MARYVILLE Tenn. Ruby Tuesday plans to blow up its last “old-style” restaurant Aug. 5 and broadcast the demolition online, according to a notice on its website, www.rubytuesday.com.
The stunt is designed to bid farewell to the casual-dining chain’s old decor and promote its new look and menu. The website shows a bomb with a lighted fuse and ticker counting off the days, hours, minutes and seconds to the 3 p.m. explosion time.
Print ads in the shape of a bomb, TV spots and online banners are promoting the event, created by BooneOakley of Charlotte, N.C., the chain’s agency.
Various ad and media blogs have posted about the event.
Ruby Tuesday, which has more than 900 units, has been struggling with slow sales along with many other restaurants in the casual-dining segment. It plans to kick off a new campaign titled “It’s a brand new Tuesday” to showcase the changes it has made in decor and menu to shed its bar-and-grill image. “It’s Simple Fresh American Dining at the best Ruby Tuesday ever” is how the chain describes its menu on its website.