In his first quarterly earnings call as president and CEO of Ruby Tuesday, J.J. Buettgen said Wednesday the Maryville-based company would immediately shutter its Marlin & Ray’s and Wok Hay restaurants.
The casual dining chain, which reported a second-quarter net loss of USD 15.1 million, or 24 cents per share, for the period ending 4 December, said it made the decision to close its 13 Marlin & Rays restaurants, including two in East Tennessee, to focus on turning sales around at its Ruby Tuesday brand.
“While this was a difficult decision to make, we have determined the Marlin & Ray’s brand is not an optimal conversion vehicle for us going forward,” Buettgen, a former Darden Restaurants executive, told analysts.
