1.                      Basis of Presentation and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., a Delaware corporation, together with its subsidiaries (“Red Robin” or the “Company”), develops and operates casual-dining restaurants. At October 2, 2011, the Company operated 323 company-owned restaurants located in 32 states. The Company operates its business as one operating and one reportable segment.  The Company also franchises its restaurants, of which there were 137 restaurants in 21 states and two Canadian provinces as of October 2, 2011.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Red Robin and its wholly owned subsidiaries.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.  The Company’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included.  The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Some of the more significant estimates included in the preparation of these financial statements pertain to recoverability of long-lived assets, recoverability of goodwill, estimated useful lives of other intangible assets, variable compensation accruals, lease accounting, estimated fair value, self-insurance liabilities, stock-based compensation expense, estimated breakage on unredeemed gift cards and deferred revenue related to our customer loyalty program, legal contingencies, and income taxes.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.  The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year.

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of Red Robin have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).  Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements on Form 10-K have been condensed or omitted.  The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 26, 2010, has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date, but does not include all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles.  For further information, please refer to and read these interim condensed consolidated financial statements in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 26, 2010 filed with the SEC on February 25, 2011.

The Company’s quarter which ended October 2, 2011, is referred to as third quarter 2011, or the twelve weeks ended October 2, 2011; the second quarter ended July 10, 2011, is referred to as second quarter 2011, or the twelve weeks ended July 10, 2011; the first quarter ended April 17, 2011, is referred to as first quarter 2011, or the sixteen weeks ended April 17, 2011; and, together the first, second and third quarters of 2011 are referred to as the forty weeks ended October 2, 2011.  The Company’s quarter which ended October 3, 2010, is referred to as the third quarter 2010, or the twelve weeks ended October 3, 2010; the second quarter ended July 11, 2010, is referred to as second quarter 2010, or the twelve weeks ended July 11, 2010; the first quarter ended April 18, 2010, is referred to as first quarter 2010, or the sixteen weeks ended April 18, 2010; and, together the first, second and third quarters of 2010 are referred to as the forty weeks ended October 3, 2010.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2011, the FASB finalized guidance on the Presentation of Comprehensive Income, which revises the manner in which entities present comprehensive income in their financial statements. The new guidance removes the presentation options and requires entities to report components of comprehensive income in either (1) a continuous statement of comprehensive income or (2) two separate but consecutive statements. Under the two-statement approach, the first statement would include components of net income, which is consistent with the income statement format used today, and the second statement would include components of other comprehensive income (OCI). This guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2011.

In September 2011, the FASB finalized guidance on Testing Goodwill for Impairment.  The new guidance simplifies how entities test goodwill for impairment and permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011.