Ruby Tuesday's Executive Chef, Peter Glander, on Burgers, Fine Dining, and Customers

Now through the end of October, guests of Ruby Tuesday’s have the chance to indulge on new regionally-inspired burgers that are part of the limited time only Burger Road Show promotion. Every week, a new burger inspired by a popular U.S. destination will be unveiled for $6.99 with unlimited fries.

We spoke to Peter Glander, executive chef at Ruby Tuesday’s, and former executive sous chef at acclaimed New York City restaurant, The Modern Restaurant, and cook at the equally impressive, Jean-Georges. Here’s what he had to say about what’s in store for the chain, how his background in fine dining restaurants led him to where he is today, and more on the Burger Road Show.

The Daily Meal: Why Ruby Tuesday? And what's in store for the chain?
Peter Glander: Ruby Tuesday has been an American dining establishment for over 44 years, and the opportunity to join the team on its mission to make dining choices easier for consumers resonated with me. From Ruby Tuesday’s Garden Bar and light bites to heartier entrées and crave-able desserts, our menu features only the freshest ingredients.

We really make it our highest priority to deliver delicious, quality food to our customers at affordable prices. As the brand continues to evolve, we will be rolling out a number of exciting new culinary creations and intriguing product offerings over the next several months, and we look forward to sharing them with our fans!

How has your background in upscale cuisine helped you at this current position?
My background in fine dining has given me insight into how important culinary innovation is — not just to the relatively small number of guests I was charged with developing dishes for at upscale restaurants, but also to the much larger number of guests the team and I create menu items for at Ruby Tuesday.

Today’s food culture has grown tremendously. Now, no matter where people choose to dine, they are judging the food and asking questions like, “Is this new?” “Is it innovative?” “Is it something I can’t easily buy at the store or make at home?” In turn, restaurants everywhere, from five-star establishments to casual dining chains, are having to step up their game to really delight and connect with consumers.

What was your inspiration for the burgers in the Burger Road Show promotion?
I love a great burger, and as a chef I have a passion for creating unique recipes that stand out from the crowd. When we tasked ourselves with crafting special burgers for the Burger Road Show, we took a traditional classic and built upon it, drawing inspiration from popular regional recipes from across the country. We ended up with 23 different burger options and further narrowed them down to our top six choices that featured flavor profiles we felt would appeal to our guests—and that could take them on a cross-country culinary adventure.

Here are some details of the on-going promotion:
Week one features the Empire Melt Burger: built from eight ounces of beef, the melt features melted New York Cheddar, American, and Swiss cheese and is topped with fresh lettuce, sliced tomato, pickle chips, and fresh red onion.

Week two features KC ‘Cue Burger which is inspired by the BBQ capital of the world. It comes with a pile of pulled pork and a sweet, tangy BBQ sauce, melted American cheese, and two fried onion rings.

Week three features the Big Sur turkey burger. This unique burger comes with slices of fresh red onion, tomato, avocado, cooked spaghetti squash, and finished with field greens and a splash of Italian dressing.

Week four features the Boot Scoot’n Bacon Ranch burger. This beef patty is piled high with American cheese, bacon, fries, lettuce, tomato, fresh red onion, pickle chips, and finished with ranch dressing.

Week five features Key Biscayne Beach Burger which comes to you smothered with house made guacamole, fresh cilantro, and crunchy tortilla chips.

Last but not least, week six features the Lone Star Chili Cheeseburger. This eight ounce beef patty is topped with American cheese, smothered in chili, and finished with crispy onion rings.

For more Ruby Tuesday’s information, click here.