Tilman Fertitta Furloughs 40,000 Employees From Restaurant, Hotel & Casino Empire

Tilman Fertitta

In Houston, Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta, who owns the Golden Nugget casinos, several hotels and hundreds of restaurants has temporarily furloughed 40,000 employees, as stated by Bloomberg News.

Fertitta told Bloomberg he is losing millions of dollars every day because of governmental shut-down orders issued as part of the coronavirus pandemic. His restaurants that have been operating as take-out only have been taking in only 4 or 5 percent of normal sales.

Houston-based Landry’s, Inc., wholly owned by Fertitta, owns Del Frisco’s Steakhouses, Willie G’s, McCormick & Schmick’s and casual dining brands including Landry’s Seafood, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Rainforest Cafe, Mitchell’s Fish Market Restaurants, and Saltgrass Steak House, along with New York BR Guest Restaurants such as Dos Caminos and Bill’s Bar & Burger.

Landry’s gaming division includes the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino concept, with locations in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nev.; Atlantic City, N.J.; Biloxi, Miss.; and Lake Charles, La. Landry’s entertainment division includes including the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Kemah Boardwalk and Aquarium Restaurants.

Hospitality holdings include San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center on Galveston Island and the Post Oak Hotel near Loop 610 Houston.

Fertitta, who owns the Houston Rockets NBA team, is chairman of the University of Houston Board of Regents.

A native of Galveston, he attended UH’s Conrad Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management.