Ruby Tuesday names former Einstein Noah exec a development officer

ruby tuesday

Ruby Tuesday said it has appointed former Einstein Noah executive Mike Ellis chief development officer of the casual-dining chain.  

Ellis, who held the same title while at the Einstein Bros./Noahs Bagels parent, will spearhead growth of both company- and franchise-owned Ruby Tuesday units, the chain said. 

“Mike’s significant development experience coupled with his deep knowledge of the restaurant industry makes him uniquely qualified to help lead the expansion of the brand in new and existing markets,” JJ Buettgen, CEO of Ruby Tuesday, said in a statement. “He is a proven development leader who has successfully achieved significant growth for a wide range of national restaurant concepts, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Ruby Tuesday management team.”

Ellis’ career in the restaurant industry spans more than 30 years, Ruby Tuesday said. Prior to his time at Einstein Noah, he served as chief development officer at O’Charley’s and held a variety of roles at Burger King, Darden Restaurants and DF&R Restaurants. 

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners