Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Reports Results for the Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Year Ended December 30, 2012

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., (NASDAQ: RRGB), a casual dining restaurant chain serving an innovative selection of high-quality gourmet burgers in a family-friendly atmosphere, today reported financial results for the 13 and 53 weeks ended December 30, 2012.

Financial Highlights for the 13 Weeks Ended December 30, 2012, Compared to the 12 Weeks Ended December 25, 2011:

• Earnings per diluted share were $0.45, compared to fiscal fourth quarter 2011 earnings per diluted share of $0.20, on a GAAP basis. Adjusted earnings per diluted share were $0.59, compared to $0.28 in the fiscal fourth quarter a year ago. (See Schedule I.)
• Total revenues increased 16.8% to $240.7 million; Company-owned comparable restaurant revenues increased 1.4% on a 13-week comparable basis.
• Restaurant-level operating profit margin increased to 20.6% from 19.9%. (See Schedule II.)
• The Company opened three new Red Robin^® restaurants.

Net income for the 13 weeks ended December 30, 2012, was $6.5 million compared to $2.9 million in the 12 weeks ended December 25, 2011. Fiscal fourth quarter 2012 net income excluding charges related to the Company’s debt refinancing was $8.4 million. See Schedule I below for a reconciliation of adjustments to net income in the fiscal fourth quarters of 2012 and 2011.

For the 53 weeks ended December 30, 2012, GAAP net income was $28.3 million, or $1.93 per diluted share, compared to $20.6 million, or $1.34 per diluted share, for the 52 weeks ended December 25, 2011. Excluding charges related to the Company’s debt refinancing, adjusted net income for the full fiscal year 2012 was $30.2 million, or $2.06 per diluted share, compared to $24.3 million, or $1.58 per diluted share, in the full fiscal year 2011. (See schedule I.) The fifty-third week in fiscal 2012 contributed an estimated $3.1 million to net income, or approximately $0.21 per diluted share.

“We were very pleased with Red Robin’s business performance during the fourth quarter, which reflected a solid finish to a successful, foundational year for our Company,” said Steve Carley, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. chief executive officer. “We once again significantly outpaced the industry in guest count growth and continued expansion of our operating margins. The outstanding work of our teams across the enterprise is clearly contributing to improved results and a stronger, more differentiated Red Robin brand. Looking ahead to 2013, our goal is to build on what we have already accomplished to continue elevating the guest experience and extending our burger authority, while we capitalize on our significant growth potential for new unit development.”

Operating Results

Total Company revenues, which include Company-owned restaurant revenues and franchise royalties, increased 16.8% to $240.7 million in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2012 versus $206.0 million in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2011. For fiscal 2012, total revenues increased 6.8% to $977.1 million.

System-wide restaurant revenues in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2012 totaled $327.5 million, compared to $285.1 million in the same period last year at constant currency rates. For fiscal 2012, system-wide restaurant revenues increased 5.7% to $1.3 billion.

Comparable restaurant revenues increased 1.4% for Company-owned restaurants in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2012 compared to the prior year on a 13-week comparable basis. In the fourth quarter, guest counts increased 0.3% on a comparable basis while average guest check increased 1.1%. For the full fiscal year 2012, comparable restaurant revenues increased 1.1% compared to the prior year resulting from a 1.7% increase in average guest check, partially offset by a 0.6 % decrease in guest counts.

Restaurant revenue performance

Restaurant-level operating profit margins at Company-owned restaurants were 20.6% in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2012 compared to 19.9% in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2011, an improvement of 70 basis points. The higher margins resulted primarily from lower cost of goods sold, improved sales mix, and the impact of the more-profitable additional week in fiscal 2012, partially offset by higher labor costs. Schedule II of this earnings release defines restaurant-level operating profit, discusses why it is a useful metric for investors and reconciles this metric to income from operations and net income.

Other Results

General and administrative costs were $20.5 million, an increase of $1.4 million in the fourth quarter 2012 due mainly to the costs associated with the additional operating week. Selling expenses were $6.4 million in the fourth quarter 2012, an increase of $1.9 million, due primarily to higher marketing fund contributions related to increased sales and gift card expenses.

The Company had an effective tax rate of 23.1% in fiscal 2012, compared to 6.8% in the prior year.

Restaurant Openings

As of the end of the fiscal fourth quarter of 2012, there were 339 Company-owned Red Robin^® restaurants, including five Red Robin’s Burger Works^®, and 133 franchised Red Robin locations. In the fiscal fourth quarter of 2012, the Company opened three new Red Robin restaurants, including the Company’s first mid-size prototypes. One franchised location in Texas that closed during the fiscal third quarter of 2012 was reopened in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2012 by a different franchisee.

Debt Refinancing

As previously announced, the Company closed on a new $225 million credit agreement in December. The new credit facility, a five-year $225 million revolving line of credit, replaces a facility comprised of a $150 million term loan and $100 million revolving line of credit that was scheduled to mature in May 2016. In conjunction with the closing of the credit agreement, the Company recorded a non-cash, pre-tax charge of approximately $2.9 million, comprised of a write-off of unamortized fees from the prior credit agreement and a charge related to the re-designation of an interest rate swap in the fourth fiscal quarter 2012.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

On December 30, 2012, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $22.4 million and total debt of $135.0 million, including $10.0 million of capital lease liabilities.

During the fiscal fourth quarter of 2012, the Company repurchased approximately 281,000 shares of stock for $8.6 million. In fiscal year 2012, the Company repurchased a total of approximately 803,000 shares for $24.3 million.

During the fiscal year 2012, cash generated from operations totaled $94.4 million compared to $95.7 million in fiscal 2011, and capital investments amounted to $63.2 million, including $3.2 million for the acquisition of a franchised restaurant, compared to $44.1 million in fiscal 2011.

Outlook for 2013

Red Robin’s 2013 fiscal year consists of 52 weeks ending on December 29, 2013.

In fiscal 2013, the Company expects comparable restaurant sales growth of 2.5% to 3.0% compared to fiscal 2012 based on a combination of increases in prices, items sold per guest and increased guest visits. Additionally, the Company plans to open 20 new company-owned restaurants, including up to five new Red Robin’s Burger Works^® restaurants.

Restaurant-level operating profit margins in fiscal 2013 are expected to be flat to down 10 basis points as a percentage of restaurant sales compared to 20.7% in fiscal 2012 due mainly to higher commodity prices.

General and Administrative costs are expected to range between $83 million and $84 million, while Selling expenses are expected to remain consistent with 2012 at 2.8% of sales. Depreciation is expected to be around $58 million, an increase of approximately $3 million from fiscal 2012 due to depreciation of newly implemented technology systems, as well as an increased number of units in the Company’s restaurant base.

The income tax rate in fiscal 2013 is expected to range from 23% to 24%.

During fiscal 2013, the Company expects between $50 million and $55 million in capital expenditures, which will be used to open new restaurants, as well as fund restaurant and technology infrastructure improvements and remodeling investments.

The sensitivity of the Company’s earnings per diluted share to a 1% change in guest counts for fiscal 2013 is estimated to be $0.23 on an annualized basis. Additionally, a 10 basis point change in restaurant-level operating margin is expected to impact earnings per diluted share by approximately $0.05, and a change of $187,000 in pre-tax income or expense is equivalent to approximately $0.01 per diluted share.

Investor Conference Call and Webcast

Red Robin will host an investor conference call to discuss its fiscal fourth quarter 2012 results today at 10:00 a.m. ET. The conference call number is (888) 329-8862, or for international callers (719) 457-2628. The financial information that the Company intends to discuss during the conference call is included in this press release and will be available on the “Investors” link of the Company's website at www.redrobin.com. Prior to the conference call, the Company will post supplemental financial information that will be discussed during the call and live webcast.

To access the supplemental financial information and webcast, please visit www.redrobin.com and select the “Investors” link from the menu. A replay of the live conference call will be available from two hours after the call until midnight on Tuesday, February 26, 2013. The replay can be accessed by dialing (877) 870-5176, or (858) 384-5517 for international callers. The conference ID is 4081874. The webcast replay will also be available on the Company’s website until midnight on Sunday, April 21, 2013.

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

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (www.redrobin.com), a casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1969 that operates through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Red Robin International, Inc., is the gourmet burger expert, famous for serving more than two dozen craveable, high-quality burgers with Bottomless Steak Fries® in a fun environment welcoming to guests of all ages. In addition to its many burger offerings, Red Robin serves a wide variety of salads, soups, appetizers, entrees, desserts and signature Mad Mixology® Beverages. There currently are 473 Red Robin locations across the United States and Canada, including 335 company-owned Red Robin® restaurants and five Red Robin’s Burger Works^® locations, and 133 Red Robin® restaurants operating under franchise agreements.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Forward-looking statements in this press release regarding our expected earnings per share, restaurant sales, new restaurant growth, future economic performance, capital expenditures, certain statements under the heading “Outlook for 2013” and all other statements that are not historical facts, are made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on assumptions believed by the Company to be reasonable and speak only as of the date on which such statements are made. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as “continue,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” or “estimate,” or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after such date, and we caution investors not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements based on a number of factors, including but not limited to the following: the effectiveness of the Company’s marketing strategies, loyalty program and guest count initiatives to achieve restaurant sales growth; the ability to fulfill planned expansion; the cost and availability of key food products, labor and energy; the ability to achieve anticipated revenue and cost savings from our anticipated new technology systems and other initiatives; availability of capital or credit facility borrowings; the adequacy of cash flows or available debt resources to fund operations and growth opportunities; federal, state and local regulation of our business; and other risk factors described from time to time in the Company’s Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports (including all amendments to those reports) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Certain percentage amounts in the table above do not total due to rounding as well as the fact that restaurant operating costs are expressed as a percentage of restaurant revenues and not total revenues.