Remembering Ruby

Have you ever noticed the red ruby on the staff nametags? If so, you have probably wondered why it is there.  Or wondered why the dining room is named Ruby’s Dining Room. We have a very good answer to those questions. Every name tag at Ruttger’s has a ruby on it in memory of Ruby Treloar, a former Ruttger’s employee. The dining room is also named in her honor, as she was a longtime hostess in the dining room.

Ruby truly was the “hostess with the mostest”. She began working at Ruttger’s in 1941, and quickly became a favorite of everyone at Ruttger’s, including guests. Ruby was able to memorize orders and never had to write them down. Even when tables would try to trick her by switching chairs, Ruby still placed the right order in front of the right person. She was also excellent at remembering guests by their name, knowing their birthdays, and even knowing their special orders. Every year she would send around 250 Christmas cards to guests and stay in touch with ones that could no longer make it to Ruttger’s.

Ruby’s outstanding service did not go by unrecognized. Throughout the years, she received several awards including “Employee of the Year” in Minnesota, the WCCO Good Neighbor Award, the National Outstanding Hospitality Employee of the Year, and the Hospy Award. She was also invited to the White House Tourism Conference in 1995 where she met President Clinton.

While Ruby no longer works at Ruttger’s, her memory remains. Not only by the rubies you will see on nametags, but also by visiting Ruby’s Dining Room, named after the well-known hostess.

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