It sure does!

As an international customer service professional, I can testify it's the small things and word of mouth that make all the difference. Just acknowledging my customers many unique holidays means a lot. I've already studied up on the Year of the Snake in anticipation of the Chinese New Year.

The article says a lot of the Red Robin Restaurants do this sort of thing and it keeps business coming back.

is the only place here in my town that when they first opened, gave meal vouchers to all the neighboring businesses (in a 10 mile radius yet) for a free lunch on a day before their grand opening. The place was crowded all day with all of us that got vouchers ...we still go there for lunch and my family and I go many times for supper. So the $1000.'s spent on those vouchers was worth it in advertising. The vouchers were for anything you wanted + open bar.

I had no idea about their business model. I think the closest one to me is about 50 miles away, but the next time I'm in that town I think I'll stop by.

Love em!

I'm all about food suggestions.

The service was always good, too.

Kudos to a fellow North Carolinian for doing this!

We go there occasionally and request a boca patty. It used to be on their menu; it's not there anymore but is still available on request (at least the one we go to in So Cal. You may want to call ahead and ask).

I love their fries, but with all the fat and calories in a meal, we only only go once every couple of months.

... is fairly decent for a "casual dining" chain. I've never been disappointed by any meal I had there, even if my expectations are typically not very high. They've always exceeded those expectations and I've always been pleased.

bacon guacamole burger.

gesture to bestow upon a very pregerant lawyer smacks of opportunism. I would imagine that the women and her family appeared to be comfortable middle class....ie, not in any particular need.
99 3/4 % of genuine gestures are done with anomonity with benefactors wanting no acknowledgement.

I would be more impressed if the manger would have handed out a meal coupon to someone on the street who might have seen it as a treat they wouldn't normally be able to afford.

Just my take.

I'm guessing that the pregnant attorney probably looked like someone who could afford her meal, and while I applaud the manager's generosity, I think it would have been a far better gesture to give the free meal to someone on the street.

But that's just me - people probably consider us as sourpusses and think our opinion should be filed under No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Having read the rest of this thread, it sounds like Red Robin is pretty good as far as corporations go. I'm not sure if we have one around here but I may check it out. Someone mentioned they have a guacamole burger and that sounds delicious.

...is the better characterization. The two are not mutually exclusive, but for it to be a news item seems overblown (or implies the town is a real hellhole of selfishness).

press fell for it.