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

Ruby Tuesday's new CEO is immediately shaking things up.

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.