What’s Next for Brewer, Maine’s Former Ruby Tuesday Building?

Ruby Tuesday in Brewer has been sitting empty for months now. The lights are off, the doors are locked, and that familiar spot on Walton Drive is just another vacant restaurant space for the time being. But there’s actually a pretty interesting story behind what happened.

By the time Ruby Tuesday’s closure became official in November 2025, the restaurant had already been vacant for quite a while. Then, a couple of months later, the story took another turn.

In January, the landlord filed a lawsuit against the franchise operator, claiming it was owed about $2.5 million in unpaid rent and other expenses. According to the lawsuit, just under $1.7 million of that was unpaid rent, with the rest made up of other expenses.

Ruby Tuesday has had its share of struggles over the years, including its 2020 bankruptcy. Maine was once home to 10 Ruby Tuesday locations, but today, only the Waterville restaurant remains.

So, what’s next for the building at 5 Walton Drive?

There are plenty of rumors floating around town, but as of right now, there’s no new tenant lined up. The property is on the market, though, so it will be fascinating to see what will eventually takes its place.

And whoever ends up there will have a pretty sweet setup. The space is about 6,000 square feet, comes with 93 parking spaces, sits in a highly visible location right near the Brewer Walmart, and it even has eight Tesla charging stations already on site.

With all that in mind, we came up with five businesses that we think could be a great fit for the space!

What would you like to see go there? We’d love to hear your ideas, so feel free to share your thoughts with us.