Our founders, Randal Southam and Lin Ku, met while working in the hospitality industry in Seattle, Washington.  They both worked for Gerry Kingen who purchased the Red Robin Tavern in the University District in Seattle in 1969 and turned it into the Red Robin hamburger chain we all know today.  This was a great training ground for them both.  Lin went on to learn multi-location accounting and analytics at the corporate office, while Randal solidified his skills in sales and customer service, developing skills that were really all about the maximization of revenue while building a customer base that wanted to return.  These basic business skills helped form the backbone of the company they would later build together, but before any of that would happen, they would have to share the same name which happened when they were joined by the very fine Rev. James Schoeld at Bethel Lutheran Church in Shoreline, Washington on October 4, 1987.