bar, but if they give you a few better selections why complain? Go to a beer bar that serves burgers, they're everywhere.

 

Eat at places with better beer lists that serve food that you can describe with something better than "pretty good". Problem solved. RR stinks.

 

There was a similar thread re: Applebees beer list that I thought was surely trolling, even when I lived in the country in SC there were local, non-chain options that I could patronize... I feel sorry for folks who really have no choice (or make the choice) to only eat at chains. Yucky.

 

I always get top quality craft beer in a variety of styles, delicious burgers, and plenty of very tasty fries with 5 Guys. I take out and eat at home.

 

I marvel at some of the shit some of you guys get worked up about. I mean, seriously, how fucking detailed do you think a place lile Red Robin is going to be with their "craft beer" list? If you were expecting anything beyond a Blue Moon or a Sam Adams seasonal, shame on you. Gimme a friggin break and dine someplace with a "reputable" craft draft list (there ought to be a place like this where you live) and stop complaining about shit.

 

There are too many independent joints with great burgers around me to settle for a chain. Does Red Robin offer bacon jam as a topping? No? See ya.

 

Thank you - saved me a lot of typing...

 

^ This. I've never been asked if we want more, and have had to ask for our kids to get more fires if they want them. As far as craft, I can at least get a New Glarus beer here locally, but in all honesty, I don't go to Red Robin aiming to get a high quality beer menu.

 

My kids drag me to this place on occasion. The burgers are so-so & they have one local IPA on draft, the rest is junk. The service is always scattershot/disorganized and I'll echo the complaints that the fries hardly ever get refilled.

If it were up to me I'd go to maybe 20 other independent places around me with better beer and better burgers.

 

Of course I never take out at Burger Loft, where they grind their own meat for the burgers and cut their own potatoes for the fries.
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