Ruby Tuesday at Sandusky Mall shuts down

SANDUSKY — Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday.The casual dining chain closed its Sandusky Mall restaurant, a Cafaro Company official said Monday. The Cafaro Company owns the mall. The restaurant gave "very short notice" that it was closing its doors, Cafaro spokesman Joe Bell said.The restaurant chain had 596 locations spread across 41 states, 14 foreign countries and Guam as of December, according to its website. It previously shut down 100 locations because of slow sales.On Dec. 21, Ruby Tuesday announced it had been acquired by a fund managed by NRD Capital, an Atlanta-based private equity firm.Bell said the closure seemed odd because the restaurant has at least a couple of years left on its lease. Normally in such a situation, a business would approach Cafaro and seek to renegotiate the lease, Bell said."They didn't even go through the motions of trying to renegotiate their lease," Bell said.Bell said the mall should be able to find another eatery for the location soon."We are actively looking for a replacement restaurant," he said. "We don't think it will be difficult finding another restaurant operator who is interested in getting that space."Ruby Tuesday is known for its burgers and salad bar.Ruby Tuesday issued a statement on the decision to close."As part of our routine review of our store portfolio, we have made the difficult decision to close our Sandusky, OH restaurant. We appreciate the dedication of all our team members and the community's support over the years," company officials said in a statement issued via email. Sandusky was spared when the chain announced in 2016 it was shutting down more than 90 locations.Charming Charlie shut down at the mall last year. The mall also has witnessed the closing of two department stores, Macy's and Sears. There are active discussions to fill those spaces, Bell said, although he said he could not make an announcement.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.Ruby Tuesday at Sandusky Mall has shut down.