Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews — Restaurant in West Des Moines

Hello, I went to this restaurant with my husband last night for a date night.

We’ve been here one time before and liked it. But when we arrived last night it seemed to be run by teenagers..? There were maybe 5 other people ordering from this place when we got there, and the rest of the time after.

After we were seated, a man by the name of Russell came out, didn’t make any sort of eye contact or anything. The only thing he said while scrolling on his phone was “what you need?”.

I ordered a unsweet iced tea and my husband wanted a sprite… RIGHT AFTER we both said our drinks he said so the woman wants a sprite, all rude. We both said no and he just walked away.

When he brought the drinks, he proceeded to get back on his phone. And was talking to some other person about inappropriate things! He seemed VERY high or drunk, as right after he brought us our drinks he brought them out again and then asked how we already got our drinks… we said he previously brought them out not even 5 minutes ago. Mind you, at this time there’s maybe 2 other people eating in the resturant.

So he just walks away after that. Then we order fried pickles and I asked for 2 things of ranch on the side, and when those come out, he literally threw them at our table and didn’t say a word, while still not making eye contact and being on his cellphone. My husband and I at this point were beyond uncomfortable, we really wanted another server, but we’re afraid to ask due to how this man was acting.

We then order chicken and fries and my husband ordered a Buffalo burger and the man said he would put the buffalo on the said. He did NOT.He came, and threw the food down and started talking in a s-xual manner to the same girl from earlier, then ran back to the kitchen without a word.

Wishing 20 minutes of being seated we decided to leave, as the way this man acted was very unsettling. I will never be going here again.

ALSO, WE WAITED OUTSIDE FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR FOR AN UBER AND FOR THAT ENTIRE HOUR THE SAME 6 people who work there STOOD OUTSIDE SMOKING WEED. THIS PLACE NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN. NOBODY IS WILLING TO DO THEIR JOB RIGHT, AND DRUG ADDICTS ARE THE PEOPLE COOKING AND SERVING YOU YOUR FOOD.

WILL BE REPORTING TO INSPECTORS AS WELL AS THE BBB.

0stars if that was a...

I had to report that the building was on fire…

Soooo, today was my first time going to Red Robin and I only went because I had a $10 reward. I figured it’d be a nice treat since it’s my b-day month.

I ordered ahead online and picked curbside pickup, but when I got there, there were no indicators of where “curbside” parking should be. I ended up going to the side, but it’s connected to Chase, so parking was limited. I decided to park on the backside instead since the parking wasn’t too bad there. I called the # provided multiple times and kept getting an automated response that wouldn’t connect me to the actual store.

I’m guessing that was divine timing/intervention because my partner and I decided to go inside to get the order instead and when we looked up, THE BUILDING WAS ON FIRE! 🔥 Like out of nowhere!!! I had to RUN into the restaurant to let someone know because no one else was really out there, and the ones that had been when we first arrived had already walked inside at the front of the building. The employees are 100/10 here! The person I told at the front counter reacted quickly. Give all the workers today (on 7/12/25 at like 11:50am) a raise because they were running to put it out! Ultimately another guy had to rush to get the fire extinguisher before it spread and ended up putting it out from the roof while the others helped him find the direction of the fire, called the fire department, and set off the alarm to help evacuate people inside.

I’ve never been in a situation like this ever, so I ended up leaving with my takeout order after making sure the fire was out, but I’ll definitely never forget this.

Other than that, the food was pretty decent. Not sure if I’ll be going back though unless I have another coupon lol. Only giving the atmosphere a 1 star because the building was literally burning and that’s terrifying… 😬 I can only imagine how the people...

Not Perfect, But DAMN Impressive.

I normally don't write reviews, but the crew on shift tonight fully deserves kudos.

I arrived on 8/26 around 6pm. No, hostess was on duty, always a bit concerning. No less than three separate employees (later discovered to be the manager, bartender, and a server) came by while hustling food and drinks letting me know they would be back as soon as possible. (each actually came back to check after a different employee seated me at the bar). While being seated, I was told that the restaurant was short staffed and the bartender was assisting with tables, so it may be a few minutes. No problem, I appreciate the honesty.

Clearly the restaurant is in the weeds a bit, so I am lowering my expectations based on experiences at other places. I was very wrong to.

I witnessed: my bartender (Laney) greet every single customer she served with a smile and attentiveness. All while running food, making drinks, helping wherever she could. (and still getting everything I asked for very quickly) A manager who trusted his people to get the job done, and filled in everywhere he could to help rather than trying to micromanage or just yelling at people to do better (I think I saw him bussing a table at one point). A kitchen that was FULLY in the weeds but refused to let standards drop. My food arrived hot, delicious, and looking like you would expect it to on a slow night (even if it was delayed a bit). The whole crew, manager to busser was frankly impressive to watch. As many places would have fallen apart, but they didn't.

Red Robin wouldn't be considered a "high class" restaurant by many, but this location certainly had a HIGH class crew working tonight. Ya'll were a credit to the industry tonight, keep up...