How Many Ruby Tuesdays Are Left And Why Are They Struggling?

Ever find yourself reminiscing about the old-school Endless Garden Bar at Ruby Tuesday? While it’s not impossible to find Ruby Tuesdays today, there certainly aren’t as many locations of the once-popular chain as there used to be. Ruby Tuesday has been struggling since the pandemic, when it closed 185 restaurants. Today, 209 Ruby Tuesday locations are still fully operational. It’s easier to find Ruby Tuesday locations in the Eastern and Southeastern United States, with the most locations operating in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

In 2020, Ruby Tuesday filed for bankruptcy, before emerging from its Chapter 11 filing less than a year later, but the chain still has a long way to go before returning to its status as a casual dining hotspot. There are several reasons why Ruby Tuesday restaurants are struggling, including serious changes in the way shopping malls are updating their offerings. Chain restaurants — like Ruby Tuesday, Friendly’s chain restaurants, and Bennigan’s — were once plentiful in shopping malls, providing the perfect spot for shoppers to enjoy dinner before hitting the road and heading home. Like many businesses, tons of shopping malls shuttered in recent years. As malls closed, mall-based restaurants did the same. Many malls that have been on the brink of closing are working to draw in business by adding regional and local restaurants with international flair in place of familiar chain restaurants.

It’s tough to pinpoint exactly why so many once-beloved restaurants are now struggling to draw crowds, and the reasons are likely multi-faceted. Ruby Tuesday isn’t alone in its struggles to draw diners back post-pandemic — Buca di Beppo, Hooters, Red Lobster, and TGI Fridays are all chains that are struggling financially, having all filed for bankruptcy in the past year. Inflation may be partially to blame here. Consumers may be choosing fast food options over sit-down restaurants to save cash, as the price of eating at a restaurant has climbed significantly since the onset of COVID-19.

Social media posts cite other reasons why customers are turning away from Ruby Tuesday, including poor food quality and inconsistent service. Others mention long wait times, rudeness from staff members, and high prices. While it’s possible that the restaurant could make a comeback (other chains like Applebee’s and Chili’s are seeing some success with new initiatives), some predict that Ruby Tuesday won’t survive in today’s competitive casual dining arena much longer. The chain is working to draw new customers in with its 30-day Garden Bar Pass, which allows diners to enjoy endless salad bar trips during one dine-in visit a day for 30 days — joining the lineup of other chain restaurant all-you-can-eat deals.