Local Red Robin chef wins first in national burger competition

CHUBBUCK — A man from Pocatello has placed first in his company’s national competition to decide who can make a burger with the best smile.

Joe Ross, Heart of House Warrior with the Chubbuck Red Robin, won first place and $10,000 on July 15 in the Yummm Showdown, where Red Robin employees from across the nation compete to determine who can make the best “Smiling” burger. The way that Ross explains it, this is a burger that looks so good, it could be featured on a commercial.

“The smiling burger means from top to bottom and in between you see every ingredient on that burger, whether it’s mayo, cheese, lettuce, tomato. Everything’s showing and it just looks perfect,” Ross said.

Ross, who’s worked in restaurants since he was fourteen, began working at Red Robin three years ago. Originally applying to be a waiter, he was instead hired as a cook.

At the same time, Ross started his journey to sobriety after being accepted into Wood Court, a treatment program that helps those with substance abuse addictions get back on their feet. When he joined the team at Red Robin, Ross said that he felt needed.

“When you go from active addiction to sobriety, it’s a really good thing to feel wanted and needed,” Ross said.

As of today, Ross has been completely sober for two years.

As he spent time learning the ropes to move up and teach new employees, he was taught how to make a smiling burger. Ross hadn’t worked at many burger places before Red Robin, so he focused on this and worked on making a burger that would make his customers smile.

“I’ve practiced and used tricks and tips from my bosses and old bosses that worked there,” Ross said.

Ross uses a variety of techniques to achieve a smiling burger, like taking time to spread the condiments on the bun all the way to the edges.

“It’s just about taking the time to give the customer a beautiful burger,” Ross said.

When this year’s Yummm-Off came around, Ross decided to try his hand at competing. First, he had to qualify in his own restaurant, which was decided by his managers, and then through the regional qualifier, sending in pictures of his burger to the judges.

Ross said that when his regional manager approached him and told him she needed to talk about the competition, she “sounded a little said.”

But then, she said, “You’re going to have to get some time off, you’re going to Denver.”

In the month before the competition, Ross practiced as much as he could.

“It was a lot of preparing, practicing, a lot of nerves. I didn’t know really what to expect,” Ross said.

Ross had heard a lot about this competition, and there was only six people from each region that would be competing. Once in Denver, Ross got to spend time with all of them and get to know them, including Arturo Mendoza, a well-known competitor who had won three out of the four times the competition was held.

“I think a lot of people expected things to go his way again,” Ross said.

Surprisingly, Ross found that he was most calm when they started the competition and he was making his burger.

“As long as I didn’t look up in that crowd too much,” Ross said.

The competitors did three rounds, lasting five and a half minutes each, making a different burger on the Red Robin menu every time. The most nerve-wracking part for Ross was waiting for the results to be announced once the rounds were complete.

When they said his name, it took a second for Ross to realize what the announcer said. Ross’ managers rushed to the stage and celebrated with him.

“They all went just as nuts as I did hearing that I won,” Ross said.

But Ross said that the best part was getting back home to his wife and children at the Idaho Falls airport. They had all made signs welcoming him back, with smiles on their faces.

“As soon as I walked out of the airport, they were there with their signs, greeting me, grabbing my bags and that was the happiest (moment),” Ross said.

Ross is proud to have won the competition representing his region.

“We could’ve had a winner from some big place like California or Texas or the East Coast, but we got someone from here in Idaho,” he said.