By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

RUBY Tuesday, one of the nation’s most popular casual dining restaurants, yesterday broke ground on the site of its future restaurant at the Guam Premier Outlets.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Tamuning Mayor Francisco C. Blas and Vice Mayor Louise C. Rivera.
Ruby Tuesday’s first franchised restaurant on Guam will be developed and operated by RT Restaurants LLC. Principal investors in the franchise company include Ron Mullers and Ted Davenport, with Matt Giger as the local partner.
In a talk with Variety yesterday, Giger said the Guam franchise has been in the planning stage for two years and he is glad that the project is finally coming into fruition.
“The investors are bullish about Guam because of the island’s dynamic tourism industry and the planned military expansion. Our opening is indicative of the investors’ confidence in the local government and the island’s economy which is better than it was five years ago,” Giger said.
The new restaurant, barring unforeseen hitches, is scheduled to open by November just in time for the holiday season. Giger said hiring for the new restaurant should start three to four months before the grand opening.
The Guam restaurant will follow the menu of the stateside chain although some new dishes will be offered to accommodate local tastes such as “adobo” and “pancit.”
With the opening of the new restaurant, Giger said Guam can expect a unique dining experience using only the freshest ingredients.
For his part, Guam Premier Outlets general manager Monte Mesa said Ruby Tuesday is “a natural fit” for GPO’s concept of “having a synergy of shopping and dining.” He said the mall’s existing food outlets will not be affected since each caters to various markets and they have their own specialties.
“Our food court tenants have their own niches and King’s Restaurant, of course, is already a local institution,” Mesa said.
He said Ruby Tuesday is especially expected to attract the military market on Guam.
“The military folks love their burgers. And of course, Ruby Tuesday has already established a reputation for serving some of the best burgers in the states. Most military folks also recognize the Ruby Tuesday brand in the states. So with the military expanding here, Ruby Tuesday will benefit. And let’s not forget the tourists, too. This will add another attraction for Guam,” Mesa said.
For the Guam Ruby Tuesday, Mesa said the investors will be using the latest design of the restaurant, which has a more upscale ambience.
The Ruby Tuesday concept was born more than 30 years ago, when current chairman and CEO Sandy Beall opened the first restaurant near the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Since then, the company has grown to almost a thousand company-owned and franchised restaurants in 43 states and 15 countries around the world.
Ruby Tuesday is aggressively franchising territories in the western United States and in international locations.