Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday is a casual restaurant chain with several locations in the Birmingham metropolitan area. The first restaurant was opened in 1972 by five graduates of the University of Tennessee at a site adjoining the university's Knoxville campus. Its name was inspired by the Rolling Stones' 1967 song "Ruby Tuesday".

In 1982 the brand was bought by the Mobile-based Morrison Restaurants Inc. and placed in its specialty-restaurant division. In 1996 that division was split into its component companies. The resulting firm, Ruby Tuesday, Inc., managed operations of its own brand, as well as the L & N Seafood Grill, Silver Spoon Café, Mozzarella's Café, The American Café, and Tia's Tex-Mex. The company's restaurant support center moved from Mobile to Maryville, Tennessee in 1998. A training and development center was constructed as part of the new headquarters. The company sold its non-Ruby Tuesday holdings to Specialty Restaurant Group LLC in November 2000.

In 2007 Ruby Tuesday purchased a casual Asian restaurant in Knoxville called "Wok Hay". It converted one of its stand alone restaurants into a second Wok Hay location in 2008. Also in 2007 the Ruby Tuesday chain began a three-year, $75 million menu makeover and remodeling project. As part of the advertising campaign announcing the changes, the company created a web video purporting to show them demolishing the last "old style" Ruby Tuesday. Using special effects, the filmmakers made it appear as if the company had accidentally demolished a neighboring restaurant.

The chain peaked at more than 900 locations in 44 states and 13 countries. In the 2010s the chain suffered declining revenues and closed more than 100 locations. In 2017 the publicly-traded company was acquired by NRD Capital Management of Atlanta, Georgia for $146 million ($2.40 per share).

Ruby Tuesday's footprint contracted to about 421 locations at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. The company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October of that year, closing another 185 locations that had been temporarily shuttered since spring.

Birmingham area locations

Former Five Points South location in January 2009

• 2000 Galleria Circle, Riverchase Galleria
• 2023 Village Drive, Leeds
• 712 South Quintard Avenue, Anniston
• 4097 U.S. Highway 280, Alexander City

Former locations

• 20th Street South at Highland Avenue (1994-2010)

The Five Points South location was built close to the sidewalk with parking in the rear under an agreement with the City of Birmingham in its efforts to promote urban, rather than suburban-style redevelopment in the area.

• 425 Fieldstown Road, Gardendale (closed January 2014)
• 710 Colonial Promenade Parkway, Propst Promenade, Alabaster (closed 2020)
• 808 Academy Drive, Bessemer (closed 2020)
• 9232 Parkway East, Roebuck (closed May 2012)
• 615 Cahaba Valley Road, Pelham (closed 2018)
• 1041 Montgomery Highway, Vestavia Hills (closed May 2012)
• 5957 Chalkville Mountain Road, Trussville (closed 2020)
• 258 U.S. Highway 78 West, Jasper (closed 2020)
• 311 Merchants Walk, Tuscaloosa (closed 2020)
• 6076 Alabama State Highway 157, Cullman (closed 2020)
• 6421 Interstate Drive, Cottondale (closed 2020)
• 113 Walker Street, Gadsden (closed 2020)

Proposed locations

• Eastwood Village (never built)

References

• Nabbefeld, Joe (December 26, 1993) "Downtown revitalization notches number of gains." The Birmingham News
• "Ruby Tuesday (restaurant)" (March 2, 2010) Wikipedia - accessed March 6, 2010
• Cooper, Lauren B. (March 5, 2010) "Ruby Tuesday on Southside closes after 16 years." Birmingham Business Journal
• Hufford, Austen (October 16, 2017) "Ruby Tuesday to Be Taken Private in $146 Million Deal." The Wall Street Journal
• Gore, Leada (October 12, 2020) "Ruby Tuesday bankruptcy: Restaurant chain closing 185 locations." The Birmingham News

External links

• Ruby Tuesday Website