Wetumpka’s Ruby Tuesday restaurant closed for good this past weekend and the company wasted no time in starting to remove identifying markings. A crew and crane were on site Tuesday to take down the large sign beside U.S. Highway 231, and other workers were inside the building removing equipment.
A press release issued by the Maryville, Tenn.-based corporation last Wednesday announced that the chain would close 30 of the least profitable of its 779 locations during the first quarter of the year. The company did not offer a list of the restaurants on the chopping block at that time.
According to the release, Ruby Tuesday eliminated 70 primarily corporate positions in November and began strategic alternatives in December.
The company reported a $34.7 million loss in the second quarter (which ended Dec.3) compared to a $4.2 million loss during the same period a year before.
Of the 30 closures expected, 27 are slated to occur this quarter and three in the next quarter. Eight of those locations are on company-owned property and will be put on the market for sale.
Included among the other restaurants that closed this past weekend were sites in Gardendale, James Island, S.C., Jackson, Tenn., Salem, N.H., Columbus, Ohio and Manchester, N.H.
At this time, Ruby Tuesday locations in Prattville, Montgomery, Auburn, Alexander City, Alabaster, Greenville, Troy, Pelham, Birmingham, Leeds and Bessemer remain open. Company officials did not respond Tuesday to requests for additional information.
The Wetumpka Ruby Tuesday restaurant was in operation for nearly 11 years, opening in April 2003.
