• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
RetailRed Robin

Red Robin Is the Latest Restaurant Chain to Embrace Digital Ordering

By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Kell
John Kell
Contributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 12, 2017, 8:30 AM ET
Photo by Mark Ballogg

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is launching the chain’s first-ever digital ordering platform, the latest restaurant brand to embrace the web as diners increasingly migrate to online channels to place orders.

The casual-dining chain, which operates 550 locations across the U.S. and Canada, says online orders booked via redrobin.com will let diners place orders with a specific pick-up time, prepay for those orders, and also feature customization of the burgers in a way that mirrors the experience in the brick-and-mortar restaurant locations.

“Consumers want ease of access in the order process, order pickup and every step of that experience,” Jason Rusk, vice president of Red Robin’s (RRGB) alternative platforms, told Fortune in an interview. “The reason you are ordering online is because you don’t have time to sit down in the restaurant.”

Rusk is right in his view that consumers say they want to go online to place (and pay) for their restaurant orders. Orders booked via the web, mobile apps and text messages account for 1.9 billion food service visits, growing 18% last year according to research firm The NPD Group while overall traffic to restaurants actually dipped a bit in 2016. Dinner is often the meal that sees the most orders placed digitally, a trend that favors Red Robin’s burger-focused menu.

But NPD Group says that orders placed with a mobile app are growing more strongly, likely bolstered by the efforts digital leaders like Starbucks (SBUX) and Domino’s (DPZ) have made to make app-based ordering. The Red Robin offering is web-only (though also enabled on mobile if using a smartphone web browser).

Rusk said Red Robin opted not to add digital ordering capabilities to an app because casual dining chains don’t enjoy the steady pace of visits like Starbucks, which can become a daily habit for loyal coffee drinkers. “We won’t get the same user acceptance via a mobile app,” he explained. “I think we will evaluate over time if an app makes sense for us.”

Casual dining chains have started to embrace the trend of digital ordering in recent years, with DineEquity’s (DIN) Applebee’s and Brinker’s (EAT) Chili’s also debuting their own online ordering platforms in recent years. Like Red Robin, those two rivals also work with online and mobile ordering startup Olo to ensure the back end of the technology would run smoothly with their physical restaurants.

“61% of all restaurant industry transactions are not for food that’s consumed at the restaurant,” says Noah Glass, CEO of Olo. He says Olo aims to help restaurants think about the orders that consumers want to place when they want to visit a restaurant—but don’t actually want to sit down and eat at the restaurant. The goal for Olo and Red Robin is to ensure those orders are booked efficiently, especially when factoring in advanced orders, and can also be delivered to the customers smoothly when they arrive at the restaurant for pickup.

That’s a shift in thinking that presents both a challenge and an opportunity for all restaurant chains aiming to embrace digit. Throughout the industry’s history, the focus has been on menu innovation, building alluring restaurants that people want to visit, and training waitstaff. Now, they have to think about how to manage and scale up an e-commerce business that doesn’t always fit neatly in a brick-and-mortar retail location.

But the trend of digital ordering will only accelerate, forcing big players like McDonald’s (MCD) to think about what mobile ordering should look like as this trend becomes more pervasive.

While coffee purveyors, pizza chains, and fast-casual players have been among the earliest adopters, burger-focused chains have been late to the digital ordering game. Shake Shack’s (SHAK) mobile ordering app only went fully national in January. McDonald’s is still just really starting to talk about it publicly. And Red Robin is only jumping on the trend just now.

Experts have said there’s a perception out there that burgers just won’t hold up as well for delivery and to-go orders like coffee and pizza. But Red Robin disagrees with that assessment.

“People have told me in the past that hamburgers don’t travel well,” Rusk said. “But the number one item consumed off premise is a hamburger,” pointing to the particular success that fast-food chains like McDonald’s have had in selling their burgers to go.

A higher price point and more intricate burger from Red Robin would likely come with higher expectations than say, a $1 burger sold by Wendy’s (WEN). Red Robin says it is experimenting with packaging innovation to ensure the burgers it sells via digital ordering will retain their freshness and stay hot. That packaging isn’t finalized just yet, but the company says a national launch could be ready soon.

“For us, it is about making sure that our gourmet burgers travel even better than everybody else,” said Rusk.

About the Author
By John KellContributing Writer and author of CIO Intelligence

John Kell is a contributing writer for Fortune and author of Fortune’s CIO Intelligence newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

Honda recalls nearly 900,000 cars thanks to rear suspension problems
RetailHonda
Honda recalls nearly 900,000 cars thanks to rear suspension problems
By The Associated PressJune 10, 2026
5 hours ago
Jamie Laing thinks tomorrow’s Fortune 500 will be built by creators. He might be right 
C-Suitecreator economy
Jamie Laing thinks tomorrow’s Fortune 500 will be built by creators. He might be right 
By Sam BirchallJune 10, 2026
11 hours ago
Matt Damon and Gary White.
EnvironmentWaters
Corporate America has been draining the world’s water. Matt Damon’s new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Chinese beauty brands flock to Southeast Asia as their first step in going global
RetailChina
Chinese beauty brands flock to Southeast Asia as their first step in going global
By Angelica AngJune 9, 2026
2 days ago
John Furner, CEO, Walmart US
SuccessCost of living
Walmart CEO John Furner says even wealthy shoppers are now shopping at the discount grocery chain as high prices stretch six-figure earners
By Emma BurleighJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
Economy
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
By Nick LichtenbergJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Wall Street dumped nearly $1 trillion in tech stocks by midday—then clawed it back and bought peanut butter and paint
Investing
Wall Street dumped nearly $1 trillion in tech stocks by midday—then clawed it back and bought peanut butter and paint
By Eva RoytburgJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.