Ruby Tuesday tries new tech to battle ID theftRuby Tuesday tries new tech to battle ID theft

MARYVILLE Tenn. Dinnerhouse chain Ruby Tuesday Inc. is rolling out new technology that promises to protect customers who pay with credit or debit card credit from having their personal information stolen and used for so-called identify theft.

The move comes as some foodservice companies are struggling to meet new security standards developed by the credit-card industry to combat identity theft. Using bits of information, identity thieves pose as a credit-card user to obtain new charge cards, obtain cash or credit, or make big-ticket purchases before the fraud is discovered.

"We have devoted significant resources to getting this solution into place as quickly as possible," said Nick Ibrahim, Ruby Tuesday's senior vice president and chief technology officer. "Because the rate of cyber crime keeps growing, we felt it was crucial to be proactive and an industry leader on this issue."

Ruby Tuesday, based here, said the hardware and software deployment began in January and should be completed at the chain's more than 900 U.S. restaurants by the end of March.