Bridgewater Ruby Tuesday Abruptly Closes

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Customers who stopped at the Ruby Tuesday on Route 202 in Bridgewater on Monday got a bit of a surprise as a sign posted on the door of the restaurant said the location has been closed permanently.

"This Ruby Tuesday location is closed. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused you and look forward to serving you in one of our other restaurants soon," a sign on the front door of the restaurant stated.

An employee who answered the phone at the restaurant confirmed the Bridgewater location was permanently closed and said it was a decision made by corporate for financial reasons.

The restaurant chain has closed a number of its locations in the last several years, including nearly 100 closures in 2017, according to an October 2017 report on the website Consumerist.

Ruby Tuesday had 544 locations as of an April 2018 report by the Restaurant Business website. The restaurant company was bought by a private equity firm named NRD Capital in December. In January, Ray Blanchette, who heads up Ruby Tuesday for NRD Capital, implied the restaurants would have to be profitable to be kept open in an interview with the site.

It was not immediately known how many employees are affected by the closure; there was no WARN notice filed with the state of New Jersey, which is required for businesses laying off 50 or more employees.

(Images via Jason Hutchings)

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