Ruby Tuesday to open second UK site, first in England

The team behind the UK franchise of American casual dining chain Ruby Tuesday has signed a deal for a site in Cheltenham which will become the first outside Wales for the operator.

The 4,300sq.ft site in Cheltenham's The Brewery venue, owned by NFU Mutual, will open in mid-June and will be the second restaurant in the UK for bothers Stephen and Gary Mayo. The brothers secured the UK franchise for the Tennessee-based chain in 2010 and opened a 200-cover restaurant in the St David's Shopping Centre in Cardiff in May of that year.

The Ruby Tuesday brand, which was founded in 1972, focuses on salads and burgers but offers a range of American-themed dishes.

When the Mayo brothers, who are behind the Welsh franchise of Subway and run Bryn Meadows Golf, Hotel and Spa in Caerphilly, acquired the UK franchise for the brand they told BigHospitality they had spotted a gap in the market and were planning to open five restaurants in four years starting with Wales and the South West.