Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday!

You can now add Ruby Tuesday to the list of New Tampa restaurants that have closed in recent years, as it joins Casa Ramos and Las Palmas this year alone. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

Longtime New Tampa fixture Ruby Tuesday abruptly closed its doors in late July, which was a surprise to many local residents.

The restaurant, which boasted “Simple Fresh American Dining” and had arguably the best (only?) salad bar around, was located on the corner of Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in front of the popular AMC Highwoods 20 movie theater.

While it didn’t lack for passing traffic, it apparently was lacking in paying customers, joining more than 100 Ruby Tuesdays across the country that have been shuttered over the last year.

According to RestaurantBusinessOnline.com, Ruby Tuesday has closed 400 locations in the past decade.

Based in Maryville, TN, the dining chain was purchased by NRD Capital last year, and named Ray Blanchette as CEO in January in an effort to turn the company around.

Visitors on July 22 were greeted by a printed sheet of paper taped to the inside of the front door, saying “This Location Has Closed,” and directing people to the Ruby Tuesday in Valrico.

The manager at the Valrico restaurant confirmed that the New Tampa location was closed for good, but declined to answer any other questions. Messages left at Ruby Tuesday’s corporate offices were not returned.

Ruby Tuesday joins a growing list of shuttered restaurants in New Tampa in the past two years.
This year alone, Tampa Palms Mexican restaurant Casa Ramos and Pebble Creek’s Las Palmas Spanish Café have closed their doors, joining others like Dairy Queen and Vuelo’s Mexican Grill on BBD, as well as Beef O’Brady’s on Cross Creek Blvd.

The Dairy Queen location has a new tenant that has yet to open, but is expected to

be a Jamaican restaurant, and the old Vuelo’s site (which was formerly a Romano’s Macaroni Grill) may have a new restaurant group interested in bringing something new to the area, but the others remain vacant.

And, speaking of places that have closed recently in New Tampa, the H.H. Gregg appliance and electronics store located in the Market Square plaza on Commerce Palms Dr. in Tampa Palms closed last year, and last month, the Staples store in the same plaza shut down.

 

Business Notes: Build-A-Bear’s UnBearable Promotion, BMW’s Plans

At 2 p.m. on July 12, more than four hours after it was cancelled, lines to take advantage of Build-A-Bear Workshop’s “Pay Your Age” promotion still stretched around the building. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

The longest lines in the history of the Shops at Wiregrass ended with sadness for many on July 12, as customers had to be turned away when the popular toy company was forced to abandon its “Pay Your Age” promotion in mid-stream.

The promotion sounded great on paper. For one day only, customers could purchase a stuffed animal for the price of their age. For a toy that can run from $15 and (much) higher, it sounded too good to be true.
And for many, it was.

All across the country, and at the Wiregrass location, the promotion had to be cut short, due to overwhelming demand. At Wiregrass, a line of more than 1,000 people stretched around the back of Build-A-Bear, around JCPenney and down past Moe’s SW Grill when the promotion was canceled at 10:30 a.m.

Those who were already there were allowed to stay, but no one else was allowed to get in line.
Even by 2 p.m., the line still went all the way behind Build-A-Bear. It was a sunny and blistering hot day, so the mall was nice enough to bring out a container of green-and-white umbrellas to help customers shield themselves from the elements.

Build-A-Bear has announced that those who join its free “Count Your Candles” program can still pay their age for a “Birthday Treat Bear,” which is usually $14, during their birthday month only.

VROOOM: BMW is hoping to open a showroom at S.R. 56 and Mansfield Blvd., after filing plans with Pasco County and having a pre-application meeting in July.

The BMW showroom would be 32,758 square feet, and bring another luxury auto dealership to Wesley Chapel.

In the last year alone, Wesley Chapel has seen Lexus and Audi luxury brands added to a three-year-old Mercedes-Benz dealership.

The plans filed with the county do not identify the dealership’s owner.