ATLANTA — Surface, an Atlanta-based agency has served as the architect of paid media and creative strategy for Red Robin’s latest campaign, launching the brand’s all-new Towering Double Cheeseburger Sliders.
Surface moved beyond static food photography to capture “Table Envy”—the visceral reaction to seeing the best thing in the room pass by – in the spot titled, Gastro Gauntlet. The spot was inspired by high-octane cinematic heists in iconic films throughout history featuring viral parkour powerhouse Lorena Abreu (@lorenaparkour).
In a frantic, gravity-defying sequence, Abreu stars as a Red Robin server caught in a high-stakes obstacle course, navigating a gauntlet of “starving masses” all desperate to snatch her precious cargo: the all-new Towering Sliders. Dashing through a crowded dining room, she ducks, flips, and dives through a sea of hungry guests—from relentless kids to a hungry lumberjack—in a pulse-pounding race to deliver the goods before the mob eats them all.
“We wanted to capture the feeling you get when the most amazing food you’ve ever seen passes right by your table on its way to some other lucky table. We call it “Table Envy,” said Andrew Crane, Chief Creative Officer at Surface.
“Gastro Gauntlet is part action-adventure, part martial arts, creating an intensely fun experience just like devouring the Towering Sliders,” said Michael Dunn, Group Creative Director at Surface.
This campaign is more than a commercial; it is a precision-engineered media accelerator. By integrating Lorena Abreu’s 4-million-strong social following into the core of the strategy, Surface built a self-sustaining engine for brand advocacy. Her behind-the-scenes tease exploded upon release, racking up over 1M views, 50K+ likes, and 2K comments in its first week.
By leveraging the agency’s proprietary BreakThrough™ media system, the campaign synchronizes disruptive creative with a hyper-localized, unit-level media architecture that drives engagement at the individual unit trade area. The Gastro Gauntlet campaign launched via a full-funnel media architecture deployed across a number of company-owned U.S. Red Robin trade areas in April 2026.
About Surface
Surface is an Atlanta-based marketing agency focused on helping brands drive measurable business performance through culturally relevant creative delivered on its BreakThrough™ media system. The agency takes pride in providing challenger brands with the leverage they need to compete effectively.
Media Contact: Amy Camp, press@surfaceagency.co
