Seven-Year-Old Rathdrum, Idaho Boy Invents America's Next Gourmet Burger

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Sales from Winning "Holy-Peno Burger," Featuring Jalapenos, Cajun Spices and Pepper-Jack Cheese, Will Benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Next Summer

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Move over cheeseburger, Rathdrum, Idaho resident, 7-year-old Charlie Beckett has created America's next gourmet burger - the "Holy-Peno Burger." After a Championship cook-off today against nine other kid finalists from across the country, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (Red Robin), the gourmet burger expert, selected Beckett's "Holy-Peno Burger" - made with jalapenos, Cajun spices, pepper-jack cheese, to name a few ingredients - as the winner of the third annual "The Next Gourmet Burger Kids' Recipe Contest." The "Holy-Peno Burger" will be served in Red Robin(R) restaurants next summer, with a portion of the sales from the winning burger donated to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to support its child safety initiatives. The winning gourmet burger also will be featured in an online kids' cookbook available for free download next summer at www.redrobin.com.

Beckett's "Holy-Peno Burger" was selected by Red Robin as the grand-prize-winning gourmet burger from among 10 finalists during the Championship event today at The International Culinary SchoolSM at The Art Institute of Colorado in Denver. During the competition, Beckett and the nine other contestants made their burgers for a panel of six judges, including Red Robin burger experts and Colorado-based food experts, including guest judge Chef Tyler Wiard of Elway's restaurants.

"It was a thrill to be part of the judging panel for Red Robin's 'The Next Gourmet Burger Kids' Recipe Contest' Championship and to celebrate and encourage kids' creativity in the kitchen," said Wiard. "It was difficult to choose just one of the finalists' delicious burgers as the winner, but the Holy-Peno Burger stood out from the rest with its impressive gourmet flavor combination of Cajun spices and jalapenos."

Beckett's "Holy-Peno Burger" was chosen from more than 14,000 burger recipe entries submitted online and at Red Robin(R) restaurants throughout the U.S. over the summer. The top 10 finalist recipes for the Championship event were chosen based on their inventive combination of ingredients, fun flavors and compelling 100-word statement on why their burger deserved to be selected as America's Next Gourmet Burger.

"We named Charlie's 'Holy-Peno Burger' as the winner of this year's 'The Next Gourmet Burger Kids' Recipe Contest' because it best exemplifies cooking creatively, and offers a new, flavorful twist on the gourmet burgers already featured on our menu," said Susan Lintonsmith, Red Robin chief marketing officer. "At Red Robin, we take great pride in being the Gourmet Burger experts and providing all our guests the opportunity to try new, mouthwatering burgers like Charlie's."

In addition to having his burger sold at Red Robin(R) restaurants next summer, Beckett has won a family vacation to Universal Orlando(R) Resort, and will be invited to attend Red Robin's Smiling Burger Championship in Southern California in January 2009, at which Red Robin team members from across the U.S. compete in a gourmet-burger-making contest.

Three runners up also were selected during the event: 12-year-old Danielle Lampitt from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., who created "The Oh So Gouda Burger;" 11-year-old Brendan Schott from Muskegon, Mich., who created the "Cheesy Pizza Paradise Burger;" and 10-year-old Adley Piccolo from Chesapeake, Va., who created the "Fireside Burger."

The 10 finalists' gourmet burger recipes, along with 40 other kid-invented burger recipes submitted through the contest, will be included in a cookbook available for FREE to download online at www.redrobin.com next summer. In addition to the kids' recipes, the cookbook will include NCMEC tips and conversation starters for kids and parents to discuss Back-to-School safety while cooking together. NCMEC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

For more information about Red Robin, or to find the restaurant nearest you, please visit www.redrobin.com. Please visit www.missingkids.com for additional information about NCMEC.

About Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ: RRGB)

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (www.redrobin.com), a casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1969 that operates through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Red Robin International, Inc., serves up wholesome, fun, feel-good experiences in a kid- and family-friendly environment. Red Robin, which was recently named one of Parents magazine's Ten Best Family Restaurants, is famous for serving more than two dozen insanely delicious, high-quality gourmet burgers in a variety of recipes with Bottomless Steak Fries(R), as well as salads, soups, appetizers, entrees, desserts, and signature Mad Mixology(R) Beverages. There are more than 400 Red Robin(R) restaurants located across the United States and Canada, including corporate-owned locations and those operating under franchise agreements.

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(R) (NCMEC)

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since it was established by Congress in 1984, the organization has operated the toll-free 24-hour national missing children's hotline which has handled more than 2.3 million calls. It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 132,314 children. The organization's CyberTipline has handled more than 643,490 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 19,053,807 child pornography images and videos. The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.

About The International Culinary SchoolSM at The Art Institute of Colorado

The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes is one of the schools in North America's largest system of culinary programs with over 30 locations. The program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education. Based on classical Escoffier, Asian and Latin culinary techniques, with an emphasis on progressive trends and practices, the school's curriculum is designed to develop and sharpen fundamental cooking techniques and professional skills and introduce a variety of international cuisines. To learn more about The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/culinary or www.exploreculinary.com. 


    Source: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.

Released December 5, 2008