Ruby’s Diner Plans Big To Go Small

Ruby Restaurant Group is hoping to make a splash in the fast-casual market and add 20 franchises of its smaller “dinette-style” stores this year. The smaller units have half the footprint and half the startup costs of a standard Ruby’s Diner outlet. Ruby’s has been testing the 1960s-vibe dinette concept for about eight months in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Atlantic City, N.J. The Irvine, Calif.-based chain has 40 restaurants in California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas; those locations have a retro 1940s burger-joint design.