Right Out Of The Gate, Ruby Tuesday's New CEO Has Quickly Killed Off Two Of His Brands

J.J. Buettgen was brought in on December 1 to take over Ruby Tuesday, which also has a couple other brands under its umbrella.

In his first earnings call, he already had some big changes to announce.

Ruby Tuesday is eliminating its Marlin & Ray brand, along with its Wok Hay restaurant, Erin Dostal at Nation's Restaurant News reported.

“The Marlin & Ray’s brand does not represent a meaningful conversion opportunity for us going forward,” said Buettgen. There were 13 Marlin & Ray restaurants and one Wok Hay.

He wants to focus on the company's core brands: Ruby Tuesday and fast-casual concept Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. Workers will be offered a transfer to an existing Ruby Tuesday or Lime Fresh location.

Back in 2011, then-CEO and founder Sandy Beall said that “we believe Marlin & Ray’s has the most growth potential," as the company began a turnaround plan to deal with falling sales. "It's clearly a differentiated brand position and, if successful, it's where we will invest our conversion dollars.”

So much for that.