Reporter, family flock to Red Robin for sneak preview

WASILLA — Between loading up the baby and finding my boy a clean pair of jeans, my wife and I almost didn’t make it to the sneak preview opening of Red Robin Saturday.

But by the time we left, happy and a little drowsy from all the food, we were glad we made the effort.

Valley residents not fortunate enough to have received an invitation to the sneak preview will have to wait until the grand opening tomorrow.

That is, if there are any Mat-Su-vians who didn’t get an invite. Judging by the crowds when we arrived just before noon, and taking into account that the restaurant has been holding these events since Wednesday, it seems Red Robin wasn’t stingy with them.

I was not surprised to see so many of my neighbors had taken Red Robin up on its offer. We tend to make a big deal out of grand openings for national chains around here. Anyone who doubts that need only remind himself of the appearance Sarah Palin made (prior to becoming a national celebrity but during the time when she was still a very popular governor) at the festivities when our Wal-Mart blosoomed into a Super Wal-Mart.

For the restaurant this sneak preview was a training exercise, to work the bugs out of the system. Apparently the RSVP process served Red Robin well since, despite the crowds, we did not have to wait for a table.

“So should we pretend to be mean, too, so you get the practice?” my wife, Amber, asked our server soon after we sat down.

“Of course,” our server replied.

“I want a damn Coke!” I growled, jokingly pounding my fist on the table.

Being a nurse, healthcare is never far from the front of Amber’s mind. Later, she joked that maybe she’d pretend to choke or fake a heart attack, to test them on that front.

Kidding aside, from what I could tell the restaurant could easily have just thrown its doors open on Wednesday. The prompt service and the fact that my glass remained full, despite the heroic amount of soda I was imbibing, led me to believe that the dry run was largely superfluous.

Which is good. I was worried after I read a colleague’s story on Nov. 20 saying that the staff roster was only half what it needed to be. There was no shortage of staff Saturday.

Amber ordered the BLTA Croissant (the “A” is for avocado) and I had the A-1 Peppercorn Burger. Gabe, our son, surprised us both and ordered baby carrots as the side dish for his corn dog.

Everything was just as we remembered it from Anchorage. (Though if you’re going to follow Amber’s lead, maybe tell them to go easy on the mayo.)

For his part, Gabe was more than pleased at the free ice cream drinks that magically appeared at our table. Anyone who gives that kid a Rookie Magic shake (or anything with Oreos, really) is his friend for life.

He and I spent the bulk of our time playing a game wherein I tried to take his picture to accompany this article and he protested and ducked out of the shot.

By the time my burger was gone I was ready for a nap. But I wasn’t off the clock yet. I still had another story to report.

“I am poop,” Amber said. Or maybe she didn’t. Gabe got hold of my notebook somewhere along the way.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.