Ruby Tuesday, Inc. (NYSE: RT) today announced the appointment of Mike Ellis to the position of Chief Development Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Ellis has more than 30 years restaurant industry experience and 24 years of development experience with a specialization in food and restaurant concepts from limited to full service. In his role as Chief Development Officer, he will be responsible for all aspects of development for Ruby Tuesday including both company and franchise growth.
“Mike’s significant development experience coupled with his deep knowledge of the restaurant industry makes him uniquely qualified to help lead the expansion of the brand in new and existing markets,” JJ Buettgen, Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO, commented. “He is a proven development leader who has successfully achieved significant growth for a wide range of national restaurant concepts and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Ruby Tuesday management team.”
Mr. Ellis most recently held the position of Chief Development Officer for Einstein Noah Restaurant Group where he was responsible for all aspects of development for the Einstein Brothers Bagels and Noah’s New York Bagels brands. Prior to that role, he served as Chief Development Officer of O’Charley’s Inc., as well as senior development positions at BP Products North America, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, Burger King Inc., Darden Restaurants Inc., and DF&R Restaurants, Inc. He received an AA in Political Science from Delta College.
Mr. Ellis stated, “I am thrilled to join such a passionate management team that is wholeheartedly dedicated to creating a place where guests can truly enjoy high quality and fresh American Dining offerings in a relaxed environment. I look forward to working with this talented team of individuals as well as existing and new franchisees to help achieve the development goals we set forth for Ruby Tuesday.”
Ruby Tuesday, Inc. owns and franchises Ruby Tuesday brand restaurants. As of December 1, 2015, there were 734 Ruby Tuesday restaurants in 44 states, 12 foreign countries, and Guam. Of those restaurants, we owned and operated 656 Ruby Tuesday restaurants and franchised 78 Ruby Tuesday restaurants, comprised of 28 domestic and 50 international restaurants. Our corporate-owned and operated restaurants are concentrated primarily in the Southeast, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest of the United States, which we consider to be our core markets. For more information about Ruby Tuesday, please visit www.rubytuesday.com. Ruby Tuesday, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (Symbol: RT).
