Hang In There Friends!
Like many others in our industry, we were recently forced to make the difficult decision to temporarily furlough more than 600 of my employees. My extended family. Those who know me know how I feel about each and every one of them and how crushing this decision was. This has been the saddest period of my career.
I’ve dealt with challenges my entire life. At 15 years old, I ran away from a turbulent childhood and raised myself. Through perseverance and the life-changing mentorship of a football coach, I overcame the unenviable hand I was dealt. I’ve had multiple near-death experiences. After one accident in 1987, I was given only a 5% chance of recovering. In 1977, I miraculously escaped the tragic Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. I’ve had businesses succeed and businesses fail. Through it all, I had Faith. I had Confidence. And I had hope.
Similarly, we will all get through these unprecedented times. As this crisis has progressed, I’ve been inspired by acts of heroism and kindness; by stories of neighbors helping neighbors and the unbelievable courage of our healthcare professionals and first responders. It gives me hope for us all and I look forward to the brighter days ahead.
I’m proud of my 3 children who are deeply involved in the family business. Last week, my daughter Britney, who is President of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, was asked to appear on both CNN’s OutFront with Erin Burnett and NBC’s The TODAY Show. On each program, she detailed the devastating effects this pandemic has had on restaurants and described the way she and other industry leaders are working at the highest levels to ensure we all have appropriate access and relief through the recent CARES Act.
Most notably, Britney explained how we are currently paying 100% of each of our employees’ healthcare premiums, even those who have been furloughed temporarily. I’m so pleased we are able to do this. Again, my team is my extended family and we take care of each other. You are helping in this respect. Each gift card you have kindly purchased goes to help us maintain this extraordinary benefit for our staff. Words can’t express how appreciative we are that you have supported us this way.
We’ve had so many kind friends reach out and ask how to help us. Direct gift card purchases are the best way to assist us and our team at this time. These funds ensure that we will be able to continue paying the insurance benefits to our employees. They also will help us reopen as soon as possible and get back to Celebrating Life with our guests and our families. Your families and your friends.
I’ve built a life around bringing people together. That is one of the most difficult things for me personally about this crisis: it has forced us to stay apart for an extended period of time. To fix this crisis, we need to do just that. But, what I can say without any hesitation, is that each and every one of you is in our minds and in our hearts. You give us so much hope and we know we will get through this together. Thank you so much for all you have done. We can’t wait to see you again very soon. For now, stay healthy and stay home.
With warmest regards,
Jeff Ruby
To purchase gift cards, please click here: https://jeffruby.securetree.com
To view Britney Ruby Miller’s appearance on CNN, please click here: https://vimeo.com/403909094