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American multinational foodservice retailer

Ruby Tuesday Inc. is an American multinational foodservice retailer that owns, operates, and franchises Ruby Tuesday restaurants. The concept was started in 1972 by Samuel E. (Sandy) Beall III. The corporation was formed in 1996 as a reincorporation of Morrison Restaurants Inc. It is headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee and has 209 locations worldwide, with some temporarily closed due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Its flagship brand is an American cuisine casual dining restaurant chain with locations throughout the United States aside from the Pacific Coast states. Its greatest density of sites is along the eastern coast of the United States (aside from Boston) as it closed several locations in the Great Basin and Great Plains regions, including Chicago, in recent years. In 2016, Ruby Tuesday sold the Lime Fresh Mexican Grill rights to an undisclosed buyer to refocus on the main Ruby Tuesday brand. The company has closed all locations of Wok Hay and Marlin, and Ray's. Additionally, it holds development rights to Truffles Grill. On June 6, 2012, founder and CEO Sandy Beall announced he would leave the company. In October 2017, it announced that NRD Capital Management would be taking the company private through a $146 million deal in early 2018. Ruby Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, stating it will permanently close 185 restaurants that had been shut down during the COVID 19 pandemic. After the closures, the company would have 236 company owned and operated locations and an undisclosed number of sites run by ten franchisee groups. Ruby Tuesday emerged from bankruptcy on February 24, 2021, with 209 restaurants, having closed more restaurants than initially planned.]] Ruby Tuesday was born out of a $10,000 endowment Sandy Beall had received from a friend and operator of several Pizza Huts to open his own restaurant. Beall took the name from The Rolling Stones song "Ruby Tuesday", after a suggestion by one of several fraternity brothers who were co investors. With that money, and another $10,000 put together with four of his University of Tennessee fraternity brothers, the first Ruby Tuesday restaurant was opened in 1972. The location was adjacent to the university's Knoxville campus, and although the building still stands, the restaurant has since closed. Over the next decade, a new location opened about every nine months. In April 1982, Beall sold the expanded 16 unit Ruby Tuesday chain to Morrison Inc. for $15 million in cash and stock. That same year, Beall was named CEO of Morrison Restaurants Inc. At the time of the distribution, Ruby Tuesday Inc. operated many other restaurant brands in addition to their flagship Ruby Tuesday brand, including L&N Seafood Grill, Mozzarella's Café, Silver Spoon Café, and Tia's Tex Mex. On April 12, 2007, Ruby Tuesday Inc. changed its NYSE ticker symbol from RI to RT. On October 7, 2020, Ruby Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection.

In August 2007, Ruby Tuesday Inc. ventured back into other concepts with their newly acquired Asian dining restaurant, Wok Hay. The company proceeded to convert the concept from self service to full service dining. In October 2008, a second location was opened in a former Ruby Tuesday restaurant building. The company's 2011 Annual Report noted an additional franchised Wok Hay restaurant in Trinidad, bringing the emerging chain to three operating restaurants. As of 2011, the company was researching conversion of poorly performing Ruby Tuesday restaurants into some of these concepts. An excerpt from the 2011 Annual Report: On April 4, 2012, Ruby Tuesday Inc. announced that it had purchased fast casual chain Lime Fresh Mexican Grill for $24 million cash. The announcement by Sandy Beall added, "John Kunkel, Lime's founder, will be joining our Board of Directors following completion of the acquisition." In 2013, after posting a second quarter loss of $15.1 million, or 24 cents a share, Ruby Tuesday closed 13 Marlin & Ray's restaurants and one Wok Hay location, exiting from both concepts. It also sought a buyer for its two licensed Truffles Grill restaurants and closed two company developed Lime Fresh restaurants. Ruby Tuesday announced plans that it would be taken private through a purchase by NRD Capital Management, a private equity firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. The $146 million deal was finalized on December 21, 2017.

In the summer of 1998, Ruby Tuesday relocated its main headquarters from Mobile, Alabama to Maryville, Tennessee, just 15 miles south of where the company had been founded. This location contains their Restaurant Support Center and an on site training facility, called the Center for Leadership Excellence (formerly known as WOW U).

Throughout the first half of the company history, the chain mainly located itself in or near shopping malls. Starting in the early 1990s, the company adjusted its distribution strategy by including more freestanding locations.

For much of its history, Ruby Tuesday had little, if any, advertising. By 2002, the company found itself combating traffic and sales losses at many of its locations. This caused the company to change course and introduce coupons at selected sites. By June of the following year, Ruby Tuesday had expanded on this strategy by testing television, radio, and billboard advertising in select locations. The company also began offering a curbside carryout service originally dubbed "TueGo!"

In 2007, the company began a series of significant changes to its brand identity. The changes were made to move the brand's customer perception out of the "bar and grill" segment of the casual dining industry, and were showcased in the opening of their Times Square location the same year. As part of the changes, Pentagram design studios were hired to help construct a new public visual identity for the brand. The design team created a new logo set in Clarendon, altered the standard color scheme, and created all new packaging to promote the renamed "Ruby TueGo" carryout service. Ruby Tuesday also began remodeling its entire suite of restaurants via the removal of their novelty wall artifacts, faux tiffany lamps, and dated furnishings. The update went on to bring a new menu with higher quality food and beverages, revamped service techniques, high definition televisions, and a free guest accessible Wi Fi network.

In 2008, Ruby Tuesday marketed an advertising campaign to show how radical their recent changes were. On August 5, over "live" streaming internet video, a demolition crew was supposed to implode the final "old Ruby Tuesday" to cap off the brand's commitment of change in front of a small crowd in Mount Holly, Ohio. However, to the crowd's shock, the "restaurant" next door (Cheeky's Bar and Grill, which looked like a typical casual dining chain) was demolished. Following the events, the senior VP of marketing for Ruby Tuesday (in actuality, an actor) posted a written apology on the company's website and videotaped a formal apology that was broadcast on television. As it turned out, the idea was merely an elaborate marketing ploy to raise attention to the newly remodeled restaurants. The implosion was actually done on a miniature set staffed by a Hollywood special effects crew, and the "live" event had been pre recorded in Harriman, Tennessee. The two films were then edited together to make it look like an accident.

The remodel and its accompanying changes came at an inopportune time for the chain. A global financial crisis was underway, and the casual dining segment of the industry was financially suffering. To address these issues, the company debuted made from scratch garlic cheese biscuits, a Sunday brunch program, and a steak and lobster deal night. Despite all of this, financial analysts have been highly critical of the company's actions regarding the ever changing shift in strategies. In 2012, yet another advertising campaign was announced to analysts to boost guest perception. It included a reintroduction of television advertising and a continued shift to convert under performing stores. In 2014, returning to the more family friendly casual restaurant chain, Ruby Tuesday changed the employees' uniform to more colorful attire of blue jeans and shirts in a variety of colors, changing the menus to a chalkboard theme, adding more current top 100 hit songs to the internal music system and updating their logo to a more modern font style. Continuing the trend in 2015, the chain updated their dated children's menu with the addition of cheese pizza and corn dogs, more colorful plastic beverage cups, and colorful twisty straws. To promote the more family friendly feel, the chain introduced a Kids Eat Free night on their flagship day, Tuesday. At all company owned restaurants, a child's meal is free with the purchase of an adult entree. In August 2016, Ruby Tuesday announced that it would close 95 restaurants as sales slid.

From 2006 until 2009, Alex Job Racing and Ruby Tuesday partnered to form the Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team. The team drove the No. 23 Porsche powered Daytona Prototype in the GRAND AM Rolex Sports Car Series. In 2009, Eddie Sharp Racing announced a long term partnership agreement with Ruby Tuesday as the sponsor of the No. 2 Toyota, driven by Tim George Jr. in the ARCA Racing Series.

Starting with the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Ruby Tuesday has had a partnership with Penske Racing to sponsor Brad Keselowski in the No. 22 Dodge Challenger. The 2010 season saw them appear in six races, while the 2011 season saw nine races. The company was also advertised on the rear deck lid of Brad's No. 2 Dodge Charger in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Prior to the beginning of the 2011 Daytona 500, Ruby Tuesday was added as a last minute one race sponsor for Brian Keselowski, older brother of Brad Keselowski. In 2012, Ruby Tuesday dropped sponsorship on Brad Keselowski's car.

Ruby Tuesday offers primarily American cuisine, including all natural chicken, pasta, pork ribs, soups, steak, and seafood. However, the brand is still commonly recognized for their salad bar and hamburgers, which have been staples to the chain since its creation. All of the restaurants also offer a full bar that serves cocktails, beer, and wine. The wine menu was most recently changed in November 2011 to introduce what the brand is calling "Cultivate Wines". A separate menu is available for placing bulk take out or catering orders. On January 25, 2012, the company announced their partnership with ezCater to help boost the company's catering sales. From 2009 to 2016, Peter Glander, former sous chef at The Modern restaurant inside the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, was the executive chef for the chain. He was responsible for the addition of the pretzel bun to their menu, along with the removal of the brand's long standing dessert, the chocolate tallcake. After initially posting this information for all menu items, they reduced the inclusion to a more subtle item specific format, called the "Smart Eating" section (also labeled as "Fit & Trim"). Nutritional and allergen sensitivity information for the entire menu is available upon request. Early 2011 saw the company revise and rewrite a portion of their drink recipes to encompass trendy "skinny" cocktails. This shift included changing drink recipes to incorporate healthier liquor and mixer alternatives and labeling the new creations with their "under 150 calories" tagline. VeeV Açaí Spirit, Absolut Berri Açaí Vodka, St Germain elderflower liqueur, and Minute Maid Light Lemonade are the key products used in these drinks. It contains recipes that have been inspired by the menu, and even recipes that are signature to the brand.

On April 11, 2005, the company and its audit committee determined the company would restate previously issued historical financial statements to properly account for leases.