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Photo courtesy of Marlin & Ray's Behind the Line competition for seafood we saw it as an opportunity to introduce Marlin & Ray's." Te first location opened in Maryville, Tenn., in April 2011 and others soon fol- lowed: Knoxville, Tenn.; Manassas, Fairfax and Staf- ford, Va.; Acworth and Li- thonia, Ga.; Hilliard and West Chester, Ohio; Bensa- lem, Pa.; and most recently, Wilmington, N.C., in May. Te restaurants' original Ruby Tuesday configuration has remained the same, with the exception of the salad bars that were removed. "Tat gives us more room for the bar areas, where we've introduced large community tables," Flaherty says. While Ruby Tuesday's al- Somewhere in between Marlin & Ray's fills a key seafood niche for Ruby Tuesday BY LAUREN KRAMER R uby Tuesday has faced flagging sales for some time. Same-restaurant sales for the fis- cal year 2012 decreased 5.7 percent at U.S. franchised units. Although the com- pany closed 25 restaurants, the locations that did a high volume of seafood sales were converted into a new brand: Marlin & Ray's, a group of seafood restaurants with a lively atmosphere. "Marlin & Ray's provided a conversion strategy at an investment cost of less than $500,000 in markets where we had a high density of Ruby Tuesdays," says Rich- ard Flaherty, VP-operations. "We recognized there was some consumer demand for seafood, so we looked at the landscape of competition surrounding that restaurant, and where there wasn't direct 36 SeaFood Business September 2012 cohol sales generate 10 per- cent of revenues, at Marlin & Ray's alcohol accounts for between 18 and 21 percent of sales. "Tat's driven by the atmosphere of the restaurant we're introducing," he says. "It's a fish campy, fun, lively, value-based environment that promotes having a great margarita or signature cock- tail. When you come in it's like you're on vacation." Marlin & Ray's target de- mographic is similar to that of Ruby Tuesday's, with an average age of 25 to 42 and an average household in- come of between $55,000 and $75,000. Te restaurant is also targeting a secondary entry-point consumer, the 22- to 30-year-old. Seafood constitutes percent of 90 the menu and Marlin & Ray's leverages its purchasing power from Ruby Tuesday. Tere's an average of 11 species on the menu, including lobster from Maine or Canada, snow crab from the North Atlantic or Alaska, Pacific Rim tilapia and Chilean salmon. Te company conducts its own quality assur- ance tests and uses outside Between five and seven Marlin & Ray's units are slated to open next year. inspectors to ensure suppliers pass rigorous standards for food safety and cleanliness. Specials include the $11.99 all-you-can-eat shrimp and a shellfish sampler for $18.99 and there's a good selection of sandwiches and salads. Menu staples include hand-breaded fried oysters, salmon and mussels, while calamari, snow crab legs, grouper and mahimahi are other top sellers. Diners can choose their grilled seafood blackened, in a Cajun cream sauce or in a lemon butter sauce. Te average check is $18 and all meals come with a bottomless house salad and jalapeno cheddar muffins. "We believe we're providing at minimum a two-course meal," Flaherty adds. To date the menu is iden- tical across all the Marlin & Ray's restaurants, but that will change, he says. "Tere are regional seafood preferences that we need to capitalize on and ensure we're incorporat- ing into specific menus." Te initial sales goal at Marlin & Ray's is to generate $500,000 more than what the Ruby Tuesday was pre- viously making in the same location. Because Marlin & Ray's is open only for din- ner, shifts are down to nine per week, as compared to 14 per week at Ruby Tuesday. Flaherty says the company is "definitely achieving its sales goal and exceeding it, in many locations." As a re- sult, more Marlin & Ray's locations are planned, with seven more opening by the end of the year. Plans for fis- cal 2013 include five to seven new units. Contributing Kramer Editor lives British Columbia Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com Lauren in Richmond,