Ruby Tuesday decent alternative for Troy residents

By Greg Phillips

Published: July 9, 2008

Ah, Ruby Tuesday.

Those two simple words are the equivalent of “Ruth’s Chris” for Troy residents, who have to choose between such luxurious dining options as McDonald’s, Burger King and, of course, the creme-de-la-creme, Hardee’s.

Having lived for six years in Troy, I understand that when you want to eat well and pay a decent price in Troy, Ruby Tuesday is generally the best option.

So when my friend, former Eagle intern Holli Keaton, and I went to the restaurant last weekend, we pretty much knew what to expect. Or so we thought!

It seems that Ruby Tuesdays everywhere have undergone a remodeling project. Gone are many of the local items that once decorated the walls of the restaurant, replaced with a more artsy feel.

These aesthetic changes were the first thing Ms. Keaton noticed, as she mentioned it seemed Ruby Tuesday was “trying to look better than it is.” Indeed, it seems the chain is going for a classy, downtown-diner look, but still serving the generic restaurant-chain menus.

Another change we noticed was the new all-shrimp special menu, which features a variety of dishes involving shrimp. Never one to pass up on good (or bad, really) shrimp, I ordered the New Orleans shrimp, a collection of broiled shrimp scattered over a cajun-spiced tilapia with melted parmesan cheese. Coupled with steamed broccoli, rice and a good, old-fashioned Coke, it looked delicious. Mmm.

Holli went with one of her traditional favorite dishes, chicken tenders and mashed potatoes with a raspberry iced tea. We were quite hungry at the time, so we ordered an appetizer of tortilla chips and queso dip.

When the queso dip arrived, there weren’t many chips on the plate. We finished them rather quickly, then waited for more. And waited. And waited. Finally, our waitress asked if we wanted more chips, which we did. Almost immediately afterward, our meals arrived.

A manager came by to ask us about the chips and inform us they would have to cook more. By that point, we didn’t need anymore chips. At that point, Holli asked for ranch dressing for her chicken tenders. After waiting more than 10 minutes, Holli finally had to go to the salad bar and take some ranch dressing herself.

While the service and aesthetics were disappointing, the food was as good as it usually is, which is a compliment.

I’d never tried Ruby Tuesday’s shrimp dishes before, but the New Orleans plate was delicious. The cheese, shrimp and tilapia blended into a surprisingly pleasant taste. Holli loved her chicken tenders, too.

Overall, this was the worst experience I’ve had in my several dozen trips to Troy’s Ruby Tuesday, despite the good food. But hey, it beats fast food chicken any day of the week.

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Ruby Tuesday
Location: 101 Troy Plaza Loop, Troy, Ala.
Hours of operation: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (Monday-Thursday), 11 a.m.-midnight (Friday-Saturday), 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Sunday)
Rating: Three out of four stars.