IRVINE Calif. After testing the sale of frozen Ruby’s Diner-branded sliders in Costco stores throughout the West, the Ruby Restaurant Group said Thursday it would introduce more retail products in grocery stores this fall.
The group joins a growing number of restaurant chains that are extending their brands with grocery products, a move that they say builds brand awareness and provides a new revenue stream as value-focused consumers eat more often at home.
Earlier this week, Scottsdale, Ariz.-based P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc. said it would develop branded retail consumer products. Others that have long offered grocery products include California Pizza Kitchen, T.G.I. Friday’s, Claim Jumper, Marie Callender’s, Tony Roma’s, Starbucks, Steak n Shake, Jamba Juice and Wolfgang Puck.
Kimberly Myers, Ruby’s vice president of marketing, said the company first debuted frozen All American Sliders in May. The product is available in 121 Costco stores in Southern California, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Hawaii. The sliders recently passed $1 million in sales, Myers said.
“We’re seeing a lot of demand for the dine-at-home category,” she said.
The sliders are produced by Helen’s Foods Inc., based in Irvine, Calif., which is working with Ruby’s to identify more frozen grocery options, including a possible extension of the slider line, Myers said.
The Ruby Restaurant Group operates or licenses 40 Ruby’s Diner locations, four of which are in airports, as well as two units of its secondary Shake Shack concept.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
