Red Robin's Spreadsheet Death Is a Warning to Every Business

Red Robin fired all its bussers to cut labor costs and watched its stock collapse from $92 to $3.61. Chili's invested in customer experience and posted 31% growth. The lesson is simple: optimizing against your customers is a slow-motion suicide.

Techno-Optimism & Innovation Pro-Technology & Innovation

February 20, 2026 · 4 min read


Feb 16, 2026 · 4 min