Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday (Original #2)

"Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday"

I don’t know about you guys, but I love the restaurant Ruby Tuesdays. I, honestly, could eat there every day…in fact, there have been weeks that I’ve gone there more than I’ve eaten at home. Just ask my poor boyfriend, whenever we think about going out to dinners, it’s almost an unspoken assumption that I want to go to Ruby’s…or, “Rubes” as I affectionately call it.

Okay, okay, I know what you’re probably thinking – it’s just a typical chain restaurant with arguably mediocre food, but they’ve got one thing that really gets me going – a salad bar. I’m somewhat of a vegetarian and I couldn’t love vegetables more…so, the idea of a vegetable free-for-all for the low price of $8 couldn’t be more appealing to me.

I mean, come on…how good does that look!?

So how does this have any ties to social media? Well, Ruby Tuesday’s has hopped on the social media bandwagon. They’ve come to realize that they can reach their customers on the Internet and they’re utilizing that as a tool to propel their business. For starters, the restaurant has what’s called “So Connected.” Basically, you can sign up for free on their website to be a part of this “club” and in doing so, you receive many promotional coupons that will entice the customer to come in. For example, they have a “Buy One Get One Free Entrée” coupon that they send out frequently. How awesome is that?! I don’t know about you, but I’m a broke graduate student who can really benefit from free stuff! They even give out free burgers on your birthday. Sometimes, they’ll send out e-mails asking you to “Like” them on Facebook and in return you’ll receive a coupon for a free appetizer. I think they’ve done an excellent job tapping into their audience through the Internet. It’s costing them very little to provide these offers and in return, they’re getting a band of loyal followers. Think about it – their plan is in action right now! Here I am blogging away about the awesome-ness of Ruby Tuesdays! I bet some of you will even go on to their website and sign up for “So Connected” so that you can start reaping the benefits!

Here, I’ll even make it easier for ya – click here: http://pages.rubytuesdayrestaurants.com/page.aspx?QS=330c754b5e92df74c5001a21711e171204a64d8b8f9cfa5519d03d3ba221e1a1 – they won’t bombard you with unnecessary e-mails, I promise!

Again, I think their efforts to join the groundswell have really paid off. They realized that the media forums are ever changing and they’re taking steps to incorporate these changes into their marketing plans. To me, it speaks to their commitment to the customer. Pair that with their incredible salad bar, and I’m sold!

For those of you who local to the Worcester area, check out the nearest Ruby Tuesday’s located in the Lincoln Plaza over by Target, Dick’s, Stop & Shop…they’ve got a great staff there – I would know, I practically live there! J

Despite what the chorus of this classic Rolling Stones song says, “Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday…” the real Ruby Tuesday’s is experiencing anything but goodbye’s from their customers.