30%
Increase in catering sales upon launching MONKEY online ordering
50%
Reduction in call center order processing time
15%
Year-over-year catering sales growth in the first year
A Catering Program That Hit a Wall - and Needed a Rebuild
Ruby Tuesday had been catering since 2002, but by 2010 the program had plateaued. To reignite growth, executives made the decision to bring catering in-house rather than rely on an outside support firm. They hired three call center agents to handle incoming orders - but quickly realized the manual, phone-based approach wasn't going to scale. As Andy Hepp, VP of Operations and Implementation, put it: "Within a few weeks, I realized that what we were doing was very cumbersome and not the least bit scalable. If we didn't source a technological solution, we might ultimately fail to grow our catering business unit as we hoped."
Ruby Tuesday turned to MONKEY to re-align their catering strategy and build out a proper call center at their corporate headquarters in Maryville, Tennessee. MONKEY was selected as the best fit both from a technology and a service standpoint - and the work of transforming the program began.
Building a Scalable Call Center from the Ground Up
MONKEY powered the call center infrastructure from day one - equipping agents with the tools to handle higher order volumes, process calls more quickly, and build personal guest relationships that drove repeat business. Weekly conference calls between the MONKEY and Ruby Tuesday teams kept the deployment on track, surfacing areas for improvement and ensuring agents had the ongoing training needed to fully support the catering operation.
Online ordering was introduced as a new direct channel, creating a significant incremental revenue stream alongside the call center. MONKEY's CRM gave agents a full view of each guest - their preferences, their history, and what they'd ordered before - making every interaction feel personal. Two years in, bi-weekly calls continued to optimize the operation, and Ruby Tuesday had the technology platform and the strategic support to keep building momentum.
"MONKEY was the best fit both from a technology and a service standpoint. The service was just phenomenal. We had a blueprint and they helped support us to get there."
ANDY HEPP
VP OF OPERATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION, RUBY TUESDAY
30% Sales Lift. Half the Processing Time. Double-Digit Growth.
01
30% INCREASE IN CATERING SALES
Deploying MONKEY's online ordering platform generated a 30% increase in catering sales. The combination of a new direct ordering channel and an integrated CRM gave the team the tools to capture more business, convert it faster, and keep guests coming back.
02
CALL PROCESSING TIME CUT IN HALF
With MONKEY powering the call center, order processing time dropped from four minutes to two. Agents could handle a significantly higher volume of orders while still building the personal relationships that kept guests loyal - knowing their names, their preferences, and their history.
03
12-15% YEAR-OVER-YEAR GROWTH IN THE FIRST YEAR
Ruby Tuesday achieved 12-15% year-over-year growth in total catering sales across all units in the first year - a direct result of the scalable infrastructure MONKEY put in place. The foundation was built to keep growing from there.
"With the MONKEY team, their service is stellar and experience is evident. They stand by their product and focus on our success - it's clear they have a very high value system within their company culture."
ANDY HEPP
VP OF OPERATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION, RUBY TUESDAY
The Right Platform. The Right Partner.
Ruby Tuesday's turnaround shows what happens when a stalled catering program gets the right infrastructure and the right support. MONKEY didn't just provide technology - it helped Ruby Tuesday rebuild their catering strategy from the ground up, and the results followed.