Luby’s Inc. has opened a new Fuddruckers restaurant near Houston that showcases the brand’s “vision of the future,” an executive said Wednesday.
Peter Tripoli, Luby’s chief operating officer, said the new unit in The Woodlands, Texas, is “an exciting new location for us.”
The new location has three self-ordering stations, in addition to a cashier-operated point-of-sale, Tripoli said during a call after releasing second-quarter earnings.
Fuddruckers performed stronger in the quarter ended March 15, posting a same-store sales decrease of 1.1 percent. The decline reflected a 2.8-percent drop in traffic offset by a 3.9-percent increase in average spend per guest, the company said.
Luby’s same-store sales fell 3.8 percent systemwide, with declines of 4.4 percent at the cafeterias, 6.5 percent at combined Luby’s-Fuddruckers locations, and 7.3 percent at Cheeseburger in Paradise.
Tripoli said the new Fuddruckers restaurant covers about 4,000 square feet inside, with seating for 147 guests, including a private dining room. The private dining room holds 36 people, “where teams and families can celebrate,” he said.
“There are also nine bar counter seats overlooking an open kitchen,” Tripoli said. “Five televisions ensure guests always have the clear view of the big game, and outside we have the spacious patio with additional seating as well for overflow.”
In the second quarter, Luby’s loss widened to $13.2 million, or 45 cents per share, from a loss of $599,000, or two cents per share, the previous year. Sales declined 6.2 percent, to $86.3 million, from $92.1 million in the same quarter last year.
Chris Pappas, Luby’s president and CEO, said the company partnered in December with the H-E-B grocery chain in Texas to sell the cafeteria’s macaroni and cheese.
“We then expanded our retail product line to include Luby’s famous fried fish in February,” Pappas said. “We remain encouraged by the sales of these dishes and for the opportunity this additional product branding establishes for our company.”
As of April 19, Luby’s operated 172 restaurants domestically, including 90 Luby’s Cafeterias, 73 Fuddruckers, eight Cheeseburger in Paradise units and one Bob Luby’s Seafood Grill. Luby's also franchises 113 Fuddruckers restaurants, and licensees operate 35 restaurants in the Middle East. Luby's Culinary Contract Services provides foodservice management to 23 healthcare and corporate-dining locations.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless