The technical issue occurred on Thursday morning as a result of the hype surrounding its Bottomless Burger Pass promotion.
Red Robin’s website crashed on Thursday morning as foodies rushed to get their hands on the deal pass, which promised a burger and fries every day in May for $20.
Ahead of the launch, the chain directed customers to a specific webpage on Thursday, where a “limited quantity” of passes would be available for purchase.
However, many Red Robin fans complained about the issues they encountered.
For example, one Reddit user complained that after spending an hour refreshing the website, it was already sold out when it finally loaded.
“What incredible incompetence,” the foodie exclaimed. “I am genuinely mad af, no group I am in is going to Red Robin at any point in the future.”
“So annoying when companies are not prepared to launch something like this,” one person commented.
Others complained that the price at the checkout was significantly higher than the advertised $20, at $682.
Many foodies chastised the restaurant, claiming that its Bottomless Burger Pass promotion was “fake” and “definitely a scam.”
“Publicity stunt. “Does anyone actually know a real person who got a pass?” asked one user.
Following the uproar among fans, Red Robin issued an apology.
“We did everything we could to anticipate interest in the Bottomless Burger Pass, including working with our web and gift card partners to prepare for the influx of traffic, but due to overwhelming excitement in the pass – 12 million visits in the matter of seconds – our website and supporting systems crashed,” a spokesperson for Red Robin wrote in an email statement issued to Nexstar.
“We apologise for what happened to our loyal guests. “All passes have been sold,” said the spokesperson, who did not specify how many passes were sold in total.
We did everything we could to anticipate interest in the Bottomless Burger Pass, including working with our web and gift card partners to prepare for the influx of traffic, but due to overwhelming excitement in the pass – 12 million visits in the matter of seconds – our website and supporting systems crashed.”
SAVORY SAVINGS
On April 14, Red Robin announced the launch of its Bottomless Burger Pass in honour of National Burger Month in May.
As part of the promotion, fans were promised a gourmet burger and a bottomless side every day of May for only $20.
Customers lucky enough to score the beefy deal will soon be receiving an exclusive black-and-gold card in the mail that can be redeemed from May 1 to May 31 next month.
“With more than 20 gourmet burgers on our menu, Red Robin is the authority on a great burger experience,” Red Robin CEO G.J. Hart stated in a press release.
Red Robin fans who missed out on the Bottomless Burger Pass can still indulge in the chain’s offerings.
Foodies who participate in the restaurant’s Royalty programme will have the chance to win free burgers for a year during the month of May.
Members who buy a burger and a drink in May while logged into their loyalty accounts are automatically entered to win.
Those who join the Royalty programme next month will also be automatically entered into the sweepstakes, with a total of 12 fans selected at random.
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