The wife and I tried Red Robin. I know we are some of the few, but we thought it was awful. Outrageously expensive and our burgers were sent out to us still bleeding. Our friends swear by them though.
I am not a big fan of steaks, but I have to admit, this place has really good food for the type of chain it is. They opened up one of these in my hometown of Texarkana several years ago and I always loved going there with my parents (b/c I was too cheap to spend all my money there in high school). I can't really remember ever being disappointed in anything I ordered at Roadhouse. Good catfish, good steaks, good ribs, good chicken fingers, good sides, and those rolls are damn delicious. I think I might have to make a point to have dinner there the next time I go home.
I go more for the atmosphere... You are right about the burgers being on the expensive side though $9-10. I think part of it is due to the bottomless fries. The burgers are well done on the outside and a bit pink on the inside (the way I like it) so I can see why yours might have been bleeding since they tend to not cook their burgers well done.
What do you define as "outrageously expensive?" I'm not sure I've ever had anything over $10 at Red Robin and I order one of their burgers with the most ingredients on it. I will say that I refuse to order alcohol at our location because a pint of domestic draft beer is $3.99 plus tax.
The bottomless fries are just r****ded. It's the worst marketing gimmick ever. To me, it holds no value whatsoever and I just go cuz I like the food. They make a huge deal about the "bottomless fries" but I'm not sure I've ever ordered a refill. Sure, you can get some to take home, but they will be all soggy after you put them in the fridge.
I had a regular cheese burger and I believe it was $7.99 or $8.99. Wife had the same. We had the artichoke dip and it was $8 or $9.
