Surface Engineered a Creator-Led Engine Driving Traffic Turnaround

ATLANTA — Last week, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. reported its strongest quarterly traffic performance in three years. The turnaround is partially fueled by an intentional departure from standard industry “food-porn” advertising in favor of high-octane, creator-led storytelling. At the heart of this pivot is Surface, the Atlanta-based agency that served as the architect of the campaign’s media and creative strategy.

Surface has re-energized Red Robin’s connection with consumers by treating creative not as a commodity, but as a high-performance business lever. 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”: Turning Craveability into a Cultural Moment

To showcase the 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.

The result is “GASTRO GAUNTLET”—a high-octane cinematic heist 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,” says Chief Creative Officer, Andrew Crane.

“Gastro Gauntlet is part action-adventure, part martial arts, creating an intensely fun experience just like devouring the Towering Sliders,” says Michael Dunn, Group Creative Director at Surface.

A Precision-Engineered Media Accelerator

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 alone. As momentum builds, Surface and Red Robin are transforming this viral curiosity into a scalable, long-term blueprint for guest loyalty.

The “Gastro Gauntlet” campaign launched via a full-funnel media architecture deployed across all 470 U.S. Red Robin trade areas.

“We partnered with Surface to build a system-wide, unit-level marketing capability that allows us to engage guest segments with surgical relevance,” says Kara Anderson, Director of Brand Marketing at Red Robin. “We know our guests are everyday heroes balancing immense daily stress; our goal is to position Red Robin as the ultimate, craveable escape. We aren’t just reminding them we’re here—we’re giving them a fun, new reason to return”.

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.

About Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ: RRGB)

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (www.redrobin.com), is a casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1969 that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Red Robin International, Inc., and under the trade name, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews. We believe nothing brings people together like burgers and fun around our table, and no one makes moments of connection over craveable food more memorable than Red Robin. We serve a variety of burgers and mainstream favorites to Guests of all ages in a casual, playful atmosphere. In addition to our many burger offerings, Red Robin serves a wide array of salads, appetizers, entrees, desserts, signature beverages and Donatos Pizza at select locations. It’s easy to enjoy Red Robin anywhere with online ordering available for to-go, delivery and catering. Sign up for the royal treatment by joining Red Robin Royalty® today and enjoy Bottomless perks and delicious rewards across nearly 500 Red Robin locations in the United States and Canada, including those operating under franchise agreements. Red Robin… YUMMM®!

Media Contact: Amy (Key) Camp, press@surfaceagency.co

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