New office to create 45 jobs and a capital investment of $250,000

Orlando, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that Ruby Tuesday, Inc. will open a new regional office in Orlando. The expansion will create 45 jobs and a capital investment of $250,000.

Governor Scott said, “Today’s announcement that Ruby Tuesday will open up a new office in Florida is exciting news, and moves us one step closer to achieving our goal of becoming the global destination for jobs. Since December 2010, Florida businesses like Ruby Tuesday have created more than 807,000 private-sector jobs for our families, and we are working each day to bring even more job creators to our state.”

Founded in 1972, Ruby Tuesday is a national casual dining chain with more than 40,000 company and franchise team members. Ruby Tuesday’s new regional office will provide support to its restaurant teams and will include positions in the marketing, finance, development and IT fields.

JJ Buettgen, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer said, “We are incredibly appreciative of the partnership with Governor Scott and the team at Enterprise Florida. The new regional office will serve as a great complement to our Restaurant Support Center in Tennessee, allowing us to continue focusing on our brand transformation efforts.”

As a right-to-work state with zero personal income tax and low corporate tax rates, Florida offers businesses a pro-growth business climate with few roadblocks and governmental regulations. Florida has more than 170 universities, colleges and technical institutes located throughout the state.  In addition, Florida provides its companies a highly-skilled culturally diverse workforce and abundant opportunities for training.

Bill Johnson, Enterprise Florida CEO and president said, “We are excited that Ruby Tuesday has decided to open their new regional offices in Florida. Florida truly has the perfect climate for business under Governor Scott’s leadership. Every day, the Enterprise Florida team works to show companies what benefits Florida can provide. We thank Ruby Tuesday for their investment in Florida, and look forward to seeing their continued growth.” 

This project was made possible by the close partnerships between Enterprise Florida, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, and the Orlando Economic Development Council.

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “We are thrilled that the widely recognized Ruby Tuesday brand has found a home in Florida. This job growth is just one more example of great economic news in the Orlando area.”

Chris Hart IV, CareerSource Florida CEO and president, said, “Ensuring Florida’s workforce has the right skills at the right time is critical to helping businesses like Ruby Tuesday compete and grow, and Floridians grow professionally. We’re proud that Ruby Tuesday chose Florida for its regional office and look forward to supporting the company’s continued success.”

“Since I took office, I have worked to diversify our economy, revitalize Downtown and support arts, culture and entertainment amenities to create a City that offers a high quality of life for everyone who lives, works and plays in Orlando,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.  “It is rewarding to see that these investments are paying off, with national corporations, like Ruby Tuesday, expanding their investment in Orlando and bringing not only 45 jobs for our residents, but also continuing to make a significant economic impact in our community.”

“We are very excited to welcome Ruby Tuesday to Orlando as they join the growing list of companies with regional or national headquarters who call our phenomenal area home.” said Rick Weddle, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Development Commission.

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Ruby Tuesday, Inc. has 737 Company-owned and/or franchise Ruby Tuesday brand restaurants in 44 states, 13 foreign countries, and Guam, in addition to 26 Company-owned and/or franchise Lime Fresh brand restaurants in six states and the District of Columbia.  As of March 3, 2015, we owned and operated 658 Ruby Tuesday restaurants and franchised 79 Ruby Tuesday restaurants, comprised of 30 domestic and 49 international restaurants.  We also owned and operated 19 Lime Fresh restaurants and franchised seven Lime Fresh restaurants. Our Company-owned and operated restaurants are concentrated primarily in the Southeast, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest of the United States, which we consider to be our core markets.

Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for the state of Florida.  EFI facilitates job growth for Florida businesses through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses.

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