Ruby Tuesday Adds Latest Strategic Technology Tool

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug 30, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- QSR Automations(R), a leading technology provider helping businesses worldwide maximize guest delight through comprehensive hospitality automation, is providing to Ruby Tuesday, Inc. (RTI) its ConnectSmart(R) Hospitality Automation Solution, including the ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK) graphical software, eXpert(R) hospitality controller, and KP-3000(TM) keypad. Already underway, the implementation for all corporate and franchise partner locations, which currently totals nearly 800 Ruby Tuesday(R) restaurants, is scheduled for completion at all corporate stores in September 2005 and most franchise locations by November 2005. Recipient of such industry recognition for technology leadership as the Nation's Restaurant News Technology Innovator Award, Hospitality Technology Edge Award for Restaurant Operator of the Year, and CIO magazine CIO100 Award, RTI selected QSR's state-of-the-art ConnectSmart kitchen management software and hardware as part of its strategic initiative to employ technology for driving savings and sales. RTI recently updated its front-of-house and backoffice applications, including adding an enterprise reporting portal and enterprise resource planning system, all with the goal of achieving operational excellence to better serve guests. Adding QSR's kitchen solution, RTI not only gains access to key production metrics, but also improves ticket times and food quality to enhance revenues and the guest experience.

"Over the last five years we have transformed the role of information technology into a strategic planning center and a competitive advantage for RTI, with a focus on what technology can do to bring more dollars in the door - and this is where the QSR Automations project comes in," said Nick Ibrahim, senior vice president and chief technical officer for Ruby Tuesday, Inc. "We selected QSR as our partner because we want to work with the industry leader and we want to use the most cutting edge, robust kitchen solution with feature sets designed specifically for table service restaurants."

Providing maximum flexibility, the open ConnectSmart solution employs XML as well as the Microsoft(R) .NET Framework. RTI is running the Microsoft Windows XP Embedded operating system on the eXpert controller. In addition to providing high reliability and complete redundancy, the standards-based eXpert controller offers an industrialized design with no moving parts and the ability to operate at high temperature levels.

With the fully customizable CSK graphical software, RTI designed each of its kitchen station views, including presenting items and orders with specific formatting, for the highest ease of use within the Ruby Tuesday environment. Using the CSK's delay routing functionality, items are routed to specific grill or pantry preparation stations at the appropriate time, so that all items within the order complete simultaneously. Reflecting all changes that are made at each of the prep stations, the expeditor station view ensures prepared orders are served immediately, and makes it easy for managers to know with a glance how the kitchen is running.

With the CSK, RTI was able to transform its kitchen operations. The kitchen team no longer works from tickets, spending excessive time communicating in order to time items, and there is no longer a need for a manager to act in a quarterback role at the expo station. Additionally, all actions are time stamped and captured, ensuring the Ruby Tuesday restaurant team has immediate, actionable information for making decisions while RTI can now analyze its critical production data, including understanding actual cook times as well as volumes by specific stations or days and dayparts.

"Our kitchens are much quieter and run much more efficiently, which is giving us improved table turns - we moved our managers out of the quarterback role at the expeditor and put them back in front of guests, which also provides significant savings on labor - and our guests are getting their meals fresher and faster," added Ibrahim. "QSR truly introduced a radical shift in managing the kitchen with the timing of individual menu items within orders and the ability to access key production data, and we recognized the amazing return we could achieve with QSR's ConnectSmart solution. The numbers are proving we were overly conservative in the savings and benefits we would receive from the system."

RTI will save additional costs from having to print and ship menu cards to its restaurants. Making recipes easily and readily available to kitchen staff, the CSK offers the ability to dynamically display a menu card for any item through a keypad toggle button. To gain efficiencies and insight from another high volume area of the restaurant, an additional station view will be added at the bar before the end of the year.

About QSR Automations(R)

QSR Automations(R) is a leading technology provider helping businesses worldwide maximize guest delight through comprehensive hospitality automation. QSR designs and markets advanced software and hardware products, including the ePic(R) Kitchen Management Solution and ConnectSmart(R) Hospitality Automation Solution, that enable companies to effectively enhance the productivity and profit of their hospitality business. Since 1996, QSR has helped thousands of hospitality operators of all sizes and concepts - including quick service, table service, fast casual, deli, theater, themepark, and bar environments - to make timely and accurate decisions, improve operations, and ensure guest loyalty. To find out more about QSR and its innovative solutions, visit www.qsrautomations.com or contact QSR at qsr@qsrautomations.com or 502-297-0221.

About Ruby Tuesday, Inc.

Ruby Tuesday, Inc. has company-owned and/or franchise Ruby Tuesday(R) brand restaurants in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 12 foreign countries. As of March 1, 2005, the company owned and operated 552 Ruby Tuesday restaurants, while domestic and international franchisees (including Hawaii) operated 188 and 37 locations, respectively. Ruby Tuesday, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (Symbol: RI). For more information, visit www.rubytuesday.com.

QSR Automations, the marks QSR Automations, ePic, ConnectSmart, ConnectSmart Kitchen, eXpert, and KP-3000 are registered trademarks or trademarks of QSR Automations, Inc.

All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: QSR Automations

QSR Automations Heather Pitts, 502-297-0221 hpitts@qsrautomations.com