Ruby Tuesday CEO Steps Down

#26
#26
Never liked eating at a place with the all you can eat salad bar with the sneeze guard glass
 
#27
#27
ATC_VOL said:
East Towne Mall and Emory Rd in Knoxville and in Murfreesboro. 2/3 are closed now.

I started in '05 and left in '11
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Dated a chick the worked at East Towne around that time. We might have hung out.

I opened the Northshore store, worked some at Mercedes Place and was at the airport location when I left. It was actually a lot fun working the airport store. Did some RTI test kitchen stuff too.

Hell, I love my working at all of em. Made some great friends I still keep up with 12-15 years later.
 
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#31
#31
There was one at the L&N Station downtown also. I worked there for a few months. Beautiful location.
 
#32
#32
VolnJC said:
After closing 95 restaurants, RT CEO J.J Buettgen stepped down. They just can't seem to find their identity...have turned over their menu several times. I do like them because you can make your own salad there.

Ruby Tuesday CEO steps down
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I remember being puzzled about 10 years ago when they went all-in on the Atkins diet and started serving mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes.

We might go for lunch a few times a year, I like the salad bar, but it seems the end is near for chain sit down restaurants, so many local places opening with quality menus and reasonable prices that have a character to the food you don't get at a chain.
 
#33
#33
doozer said:
Dated a chick the worked at East Towne around that time. We might have hung out.

I opened the Northshore store, worked some at Mercedes Place and was at the airport location when I left. It was actually a lot fun working the airport store. Did some RTI test kitchen stuff too.

Hell, I love my working at all of em. Made some great friends I still keep up with 12-15 years later.
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Test kitchen would have been fun. We used to make random recipes up and try to get the servers to give them to guests as free samples of new menu items.

I met my wife at the Emory location and have a lot of friends we keep in touch with too.

I probably knew her/met you at some point.
 
#34
#34
They have made some major changes here lately to try to reclaim their identity. They are focused on burgers and beer now and of course the salad bar. My former co-worker, and mentor, is a VP of Operations for them. He oversees about 60 restaurants in 4 states. He has been there about a year. Long hill to climb no doubt. He's a smart operator so given time I think they can make it back but I don't know if they have the time.
 
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#35
#35
volfanhill said:
They have made some major changes here lately to try to reclaim their identity. They are focused on burgers and beer now and of course the salad bar. My former co-worker, and mentor, is a VP of Operations for them. He oversees about 60 restaurants in 4 states. He has been there about a year. Long hill to climb no doubt. He's a smart operator so given time I think they can make it back but I don't know if they have the time.
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Thanks always appreciate your insight on business stuff. I hope they pull through.
 
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#36
#36
Orange Daddy said:
Bartended there in the late 70's in Nashville.. Smoked lots of dope, cracked lots of pretty and ugly woman.. Even meet my wife there, she was a Vandy student coming in with her girl friends. We hit it off she was dateing a Dr student. I Told her I never been to college you need to stick with him he take care of you.
I put this log chain to her and that was it she done moved in.
That was 40 years ago and I still got her!!!

Ruby Tuesdays the good ol days.
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SDV said:
Lol
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OD, welcome back..your story about the singer in Nashville is still one of the best threads on here
 
#38
#38
vol_in_ar said:
they closed the one here in Bentonville
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Yep they got way too big. Over 700 locations nation wide at one point. That made them one of the 4 largest chains in America at one point. Very little support structure. Very little advertisement presence. A constant change in identity. A very bad recipe for success. I like their current plan however the casual dinning marketplace is already shrinking and they may be way past the point of being over exposed. Plus they spent way too long being penny wise and pound foolish. My friend was telling me, when he first got their, the GM's would have to call their area bosses to buy toilet paper locally if they ran out.
 
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#40
#40
volfanhill said:
Yep they got way too big. Over 700 locations nation wide at one point. That made them one of the 4 largest chains in America at one point. Very little support structure. Very little advertisement presence. A constant change in identity. A very bad recipe for success. I like their current plan however the casual dinning marketplace is already shrinking and they may be way past the point of being over exposed. Plus they spent way too long being penny wise and pound foolish. My friend was telling me, when he first got their, the GM's would have to call their area bosses to buy toilet paper locally if they ran out.
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I wonder if you can get away with being a national brand but look like a local restaurant...eg having local HS and college ties? Our Zaxby's has Carson Newman and Jeff County stuff hanging everywhere. I always liked that when I was travelling..hated cookie cutter modeling.
 
#44
#44
VolnJC said:
I wonder if you can get away with being a national brand but look like a local restaurant...eg having local HS and college ties? Our Zaxby's has Carson Newman and Jeff County stuff hanging everywhere. I always liked that when I was travelling..hated cookie cutter modeling.
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You can for sure. Zaxby's and Chick filet hell even Cracker Barrel do a hell of a job at it. My company could be better there. Thanks. You gave me something to think about. Not so much from a decor stand pint but from a connecting with the local high school stand point. Logan's does a good job with the decor thing but they are struggling. Surprisingly the darling of casual dining right now is Texas Roadhouse. Those guys are kicking ass and expanding big time. I have had two different recruiters reach out to me to come work for them. I am happy where I am at but they are blowing up
 
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#45
#45
volfanhill said:
You can for sure. Zaxby's and Chick filet hell even Cracker Barrel do a hell of a job at it. My company could be better there. Thanks. You gave me something to think about. Not so much from a decor stand pint but from a connecting with the local high school stand point. Logan's does a good job with the decor thing but they are struggling. Surprisingly the darling of casual dining right now is Texas Roadhouse. Those guys are kicking ass and expanding big time. I have had two different recruiters reach out to me to come work for them. I am happy where I am at but they are blowing up
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Tell you something that probably doesn't cost a lot but might get people in on slow nights..We usually take our 8 year old to TRH or McAlisters on their kids craft nights. and full disclosure I love TRH but have never found my "go to" at McAlisters...no prob for the wife she is a Cajun and loves their muffulettas
 
#46
#46
VolnJC said:
Tell you something that probably doesn't cost a lot but might get people in on slow nights..We usually take our 8 year old to TRH or McAlisters on their kids craft nights. and full disclosure I love TRH but have never found my "go to" at McAlisters...no prob for the wife she is a Cajun and loves their muffulettas
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Funny you say that. We just started testing a "kids table" on Tuesdays and Wednesday . Kids come in and are entertained with crafts and eat while their parents eat. The kids eat and play games with one of our employees who organizes and entertains them. We started the test with 20 restaurants and have progressed to the 50 restaurant stage. If it makes it past this stage an excellent chance we roll nation wide.
 
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#48
#48
The one in McGhee-Tyson is staying open isn't it? I would really miss that place. I have gotten drunk so many times there waiting on flights. I had a flight delayed during the LSU/Notre Dame Music City Bowl a couple of years ago and got so drunk on shots of Jager I was afraid they wouldn't let me on the plane. Oh, and I like their mozzarella sticks too.
Good times!
 
#49
#49
Best dessert.

Blondie
A warm blonde brownie with chunks of chocolate and crunchy nuts. Served with vanilla bean ice cream
 
#50
#50
ATC_VOL said:
I worked there for 6 years at three different locations while I was going through school. Used to be kind of a cool hang out spot with good food.

About 2006/2007 they got into this whole "high quality casual dining" thing and lost any identity as a brand. All the local sports decor came off the wall and paintings of people with no faces replaced that.

Portion size shrank and prices were raised. Rolling out a new menu every 3 months is not very smart either.

For awhile they had a "always fresh, never frozen" slogan in regards to their meat but quite the opposite was true.
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Kinda on the same lines is O'Charleys.

We used to eat there a lot--like once ever 10 days.

My wife loved the bread and the Sante Fe chicken.

About 4 months ago, the quality just seemed to dropp, they removed the 9.99 menu, took off the Sante Fe chicken, and then added brunch on Sunday to replace half the items they use to offer.

We have a First watch, two Waffle Houses, and an Ihop all within 10 minutes of our church.

If we wanted breakfast we would go there.


We hardly go there now and when we have the place is half empty. Sometimes these CEO's just over think things and destroy the brand.
 
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