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Dear Red Robin,
We are two regular patrons of your restaurant and would like to express our concerns regarding an advertisement Red Robin recently aired. For your reference, the advertisement in question can be found here:
http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7nsK/red-robin-burgers-teenage-daughter
In short, the advertisement features a woman who states that Red Robin serves garden burgers, "just in case your teenage daughter is going through a phase." In doing so, it belittles Red Robin's customers, its potential customers, and its food.
Before delving into the full implications made by this ad, we would like to first establish that we have been fans of Red Robin for quite some time. We are Red Royalty members, and we have regularly dined at the Red Robins in Towson, Maryland and in other Maryland locations, where we have enjoyed your selection of food, quality service, and reasonable prices. We have felt confident when bringing our friends and family to Red Robin that they would enjoy themselves, because we could rely on delicious meals, respectful servers, and a pleasant dining atmosphere. We have been happy to spend our money at Red Robin, because, until recently, Red Robin has demonstrated that it valued our visits.
Which is why we were particularly troubled to see this advertisement. By declaring Red Robin's veggie burgers to be the meals of adolescent girls "going through a phase," this commercial implies that adult women and men of all ages know better than to be vegetarian. We are led to believe that Red Robin does not respect vegetarianism as a dining option for any but immature, misguided female youths, does not respect the values it purports to uphold, and does not respect its own veggie burgers as quality food.
Judging by this commercial, Red Robin's marketing team is either unaware or unconcerned with our dining experience. You see, we ourselves happen to be vegetarians and have been for many years. One of us is even female. Yet, significantly, neither of us is teenaged. We are adults, who have just been informed by your advertisement that we have been eating inferior food because of our inferior lifestyles. The commercial gives the same message to those who are not vegetarian by choice, such as those unable to consume meat for medical reasons. And it is not a message we appreciate hearing, especially not from a potential dinner option.
The advertisement even disregards the principles Red Robin claims to hold in high regard. The Red Robin website lists "Honor" as one of your cornerstone values, stating, "Having respect for our fellow team members and celebrating the individuality of each and every guest is the key to Red Robin's unbridled restaurant experience." When we saw this ad, we didn't feel very celebrated. Rather, we felt unwelcome. Red Robin's FAQs, discussing vegetarian options, state that, "Team Members will gladly customize to meet the dietary needs or preferences of our Guests." If this assertion is true, Red Robin should be proud of its service; why, then, does it advertise disrespect for its customers with dietary restrictions?
Even more puzzling, why choose to denigrate Red Robin's selection of burgers? As we've said, we've enjoyed your veggie burgers in the past. We felt good recommending Red Robin to our friends, in particular vegetarian friends, since Red Robin stands out for the many options and styles we can apply to our meals there. Is Red Robin no longer interested in filling this role for us? If not, why dismiss its veggie burgers as substandard fare?
We understand that mistakes can be made, even by companies we respect. Perhaps Red Robin's marketing team simply didn't realize the damage it would do to its relationship with vegetarian, female, and teenaged customers by running this ad. We do not wish to stop frequenting our local Red Robin, and we hope that Red Robin does not wish to lose our business. We would be happy to avoid both unfortunate outcomes if Red Robin would make clear that it values all its customers, regardless of gender or dietary restrictions, and that it understands our concerns. We implore Red Robin to take this opportunity to make good on these words from its website: "Learning is growing, and this is one of our commitments to each other."
Your concerned customers,
Melissa Tillery and Tevis Tsai
We are two regular patrons of your restaurant and would like to express our concerns regarding an advertisement Red Robin recently aired. For your reference, the advertisement in question can be found here:
http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7nsK/red-robin-burgers-teenage-daughter
In short, the advertisement features a woman who states that Red Robin serves garden burgers, "just in case your teenage daughter is going through a phase." In doing so, it belittles Red Robin's customers, its potential customers, and its food.
Before delving into the full implications made by this ad, we would like to first establish that we have been fans of Red Robin for quite some time. We are Red Royalty members, and we have regularly dined at the Red Robins in Towson, Maryland and in other Maryland locations, where we have enjoyed your selection of food, quality service, and reasonable prices. We have felt confident when bringing our friends and family to Red Robin that they would enjoy themselves, because we could rely on delicious meals, respectful servers, and a pleasant dining atmosphere. We have been happy to spend our money at Red Robin, because, until recently, Red Robin has demonstrated that it valued our visits.
Which is why we were particularly troubled to see this advertisement. By declaring Red Robin's veggie burgers to be the meals of adolescent girls "going through a phase," this commercial implies that adult women and men of all ages know better than to be vegetarian. We are led to believe that Red Robin does not respect vegetarianism as a dining option for any but immature, misguided female youths, does not respect the values it purports to uphold, and does not respect its own veggie burgers as quality food.
Judging by this commercial, Red Robin's marketing team is either unaware or unconcerned with our dining experience. You see, we ourselves happen to be vegetarians and have been for many years. One of us is even female. Yet, significantly, neither of us is teenaged. We are adults, who have just been informed by your advertisement that we have been eating inferior food because of our inferior lifestyles. The commercial gives the same message to those who are not vegetarian by choice, such as those unable to consume meat for medical reasons. And it is not a message we appreciate hearing, especially not from a potential dinner option.
The advertisement even disregards the principles Red Robin claims to hold in high regard. The Red Robin website lists "Honor" as one of your cornerstone values, stating, "Having respect for our fellow team members and celebrating the individuality of each and every guest is the key to Red Robin's unbridled restaurant experience." When we saw this ad, we didn't feel very celebrated. Rather, we felt unwelcome. Red Robin's FAQs, discussing vegetarian options, state that, "Team Members will gladly customize to meet the dietary needs or preferences of our Guests." If this assertion is true, Red Robin should be proud of its service; why, then, does it advertise disrespect for its customers with dietary restrictions?
Even more puzzling, why choose to denigrate Red Robin's selection of burgers? As we've said, we've enjoyed your veggie burgers in the past. We felt good recommending Red Robin to our friends, in particular vegetarian friends, since Red Robin stands out for the many options and styles we can apply to our meals there. Is Red Robin no longer interested in filling this role for us? If not, why dismiss its veggie burgers as substandard fare?
We understand that mistakes can be made, even by companies we respect. Perhaps Red Robin's marketing team simply didn't realize the damage it would do to its relationship with vegetarian, female, and teenaged customers by running this ad. We do not wish to stop frequenting our local Red Robin, and we hope that Red Robin does not wish to lose our business. We would be happy to avoid both unfortunate outcomes if Red Robin would make clear that it values all its customers, regardless of gender or dietary restrictions, and that it understands our concerns. We implore Red Robin to take this opportunity to make good on these words from its website: "Learning is growing, and this is one of our commitments to each other."
Your concerned customers,
Melissa Tillery and Tevis Tsai
