10 Ruby Tuesday Restaurants Close in Illinois

Ten Ruby Tuesday restaurants in Illinois closed their doors at the end of the Tuesday night shift and didn't reopen them for business Wednesday morning.

Most of the Ruby Tuesday locations in the state, including one in Downers Grove, are owned by franchisee RT Midwest Holdings, which abruptly closed its Ruby Tuesday restaurants.

A waiter at the Morton location told the Journal Star he showed up for his shift Wednesday to find a three-word note taped to the door. "Closed — Thank you."

Jerry Ruta, president of RT Midwest Holdings, wrote on his LinkedIn page that the company is the largest Ruby Tuesday franchisee in the country.

Ruby Tuesday has released a statement regarding the closings.

“Our Illinois Ruby Tuesday restaurants were owned and operated by an independent franchisee. As the franchisor of this concept, we went to great lengths in assisting the franchisee to remain open but he has made the decision to close his restaurants. We appreciate the patronage of the many residents and guests that have dined at the Illinois Ruby Tuesday restaurants over the years along with the dedicated employees of the franchisee and will evaluate opportunities to return to the market in the future.”

Locations in Collinsville, Fairview Heights and Litchfield in Illinois remain open, according to the Ruby Tuesday website. Ruby Tuesday's corporate office is based in Maryville, Tennessee.

The now-closed Ruby Tuesday location in Downers Grove, 1570 Butterfield Road, had three out of five stars on Yelp. The most recent review was written June 13.

Photo by Ildar Sagdejev.