Ruby Tuesday has joined the growing list of major restaurant chains set to open up on Guam in 2007. Theodore J. Davenport managing member of RT Restaurants Guam LLC which will do business as Ruby Tuesday; a partner at RT Restaurants Hawaii Inc. which does business as Ruby Tuesday in Hawaii; and a partner at RT Restaurants Southern Calif. the franchisee for Ruby Tuesday restaurants in Southern Calif. told the Journal that the restaurant would be located at the Guam Premier Outlets and it would front King’s Restaurant and Ross.
Matthew Giger Marianas director of Balboa Asian Investments LLC; RT Restaurants Guam’s master developer for Guam; and vice president of sales and business development for i-Connect said “We are all very excited about Ruby Tuesday’s entrance in the Guam market. Balboa Asian Investments LLC has been working on this for the past year with Mr. Ted Davenport "¦ we have a fantastic location and real estate partner with the Guam Premier Outlets. Their team has been with us every step of the way.””
Ruby Tuesday will follow the national menu and will have all of the signature menu items and entrées such as the jumbo crab cakes Thai Phoon shrimp premium baby back ribs triple prime burgers and other customer favorites. Davenport said there would be local favorites served. “”We will follow the national menu for the most part. We will have rice and some local flair added but we’re not sure what items yet.””
“”Ruby Tuesday does a fantastic job of delivering a "˜simple fresh American dining’ experience. What does this mean for Guam? It means another great dining experience. We believe that Ruby’s is one of the most valuable casual dining concepts in the world today “” Ronald E. Mullers partner at RT Restaurants Guam and international director of Balboa said. “”It’s a powerhouse brand.””
The ground breaking is scheduled for January with a late 2007 opening. “”We’ll know more in January when the groundbreaking takes place “” Davenport said.
The restaurant will be 6 000 square feet will seat about 240 people and will have about 110 employees. Davenport said about $2 million would be invested into getting the restaurant up and running.
“”We usually open at about 10:30 a.m. and run until about 11 p.m. on weekdays and up to 1 a.m. on weekends. It all depends. If the demand from the public is to go longer then we will go longer “” Davenport said.
Davenport said he decided to open up a Ruby Tuesday on Guam because he saw the potential and the need for family dining. “”I’ve done some business on Guam. I also have some property there. Guam has the potential for growth and I think there’s the need for family dining. There’s not much family dining on the island.””
While there are other restaurant chains on Guam Davenport said the quality of Ruby Tuesday’s product separates it from other chains. “”The quality of product is superior to other casual diners. We use mostly fresh product not precooked items. Our burgers are made out of prime beef. The ribs are the best on the market and we have a salad bar that has over 55 items.””
Giger said Davenport outlined a detailed business plan and strategy that defines Guam’s plans to emulate the best practices of Ruby Tuesday’s top performers all over the world. “”Ruby’s Guam will set our standards high to achieve culinary excellence and consistent restaurant innovations “” Giger said.
According to its Web site in October Ruby Tuesday Inc. was ranked seventh in the American Society for Training and Development’s 2006 BEST Awards Program. The company was ranked among the top 10 in a list of 39 blue-chip corporations and organizations from India South Africa and the United States that received the award. Ruby Tuesday restaurants are known for their handcrafted burgers made from fresh 100% USDA choice beef and for a fresh garden salad bar. Its current chairman and chief executive officer Sandy Beall founded the chain in 1972. There are more than 880 Ruby Tuesdays in 42 states the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and in 13 countries around the world. MBJ
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