Restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday Inc. said Tuesday that it will begin featuring nutritional information about all of its meals directly on its menu as it aims to increase its appeal among health-conscious American diners.
The move comes as Ruby Tuesday and several of its rivals have revamped menus to include healthier options for customers in the midst of rising concern about obesity.
But Maryville, Tennessee-based Ruby Tuesday said it will be the first in the casual dining industry to list the calories, fat, carbohydrates and dietary fiber contained in every item on its menu.
Ruby Tuesday Chief Executive Sandy Beall said he expects the information will attract new customers that might otherwise assume casual dining restaurants don’t offer healthy fare.
“It will help same-store sales and be good for the shareholder because it will attract some people who eat very healthy,” Beall said in an interview, adding that he was also encouraged by tests showing that 40 percent of customers said the information would cause them to return to Ruby Tuesday in the future.
The revamped menus will appear in all 700 of its North American restaurants next month.
Scare off diners?
In November, Ruby Tuesday banned the use of artery-clogging trans fats in its cooking and launched or revised a number of menu items to appeal to diners following popular low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins and South Beach diets.
Since then, the chain’s “Smart Eating” options have helped boost sales, and the company plans next month to expand its healthier options beyond just low-carb items.
“Our next phase is about anybody is who wants to eat smarter,” Ruby Tuesday Chief Executive Sandy Beall said in an interview.
With several menu items having close to 1,000 calories and more than 40 grams of fat, Beall was asked if the company worried that the nutritional information could scare off diners?
“I don’t think it’s a turn-off,” Beall said. “Either you notice it and look for it or you don’t.”
Beall added that in tests, about 35 percent of consumers said the nutritional information influenced their orders, while the remaining 65 percent ordered what they liked regardless of the nutritional content.
