Complaint Review: Red Robin

January 20th 2013 (Jon Hougard manager of Centerra Red Robin in Loveland, Colorado denies birthday request to young girl) Red Robin says you dont matter, we have plenty of clients, one client doesnt matter or change anything and it doesnt matter what you say. There are kids all around and little kids all around they can celebrate their birthday at home It was my daughters 15th birthday.  She wanted to go to Red Robin for her birthday.

She wanted to go there because they sing the traditional birthday song at the table and we have gone to Red Robin for years for each childs birthday. It has been one of our favorite restaurants up until this night. I stopped by and made sure they were still doing the singing and was informed that, yes, they were. I took her to Red Robin on January 20, 2013.  Approximately 6:15 p.m.)  I spoke to the hostess and informed her of the special occasion and requested they sing the birthday song to her at the table. She informed me everything was set and that the servers would sing at the end of dinner.

I also spoke to the server and made sure they would be singing Happy Birthday to my daughter. He said it would be awesome and everything was set.  We ordered our dinner and the service was pretty good, we tipped the server 20% because he was excellent in his serving. However at the end of the meal the server informed me that Jon Hougard, the manager, would not allow the birthday song to be sung. I requested to speak to him. Jon Hougard came to the table and I explained to him that the hostess and waiter promised me that the birthday song would be song to my daughter who selected this restaurant.

He informed me that, and I quote: the other people here dont come here to celebrate your birthday. I then pointed out that the employees had already promised and said they had set everything up. He stated that the employees were ignorant and that the people here do not want to celebrate your daughters birthday.  Now I ask you what kind of person would behave this way. He said this in front of my family and my daughter. Why would any reasonable person act like this and be this insensitive? It also raises the question why would a company of any kind put a person like this in position of authority. Are these the values you want to support? I wont and I ask you not to support this company as long as such a mean spirited person manages this company. Again these are the words he said in front of my daughter and family.

No one here wants to celebrate your daughters birthday at their dinner.  He also told me no matter whom I told or what I said would make any difference. Finally I said sir, youre the manager, shes a kid he said there are kids everywhere. If this is the face Red Robin wants for its company so be it, but I wont support it. I ask you not to support it as well. One must ask what kind of person this is. Unethical, deceitful, malicious. 

(I would like to make it clear the server offered to sing in the parking lot and provided superior customer service along with the host. Both server and hostess had ethical intentions. The manager was unethical, cruel, greedy, insensitive and narcissistic)