Note 2 - Franchise Programs
 12 Months Ended
Jun. 06, 2017
Notes to Financial Statements  
Franchise Programs [Text Block]
2.
  Franchise Programs
 
As of
June 6, 2017,
our franchise programs included arrangements with
22
domestic and international Ruby Tuesday concept franchisees. At the end of fiscal year
 
2017,
our franchisees collectively operated 
62
Ruby Tuesday restaurants. We do
not
own any equity interest in our existing franchisees.
 
We enter into development agreements with our franchisees that require them to open varying numbers of Ruby Tuesday restaurants. As of
June 6, 2017,
seven
of our
22
Ruby Tuesday concept franchisees had agreements to develop new franchised Ruby Tuesday restaurants. During fiscal years
2017,
2016,
and
2015,
our Ruby Tuesday franchisees opened
one
,
five
, and
six
restaurants, respectively, pursuant to development agreements, as follows:
 
   
Ruby Tuesday
  
Fiscal Year
  
Domestic
    
International
    
Total
  
2017
  
 
1
    
 
1
    
 
2
  
2016
    
–
      
5
      
5
  
2015
    
 
      
6
      
6
  
 
During fiscal years
 
2016
and
2015,
our then Lime Fresh franchisees opened 
one
and
two
restaurants, respectively, pursuant to development agreements. However, as discussed further in Note
3
to the Consolidated Financial Statements, during the
fourth
quarter of fiscal year
2016,
we sold the Lime Fresh brand's intellectual property and the franchise agreements associated with
eight
Lime Fresh concept restaurants for
$4.6
million.  As a result of this transaction, we had
no
remaining Lime Fresh concept franchisees as of
May 31, 2016.    
 
In conjunction with these openings, we recognized development and licensing fee income totaling
an insignificant amount in fiscal year
2017
and
$0.2
million in each of fiscal years 
2016
and
2015.
 
Deferred development and licensing fees associated with all franchisees, which are reported as a component of Other deferred liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, totaled
$0.3
million and
$0.4
million as of
June 6, 2017
and
May 31, 2016,
respectively. We will recognize these fees as income when we have substantially performed all material services and the restaurant has opened for business.