Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday? Not in Sandusky

SANDUSKY — Sandusky residents who remember the Rolling Stones song apparently won't have to sing "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday."The Ruby Tuesday Inc. restaurant chain announced last week that it's shutting down 95 "underperforming restaurants." The Sandusky Mall eatery has remained open, however, and the restaurant manager and Sandusky Mall's owner both said they expect it to stay open.The company said Thursday it would shutter the 95. As of the end of May, the chain had 724 restaurants, including 646 operated by the company.Newspapers across the county have been reporting on Ruby Tuesday locations already closed in the wake of Thursday's announcement, but the Sandusky Mall restaurant was open Tuesday and restaurant manager Sterling Rogers said he hasn't heard any bad news.The locations closing have been chosen, said Rogers."I'm pretty sure we're going to be here," he said.The Cafaro Company likewise had heard no reports that Sandusky's Ruby Tuesday fans need to worry, said Joe Bell, a spokesman for the company."We haven't heard anything from Ruby Tuesday about them doing anything specific at the restaurants at our properties. That includes Sandusky," he said.The Ruby Tuesday announcement marked the second time this month that the Cafaro Company has has to respond to reports that one of their lessees is shutting down properties. The Macy's department store chain announced last week that it is closing 100 stores, adding that the locations shutting down would be identified later.Bell said last week that Macy's had not said anything about the Sandusky store, and on Tuesday, Bell added that he has new information.The Cafaro Company's leasing officials met last spring with Macy's officials and were told all of the Cafaro locations were in good shape, he said."The bottom line is they said your stores are all good," Bell said. "The Macy's in Sandusky is safe."Although the Ruby Tuesday Inc. restaurant chain announced last week that it's closing 95 underperforming restaurants, the Ruby Tuesday at the Sandusky Mall plans to stay open.