Brothers Bill and Floyd Landry, along with other partners from their hometown of [[Lafayette, Louisiana]], began opening authentic Cajun restaurants in the Houston area in the 1970's. These included Willie G’s (named for their father), near [[The Galleria]], and the first Landry's Seafood on the far west side of the city.<ref name="Draper" /> By 1986, nearly all of the partners wanted to sell their shares, and they found a willing buyer in [[Tilman Fertitta]], who paid $400,000 on December 31, 1986, for a controlling interest in the company.<ref name="Draper" /> The one remaining partner, Denis Wilson, was bought out later for $850,000. He received $250,000 up front, but had to spend $120,000 in legal fees to eventually collect the remaining $600,000.<ref name="Draper" />
Brothers Bill and Floyd Landry, along with other partners from their hometown of [[Lafayette, Louisiana]], began opening authentic Cajun restaurants in the Houston area in the 1970's. These included Willie G’s (named for their father), near [[The Galleria]], and the first Landry's Seafood on the far west side of the city.<ref name="Draper" /> By 1986, nearly all of the partners wanted to sell their shares, and they found a willing buyer in [[Tilman Fertitta]], who paid $400,000 on December 31, 1986, for a controlling interest in the company.<ref name="Draper" /> The one remaining partner, Denis Wilson, was bought out later for $850,000. He received $250,000 up front, but had to spend $120,000 in legal fees to eventually collect the remaining $600,000 from Fertitta.<ref name="Draper" />
Fertitta became [[CEO]] and took the company [[Public company|public]] in 1993, with a valuation of $30 million.<ref name="forbes1">{{cite web|date=August 23, 2012|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/calebmelby/2012/08/23/the-worlds-richest-restaurateur-has-a-secret-its-not-about-the-food/|title=The World's Richest Restaurateur Has A Secret: It's Not About The Food - Forbes|work=Forbes|access-date=January 4, 2015|last= Melby|first=Caleb}}</ref>
Fertitta became [[CEO]] and quickly began standardizing the appearance and menus of his restaurants; he removed the Cajun spicing from most dishes and scrubbed away the unique interior of Willie G's.<ref name="Draper" />He took the company [[Public company|public]] in 1993, with a valuation of $30 million.<ref name="forbes1">{{cite web|date=August 23, 2012|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/calebmelby/2012/08/23/the-worlds-richest-restaurateur-has-a-secret-its-not-about-the-food/|title=The World's Richest Restaurateur Has A Secret: It's Not About The Food - Forbes|work=Forbes|access-date=January 4, 2015|last= Melby|first=Caleb}}</ref>
Under Fertitta, the company expanded. In 2010, already the majority shareholder, Fertitta acquired all outstanding shares of company stock, gaining sole control and ownership.<ref name="Chron1">{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/business/article/Fertitta-keeps-strategy-as-he-takes-Landry-s-1712775.php|title=Fertitta keeps strategy as he takes Landry's private|publisher=Houston Chronicle|date=October 6, 2010|last=Kaplan|first=David}}</ref> By 2011, the company's value had risen to more than $1.7 billion.<ref name="landrysinc.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.landrysinc.com/aboutUs/history.asp|title=Landry's History|website=Landry's Inc}}</ref>
Under Fertitta, the company expanded. In 2010, already the majority shareholder, Fertitta acquired all outstanding shares of company stock, gaining sole control and ownership.<ref name="Chron1">{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/business/article/Fertitta-keeps-strategy-as-he-takes-Landry-s-1712775.php|title=Fertitta keeps strategy as he takes Landry's private|publisher=Houston Chronicle|date=October 6, 2010|last=Kaplan|first=David}}</ref> By 2011, the company's value had risen to more than $1.7 billion.<ref name="landrysinc.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.landrysinc.com/aboutUs/history.asp|title=Landry's History|website=Landry's Inc}}</ref>
Landry's, Inc., is an American, privately owned, multi-brand dining, hospitality, entertainment and gaming corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Landry's, Inc. owns and operates more than 600 restaurants, hotels, casinos and entertainment destinations in 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The company also owns and operates numerous international locations. The company is owned entirely by President & CEO Tilman Fertitta.
The first Landry's Seafood restaurant opened in Texas in 1980. While many patrons assumed it was named for Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry, it was not;[1] Bill and Floyd Landry were the original owners. They had started opening restaurants in the Houston area in the 1970's.[2]
History
Brothers Bill and Floyd Landry, along with other partners from their hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, began opening authentic Cajun restaurants in the Houston area in the 1970's. These included Willie G’s (named for their father), near The Galleria, and the first Landry's Seafood on the far west side of the city.[2] By 1986, nearly all of the partners wanted to sell their shares, and they found a willing buyer in Tilman Fertitta, who paid $400,000 on December 31, 1986, for a controlling interest in the company.[2] The one remaining partner, Denis Wilson, was bought out later for $850,000. He received $250,000 up front, but had to spend $120,000 in legal fees to eventually collect the remaining $600,000 from Fertitta.[2]
Fertitta became CEO and quickly began standardizing the appearance and menus of his restaurants; he removed the Cajun spicing from most dishes and scrubbed away the unique interior of Willie G's.[2] He took the company public in 1993, with a valuation of $30 million.[3]
Under Fertitta, the company expanded. In 2010, already the majority shareholder, Fertitta acquired all outstanding shares of company stock, gaining sole control and ownership.[4] By 2011, the company's value had risen to more than $1.7 billion.[5]
Acquisitions and growth
1990s
Throughout the 1990s, Landry's, Inc., expanded, developing and acquiring restaurant, entertainment, hospitality, and gaming businesses. In 1994, Landry's, Inc., acquired Joe's Crab Shack.[6] In 2006, Landry's, Inc. sold Joe's Crab Shack, which had grown to more than 120 locations, to J.H. Whitney & Company.[7] During the decade, the company acquired a number of other restaurants, including The Crab House and Cadillac Bar.[8]
Landry's, Inc., expanded its hospitality and entertainment divisions in 1996, acquiring the San Luis Resort, a 32-acre beachfront resort on Galveston Island's historic Seawall Boulevard and built on top of the former Fort Crockett.[9] In 2004, Landry's, Inc. partnered with the City of Galveston to open a 140,000 square foot convention center, the Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Resort. In 2003, the company acquired the adjacent Holiday Inn Resort Galveston – On the Beach. In 2004, the adjacent Hilton Galveston Island Resort was acquired. In total, the San Luis Resort includes 700 guest rooms, 10 restaurants, and 200,000 square feet of event space.[10]
The company's hospitality division also includes The Westin Houston Downtown in Downtown Houston[11] and the Boardwalk Inn on the Kemah Boardwalk.[12] In 1998, the company developed the 35-acre Kemah Boardwalk, with a hotel, a marina, more than 10 restaurants, and dozens of midway games, amusement rides, and attractions.[5]
2000s
After 2000, Landry's, Inc., continued to grow. In 2000, the company acquired Rainforest Cafe, a collection of jungle-inspired restaurants and retail villages.[13] In 2002, the company acquired three national seafood restaurants: Saltgrass Steak House,[14] Chart House,[15] and Muer Restaurants,.[16]
In 2003, the company opened the Downtown Aquarium, a 20-acre entertainment complex in Houston with an aquarium, a restaurant built around a 150,000-gallon, floor-to-ceiling centerpiece aquarium, a bar, banquet facilities, amusement rides, and midway games. A train carries guests into a tunnel running through a 250,000-gallon shark tank. Other Aquarium restaurants have since opened in Denver, Nashville, and on the Kemah Boardwalk in Texas.[17]
In 2010, Landry's, Inc., acquired three new restaurants: Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, a collection of seafood restaurants themed on the movie Forrest Gump,[22][23] The company also acquired Claim Jumper, a national chain of family restaurants.[24] The Oceanaire, a national collection of seafood restaurants,[25] is known for flying in fresh fish daily.[citation needed]
In 2013, Landry's acquired Mastro's restaurants.[29] The company has developed and acquired a collection of restaurants called Landry's Signature Group, which include Vic & Anthony's, Grotto, Brenner's Steakhouse, Brenner's on the Bayou, La Griglia, and Willie G's Seafood & Steaks.[30] In 2016, Landry's acquired the BR Guest restaurant brand.[31]
In August 2017, Landry's re-acquired Joe's Crab Shack restaurants from Ignite Restaurant Group, who had filed for bankruptcy protection on June 6, 2017.[32][33][34] Landry's had sold Joe's to Ignite's predecessor in 2006.[35] The Ignite group's Brick House Tavern and Tap restaurants were also included in the deal.
In September 2019, Landry's bought Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited Inc,[36] adding Skates on the Bay, Portland City Grill, Manzana Grill, Palisade, Cutters Crabhouse, Stanford's, Henry's Tavern, Kincaid's, Palomino Restaurant & Bar, and Portland Seafood Company to its portfolio.
Kemah Boardwalk: The company owns a boardwalk in Kemah, Texas. The Kemah Boardwalk a 60-acre Texas Gulf Coast theme park in Kemah, Texas,[45] approximately 30 miles southeast of Downtown Houston, Texas. The Boardwalk is built entirely along the shores of Galveston Bay and Clear Lake,[46] and is considered among the premier boardwalks in the United States.[47] The complex is owned and operated by Landry's, Inc., and is home to more than 10 restaurants; a collection of rides; midway games; attractions; a boutique hotel; a charter yacht; a 400-slip marina; and multiple shops.[48] There is no charge to walk around on the boardwalk. Tickets for rides can be purchased individually or all-day ride passes are available. Restaurants on the boardwalk include Landry's Seafood; Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.; Saltgrass Steak House; and Cadillac Bar.[49]
Since the 1990s, Landry's has expanded to real estate holdings beyond dining and hospitality.
The Post Oak: Fertitta broke grounds on a mixed-use skyscraper in Houston that will go alongside the company's headquarters. The building includes hotel rooms, residential rooms, and office buildings.
Post Oak Motor Cars: The company owns and operates Post Oak Motor Cars, Ltd., the largest factory-authorized Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Bentley Motors dealership on the Gulf Coast.[55]
Landry's Crawford Boxes: Landry's, Inc., owns the naming rights to the left field bleachers at Minute Maid Park, the home of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. The Landry's Crawford Boxes are so named because they run parallel to Downtown Houston's Crawford Street. Any fan catching a home run receives a gift card to Landry's, Inc., restaurants.[56]
Landry's, Inc. owns aquariums in Houston, Denver, Nashville, and Kemah, Texas. All aquariums contain restaurants branded in Landry's Aquarium subsidiary.
Downtown Aquarium, Houston: a public aquarium and restaurant located in Houston, Texas, United States that was developed from two Houston landmarks: Fire Station No. 1 and the Central Waterworks Building. The aquarium is located on a 6-acre (2.4 ha) site at 410 Bagby St. in downtown Houston. It houses over 200 species of aquatic animals in 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L) of aquariums. The complex includes two restaurants, a bar, and banquet facilities. The Downtown Aquarium in Houston is owned and operated by Landry's, Inc. and accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Nashville: Landry's operates a 200,000 gallon Aquarium in Nashville that contains a variety of fish, sharks, and stingrays. The aquarium operated the Aquarium branded restaurants.[61]
Kemah, Texas: Inside the Kemah Boardwalk (also owned by Landry's, Inc.), the company operates an aquarium and restaurant.
Cruise
Boardwalk FantaSea: A Houston area cruise line offering public and private cruise lines that travel through the Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
$3 billion (2021)
