Ruby Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week and has announced plans to "reject" 185 leases which include both restaurants that have already closed as well as others it plans to shutter. According to published reports, prior to the pandemic, the Maryville, Tennessee company had 236 restaurants in 25 states.
Despite the closures, the Ruby Tuesday website indicates that the company plans to continue to operate more than a dozen restaurants in Georgia including those in Lithonia, College Park, East Point, Lithia Springs and Marietta on Delk Road, among others.
Ruby Tuesday was founded in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1970 and once had dozens of locations around Georgia, including many in metro Atlanta. For decades, Ruby Tuesday was a mall mainstay and was found in nearly all metro Atlanta malls built in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Northlake Mall, Gwinnett Place Mall, Town Center at Cobb and Mall of Georgia all had Ruby Tuesday restaurants within, and the casual dining chain also previously operated a restaurant just outside Lenox Square near the intersection of Lenox and East Paces Ferry Roads.
At its height in 2007, there were about 1,000 Ruby Tuesday restaurants nationwide. Today, there are less than 250.
Were you ever a Ruby Tuesday patron? Why do you think Ruby Tuesday has struggled so mightily to stay relevant? What is your favorite casual dining restaurant?
Please share your thoughts below.
Dawsonville has been closed for almost 8 months now. Alpharetta was demolished along w the old Sage Wood fire grill. Something is going in there but I'm not sure what.
ReplyDeleteIt means younger generations won't eat that generic garbage anymore. They want local and fresh.
DeleteIt wasn't garbage or fast food. I will greatly miss them. The location I always went to in mid-Michigan closed after our terrible floods in May. They had a wonderful salad bar and my favorite chicken dish....
DeleteGoodbye, Ruby Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in Duluth, back when Gwinnett Place was booming, I do remember the location they had in the mall. It sat on the upper level and looked out over a two story open area and was really kind of nice. Of course now they find dead bodies in the mall and everyone generally avoids the entire area.
ReplyDeleteMarietta/Delk Road briefly had a For Lease sign up, but that appears gone now. Also there was one at the Cobb Galleria, on the Cobb Parkway facing side, where it's now Big Chow or whatever. They also had an "upscale" sister concept in Galleria, along with Phipps - the name escapes me.
ReplyDeleteI have not lived in the vicinity of a Ruby Tuesday's for many years, though I live inside the perimeter. Maybe the residents in the failed locations have too many choices for dining out and RT is not at the top of their option list? When on a road trip, I often eat at RT if I come across one because it is predictable and while not gourmet food, I can count on it to be a decent meal. And the salad bar is fantastic, in my humble opinion. I am sorry to see them having so much trouble.
ReplyDeleteI presume the one at Dawsonville that closed is the one next to the North Georgia outlet mall? For a long time that was the only decent place to eat near that outlet mall. Now there are places everywhere up there.
ReplyDeleteYes, the one in the outlet mall parking lot. Agree, that used to be one of the only restaurant up that way. When all the new restaurants started opening a few years ago it really hurt their business because better options were available.
DeleteI work for a Ruby Tuesday in New Jersey. We have closed 185 stores in the last 3 years Nationwide. This article and others I've read have said, " Ruby Tuesday files for bankruptcy, to close 185 stores." These 185 stores they say are going to close have already been closed for a while. Of course everything is hurting because of covid, but that's not the reason these stores are closing. A few years back we were a privately owned corporation, now we are owned by investors. We have a ceo but it's the investors who own our company. All these articles force you to believe that this is all recent problems faced by uncertainty. Most of our locations were connected to another building like a mall or strip mall. Leasing for those spaces are generally higher Dollar rather than a standalone building. Yes covid does effect the restaurant business worse than most other businesses but that's not a reason that any of these stores closed their doors. Remember back to 2008, the recession we had back then was the start of EVERY RESTAURANT losing business, not just ours. Millennials are one of the reasons the restaurant industry is hurting. The millennials were always handed everything on a silver platter, they're very picky about what they eat and the environment in which they eat it. Not to mention the average salary for a millennial is under $10,000 a year. They really don't have money to eat so why not go to moms and get handed a meal. There will be more closures but not due to bankruptcy or covid. Filing for bankruptcy will allow them to take advantage of some benefits that can make the company better in the long run. The stores that remain will still be doing business. The article here shows you can't believe everything you read.
ReplyDeleteThey were known for their high quality salad bar, among other things, but they let the quality slip and were on the down-swing before covid hit. No surprise.
ReplyDeleteJust like many chains and restaurants they started out with top quality ingredients and everything was made fresh. Now everything comes out of a can and low quality ingredients..
Delete@ October 14, 2020 at 3:56 PM
ReplyDeleteThe sister restaurant I believe was called Truffles Cafe.
I will miss Ruby Tuesday. I grew up in Knoxville and had some good times at RT. I always enjoyed the salad bar and bread. Sad.
Good bye to a good company
ReplyDeleteRuby Tuesday was known for its Fresh Salad Bar. When the pandemic hit and no one could get the salad bar I think it finished off the company. We had a nice one in Ringgold GA,that was destroyed by a tornado. They never rebuilt it.
ReplyDeleteI think Ruby Tuesday priced themselves out of business. They have decent food & the garden bar is amazing. But their entrees are along the same quality as Applebees or Olive Garden but are around $3-5 higher.
ReplyDeleteI have worked for RT in the Florida panhandle that is actually one of the most successful stores in the area for 2 n half years. And the biggest complaint I hear from returning customers even ones who only come occasionally is the menu changes too much. In those less then 3 years the menu has changed idk probably 15 times since then its crazy. Like stop trying to copy everyone else and focus on what ur known for quality food at a decent price and that freaking salad bar. Now after covid the fact the salad bars are even allowed to stay open is a miracle. So anyone in Georgia wanting dome greatRT food come see us in Marianna FL lol. We are lucky to have an awesome cook that cares about his food so hopefully we won't be closing anytime soon
ReplyDeleteThe reason Ruby Tuesday is Failing is Customer Service in certain franchises and I think selling the stiff from the pantry is very tacky
ReplyDeleteI worked as a server in knoxville, although I ended up in about every position at some point. The internal structure is horrible and there's baaad communication and competition among Management. It's their own fault. They treat employees badly in an industry that's already hard to navigate. I could write a 10 page essay on why the location I worked at was going down hill, and would be an interesting read for authorities. Don't save failing businesses, capitalism.
ReplyDeleteI love the food and all the specials. It would be a shame to close the ones sroud I know the people who work there who how friends to my family and friends.
ReplyDeleteB
Put in 16 years of service with them. It was great as long as Sandy was there. As soon as he left, it just went down hill. I am not surprised that stores are closing. They dont know how to take care of their employees. I am sorry to say that but true.
ReplyDeleteI think Ruby Tuesday's downfall started in 2007. Just before the Great Recession, Ruby Tuesday decided to upscale their menu and add fresh seafood items and other entrees that approached the $20 level, instead of their burgers and salad entrees that were closer to $10. It was probably a bad move to begin with because you should stick to what you do well, but then the recession hit which created a perfect storm of failure. They scrambled and tried to reinvent themselves over and over as the poster above pointed out, but the damage was done.
ReplyDeleteMost of their real estate people were excellent so they have some really good sites. They waited and waited on Dawsonville until Dawson County finally voted to allow liquor and they secured the prized only on-site location at the North Georgia Outlets. They were the first restaurant in Dawson to secure a liquor license. That site should have minted money because the food court at the outlets is garbage and they were the only edible food on-site.
The Olive Garden that recently opened right next to the outlets is killing it. There's another restaurant coming soon right next to the Olive Garden that will be another pretty good addition to the area.
Sorry to see Ruby Tuesday in such sad shape. They've had some great people working there over the years from the top of the corporate all the way to the local restaurants.
I use to work at the one in the Freehold Mall and in Toms River. I enjoyed working for them. It was a great place and made alot of friends. Goodbye Ruby's. You will be missed.
ReplyDeleteI was a cook at the Hinesville,Ga.location.I think it's the Managers they're very insensitive to the employees. No empathy and they're in Competition with each other.Ive worked at several different locations over the years.And Hinesville is the Worst
ReplyDeleteI worked at the Hinesville, Ga location. And the Management is Horrible.They have No empathy for their employees.Ive worked at several different Ruby Tuesdays over the years.. And Hinesville Ga location is the Worst.Managers don't care about You or your Family.
ReplyDeleteIs ruby tuesdayin pa
ReplyDeleteWe miss Ruby Tuesday in the central Ohio area. Loved the salad bar,and specials. It's a darn shame
ReplyDeleteI'm devastated to lose Ruby Tuesday's - I depended on them for the variety of offerings but especially their Salad Bar! Now I have not found another salad bar like theirs. Last year I introduced my brother and sister-in-law to Ruby Tuesday's. They were impressed and we're going to look for one near them (Hilton Head Island)! What a disappointment! I live near Charlotte and Gastonia, NC and Rock Hill SC - please bring back our Ruby Tuesday's!!!! 🥺💜💚💙🥺
ReplyDeleteI went to the Sebring Fl Ruby Tuesday the crowds were gone the service and food wwnt down
ReplyDeleteWe went there often, but it got to be the same food over and over. They got sloppy with presentation and didn't know how to cook a medium hamburger
ReplyDeleteRuby Tuesday hasn't been a good restaurant since 1997. Actually surprised they have hung on this long - but I'm sure they are still a fancy restaurant in small town America.
ReplyDelete"The millennials were always handed everything on a silver platter, they're very picky about what they eat and the environment in which they eat it. Not to mention the average salary for a millennial is under $10,000 a year."
ReplyDeleteOK boomer
My late husband worked for the construction company that built many Ruby Tuesday’s and Morrison’s Cafeterias. The Morrison’s construction management was always so nice. I sure miss the old Ruby Tuesday’s and the original Morrison’s. I had many meals at both places after my husband turned the restaurants over to the staff when construction was finished. Morrison’s also owned Sadie Lane’s and another chain that I can’t remember.
ReplyDeleteI worked at the Fayetteville GA Ruby Tuesday location from 2006 through 2007. During my time there the company remodeled all of their stores and got rid of the casual tiffany lamps and local flavor. They changed them to this streamlined modern look and updated the menu by adding fresh items like lump crab meat crabcakes and prime steak burgers. This dramatically raised the price point and the customers dropped fast. They did this as a recession was about to hit and that was the beginning of a long not so slow decline. Things got so bad at the location in Fayetteville that I left and went to the Cheesecake Factory to work in Alpharertta.
ReplyDelete