Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ: RRGB) is now pouring Garage Beer across its nearly 500 U.S. restaurants, making the casual-dining chain the first national restaurant operator to carry the celebrity-backed lager systemwide. Both Garage Beer Classic Light and Classic Lime went on tap and in coolers at all domestic Red Robin locations on July 21.

Garage Beer — a 4% ABV, 95-calorie lager with 3 grams of carbs — is co-owned by former NFL players Jason and Travis Kelce and marketed as America's fastest-growing light beer, now distributed in all 50 states. For Red Robin, landing the brand is a beverage-program play designed to drive incremental alcohol sales and increase check averages in a competitive casual-dining segment that has leaned hard into alcohol attach rates as a traffic and margin lever.

The Wing Tie-In

The Garage Beer rollout is timed to a menu expansion Red Robin executed earlier this summer: new 8-count, 12-count, and 16-count bone-in chicken wing orders available across multiple sauces and dry rubs. The dual launch positions wings and beer as a bundled occasion rather than a standalone add-on — a tactic operators across full-service and fast-casual segments have used to defend against at-home entertainment alternatives.

To mark National Chicken Wing Day on July 29, Red Robin and Garage Beer are selling a limited-edition Jason Kelce collaboration T-shirt exclusively through GarageBeer.com. Purchasers receive a Red Robin gift card redeemable for a complimentary 8-count bone-in wing order, while supplies last.

"Garage Beer is the perfect match for our craveable wings and gourmet burgers," said Dave Pace, CEO and President of Red Robin. "If you haven't tried our wings lately, this is your sign — we think they're some of the best in casual dining, and Garage Beer makes them even better."

Brand Momentum

For Garage Beer, Red Robin's systemwide placement is a significant on-premise distribution milestone. The brand launched with celebrity cachet and strong off-premise velocity, but on-premise placement at scale — particularly in a chain with nearly 500 locations — provides the kind of trial exposure that accelerates mainstream brand recognition. Garage Beer CEO Andy Sauer called the placement a reason to celebrate, noting the brand is "pouring beer-flavored beer at Red Robin locations across the country."

The partnership reflects a broader trend in restaurant beverage programs where operators pursue culturally resonant, influencer-adjacent alcohol brands rather than defaulting to legacy macro-lager contracts. For Red Robin's Red Robin Royalty loyalty members — the chain's primary vehicle for promotional reach — the Garage Beer launch offers another engagement point heading into the back half of summer.

Red Robin operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Red Robin International, Inc., under the trade name Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, with locations in the United States and Canada including franchised units.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.