Company: RRGB
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001104659-25-038610
Chunk: 23

Company: RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS INC
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 23
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               | ​ |
| ​ | Chuy’s Holdings, Inc.                  | ​ | ​ | Papa John’s International, Inc.    | ​ |
| ​ | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | ​ | ​ | Portillo’s Inc.                    | ​ |
| ​ | Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc.    | ​ | ​ | Texas Roadhouse, Inc.              | ​ |
| ​ | Denny’s Corporation                    | ​ | ​ | The Wendy’s Company                | ​ |

* Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. was acquired during 2023, but it was included in our peer group pay study for compensation benchmarking prior to its acquisition. The Compensation Committee uses competitive compensation data from the annual total compensation study of peer and other restaurant companies and other relevant survey sources to inform its decisions about

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TABLE OF CONTENTS overall compensation opportunities and specific compensation elements. Additionally, the Compensation Committee uses multiple reference points when establishing targeted compensation levels. The Compensation Committee applies judgment and discretion in establishing targeted pay levels, considering not only competitive market data, but also factors such as Company performance, individual performance, scope of responsibility, critical needs and skill sets, leadership potential, succession planning, and retention. For 2025 compensation benchmarking, the Compensation Committee revised its peer group, removing (i) Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., (ii) Chuy’s Holdings, Inc., and (iii) Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc., and adding (i) Potbelly Corporation and (ii) The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc., resulting in a peer group consisting of 17 restaurant companies. INDEPENDENT COMPENSATION CONSULTANT In 2024, Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC (“Meridian”) again served as the Compensation Committee’s independent compensation consultant. The independent compensation consultant assists with the Compensation Committee’s annual review of our executive compensation programs, cash and equity compensation practices, ongoing development of our executive compensation philosophy, and acts as an advisor to the Compensation Committee on compensation matters as they arise. The compensation consultant also advises the Compensation Committee on compensation for the Board of Directors. The Compensation Committee evaluated Meridian’s independence as its compensation consultant by considering each of the independence factors adopted by Nasdaq and the SEC. Based on such evaluation, the Compensation Committee believes no conflict of interest exists that would prevent Meridian from independently representing the Compensation Committee. RISK MITIGATION The Compensation Committee considers, in establishing and reviewing our executive compensation program, whether the program encourages unnecessary or excessive risk taking. The Compensation Committee concluded that