Over the last several years, Red Robin has taken steps to reduce climate risk, including the following actions: (i) switched to energy efficient LED lighting in our corporate owned restaurants (ii) experimented with using solar panels in select restaurants, (iii) actively managed energy and water usage, and (iv) expanded our recycling and waste reduction efforts.

Switching to LED Lighting

We began saving more than 5.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually with our switch in 2009 to all energy-efficient LED lighting in our company-owned restaurants. That's roughly equal to planting 923 acres of trees or removing 4,060 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually.

Harvesting Solar Power

By piloting solar panels at three of our Colorado restaurants, we've already contributed to lowering demand for electric power generation from local power plants and reducing carbon dioxide and other emissions.

Managing Energy

Red Robin was the first kitchen operator to receive a Certificate of Recognition by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March 2013 for “Sharing Your Story” and contributing to a healthier climate by encouraging others to save energy and money with ENERGY STAR® commercial service food equipment.

Recycling

At our restaurant support center, we recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, steel and aluminum containers. We eliminated much of our paper, energy, ink and transportation waste by changing to electronic funds transfer.

Packaging Optimization

  • Packaging Optimization: We continue to experiment with our off-premise and beverage packaging. In 2022, we removed over 150,0000 pounds of Styrofoam packaging from our corporate-owned restaurants, replacing them with fiber alternatives.

GHG Emissions

In 2022, we first published our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in line with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. We expect that establishing this baseline and tracking year-to-year will help us visualize annual improvements.