Florida International University Student Wins $10,000 Scholarship in Red Robin's Golden Robin Contest

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Derrick Deal is celebrating the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ: RRGB). The senior at Florida International University's (FIU) Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management was declared the winner of Red Robin's Golden Robin Contest. Deal's winning recipe earned him a $10,000 scholarship and the chance for his Bubblin' Brown Sugar Bar-B-Que Burger to be featured as a limited-time menu offering at participating Red Robin® restaurants nationwide in the future. In addition, Deal will join Red Robin at the Amstel Light Burger Bash during the 8^th Annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE magazine on Friday, Feb. 21, where he will have the opportunity to serve his pub-inspired gourmet burger creation alongside celebrity chef Robert Irvine, host of Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible. 

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"As the gourmet burger experts, it is our mission to constantly provide cutting edge burger offerings to our guests," said John Schaufelberger, Red Robin's Vice President of Brand Marketing. "In our latest quest to find the most innovative burger recipe, we are proud to have collaborated with the dynamic and brilliant students at FIU, like Derrick, and we are delighted to serve his winning creation at the Amstel Light Burger Bash."

Deal's victory comes as a result of an ongoing partnership between Red Robin and the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival and FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, one of the highest rated hospitality and tourism programs in the United States. For this year's Festival, Red Robin, the Gourmet Burger Authority™, challenged FIU students to submit a recipe for their best rendition of a tavern-style burger for a chance to win Red Robin's Golden Robin Contest. All 140 recipes that the students submitted were carefully judged based on creativity, taste and use of unique ingredients, and the Bubblin' Brown Sugar Bar-B-Que Burger emerged as the winner for its unique combination of brown sugar bacon, Heinz® Honey Barbeque Sauce, sharp cheddar cheese and grilled red onions.

"We are pleased that Red Robin provided our students with a platform to demonstrate their innovation and creativity, as they prepare to become the future leaders of the industry," said Mike Hampton, Dean of Chaplin School of Hospitality& Tourism Management at FIU.

The Amstel Light Burger Bash is America's most prestigious burger competition, which brings together the country's top culinary maestros and chefs, giving them the opportunity to display their creations and battle it out for burger supremacy. For the second year in a row, Red Robin has invited all chefs participating in the Amstel Light Burger Bash to submit their burger recipe for a chance to win $10,000 and to have their recipe featured on Red Robin's Finest premium burger menu later this year. A panel of carefully selected judges, including Chef Irvine and Red Robin executives, will select and present the winning chef with "Red Robin's Best of the Bash Award" on the Burger Bash® stage on Friday, Feb. 21.

"I am honored to be part of the Red Robin judges panel and sample some of my fellow chef's most innovative and mouthwatering burgers," said Robert Irvine, celebrity chef and host of Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible. "Judging a competition with so much talent can be difficult. Luckily, I enjoy burgers and will be looking for technique, use of unique ingredients and creative presentation when choosing the winning recipe worthy of being awarded as the Best of the Bash."

For more information about Red Robin and to find a Red Robin® restaurant near you, visit www.redrobin.com.

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., is the Gourmet Burger Authority™, famous for serving more than two dozen craveable, high-quality burgers with Bottomless Steak Fries™ in a fun environment welcoming to guests of all ages.  In addition to its many burger offerings, Red Robin serves a wide variety of salads, soups, appetizers, entrees, desserts and signature Mad Mixology^® Beverages. There are more than 490 Red Robin restaurants across the United States and Canada, including those operating under franchise agreements. Red Robin… YUMMM^®! Connect with Red Robin on Facebook and Twitter. 

About Robert Irvine
With more than 25 years in the culinary profession, there aren't many places Chef Robert Irvine hasn't cooked or challenges he hasn't had to cook his way out of. During his time in the British Royal Navy and in the years that followed, Robert has cooked his way through Europe, the Far East, the Caribbean and the Americas, in hotels, on the high seas and even for the Academy Awards; and that was before his career in TV.

As the host of one of the Food Network's highest rated shows, Restaurant: Impossible, Robert is best known for saving struggling restaurants across America by assessing and overhauling the restaurant's weakest spots. In 2013, Robert added a new challenge to his resume as he mentored and challenged aspiring chefs as the host of Restaurant Express, a new show on the Food Network.

Going on its third year, Robert continues to tour his live show, Robert Irvine LIVE, across the US. Robert also operates two restaurants in South Carolina, Robert Irvine's Eat and Robert Irvine's Nosh, and is the author of two cookbooks, Mission: Cook! and Impossible to Easy. Robert was previously the host of Food Network's Dinner: Impossible and Worst Cooks in America.

Visit www.ChefIrvine.com to learn more about Robert Irvine, his TV shows, live shows and restaurants.

About the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management
Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management has been distinguished as one of the top hospitality programs in the U.S.  Each year, more than 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States and around the world choose FIU for its outstanding reputation, advantageous campus locations, expert faculty, rich curriculum, and fast-track career advantages in the international hotel, foodservice and tourism industries. In August 2006, FIU unveiled the first U.S. School of Hospitality and Tourism in Tianjin, China. The Marriott Tianjin China Program is FIU's largest international program, with a capacity for up to 2,000 students.  For more information about Florida International University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, visit http://hospitality.fiu.edu/.

SOURCE Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.