First Steps

Landry’s successes have multiplied rapidly since Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Tilman J. Fertitta bought his first two restaurants. Fertitta is a prominent Houston entrepreneur who grew up peeling shrimp and waiting tables at his father’s surfside eatery in Galveston, Texas.

He was a partner in the first Landry’s Seafood House Restaurant, which opened in 1980 in Katy, Texas, and the slightly more upscale Willie G’s Seafood & Steak House that opened a year later in nearby Houston. He acquired controlling interest of both restaurants in 1986.

Across the country, banks were failing and businesses were struggling to pay their creditors. But Fertitta envisioned a national chain of Gulf Coast-style seafood restaurants that welcomed patrons with a casual, authentic and entertaining atmosphere. He created an expansion plan and stuck with it in spite of adversity.

Building the Company

Landry’s first expanded to Galveston, where its signature marquee, energetic atmosphere and great food and service made it an instant success. Soon, the chain was operating across Texas in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Austin and Dallas. With great reviews and lines of customers, the Company grew from two to 11 restaurants in five years.

Fertitta took the Company public on August 19, 1993. Fueled with investment capital, Landry’s acquired a single Joe’s Crab Shack in 1994, expanded the menu, tweaked the atmosphere and soon launched its second concept.

In 1996, Landry’s added the publicly traded The Crab House Restaurants, founded in Miami in 1976, to its holdings. With its traditional East Coast flair, The Crab House was a perfect complement to Landry’s other seafood restaurants.

Entertaining Even Bigger Ideas

The Company added turf to its surf in 1998 when it acquired Cadillac Bar, a favorite Mexican restaurant and grill in Houston for more than 20 years. The same year, the Company completed the development of its first major specialty project, the 35-acre Kemah Boardwalk. Located about 20 miles from Houston on the edge of Galveston Bay, the Boardwalk entertains about 4 million visitors a year. Its attractions include seven themed restaurants, retail shops, a first class hotel, a water garden, a 400-slip marina, a train, amusement rides and midway games. Among the eateries is Landry’s first Aquarium Restaurant, featuring a 50,000 gallon tank of tropical fish.

Landry’s leapt further into the specialty realm in late 2000, when it acquired the world’s premier themed restaurant concept, the publicly traded Rainforest Cafe. The only full service restaurant concept operated in all Walt Disney theme parks worldwide, Rainforest Cafe offers customers a stimulating “Wild Place to Shop and Eat.”

Making a Splash

In 2003, the Company opened the Downtown Aquarium – a 20-acre entertainment complex in Houston with a public aquarium, two restaurants, a bar, banquet facilities, amusement rides and midway games. The attractions include a 100,000 gallon, floor-to-ceiling centerpiece aquarium; the tallest cylindrical tank in North America; and a 200,000 gallon shark tank. An Aquarium Restaurant has also been developed in Nashville.

More Aquarium excitement also landed in Denver, where Landry’s redeveloped the 12-acre Ocean Journey complex into Downtown Aquarium Denver. This world-class attraction houses more than 500 species of aquatic life in a three story, one-million-gallon facility.

A Growing Recipe for Success

Growth accelerated in 2002, when Landry’s acquired Muer Seafood Restaurants, Chart House restaurants, and Saltgrass Steak House. Muer Seafood Restaurants – located in unique, high profile and landmark locations across the nation – include Charley’s Crab, Big Fish, Gandy Dancer, Grand Concourse and other fine establishments. The upscale Chart House restaurants are predominantly on the East and West coasts, in beautifully scenic locales. Saltgrass Steak House eateries throughout Texas recapture the flavor of the open campfire with char-grilled steaks, chicken and seafood. Also acquired with Saltgrass was Babin’s Seafood House, which added New Orleans flair to Landry’s varied seafood restaurant concepts.

Steaks and More

Landry’s owns a number of exceptional individual restaurants – including Houston’s most superb steak houses, Vic & Anthony’s and Brenner’s Steakhouse, and the fine seafood restaurant Pesce. The Company also owns and operates Simms Landing, The Flying Dutchman, The Rusty Duck, Meriwether’s, River Crab Blue Water Inn, Fisherman’s Wharf, Fish Tales, Phoenix Bakery, The Coffee House, Captain Crabs Take-Away and the Pizza Oven.

Entering a Golden Era

Landry’s hit the jackpot in 2005 with the acquisition of the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casinos in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada. The Golden Nugget Las Vegas has been the proud recipient of the AAA Four Diamond Award for 29 consecutive years and now features newly remodeled first class amenities such as a luxurious lobby and grand valet entrance, VIP Lounge, High-Limit Slot Salon, two story Spa Tower Suites and tranquil Spa and Salon. The new Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse offers world-class upscale dining, and Lillie’s Noodle House features a fusion of Cantonese and Szechwan cuisines. At Golden Nugget Laughlin, which is uniquely located right on the banks of the Colorado River, Landry’s added three restaurants – Saltgrass Steak House, Joe’s Crab Shack and Harlow’s, and upgraded the breathtaking river-view rooms. 

Taking Entertainment to New Heights

The newly remodeled Tower of the Americas, which Landry’s reopened in summer 2006, offers the best views of San Antonio from 750 feet high. The Eyes Over Texas, an upscale restaurant, seats 250 people and features magnificent views of the city, and a Texas-themed 4-D, multi-sensory theater takes visitors on a high-flying trip across the Lone Star State. The view, combined with top-notch catering, creates an event space like no other in San Antonio.

A Prehistoric Family Adventure

Another new venture for Landry’s is T-REX Cafe, which opened at the Legends at Village West in Kansas City, Kansas, in summer 2006. T-REX is an interactive attraction that features full-service dining and a retail store, including the opportunity to make a prehistoric friend through Build-A-Dino by Build A Bear Workshop. Designed with elements of water, fire and ice, this experience comes to life with bubbling geysers, animatronic dinosaurs, a real fossil dig site, paleontology lab activities, and an enthralling ice cave. Upon entering, visitors are transported into a prehistoric world filled with endless opportunities to educate and be entertained.  Simply put, at T-REX, guests can Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover.

Rooms with a View

Galveston. Landry’s is a major player in the Texas hospitality industry. The Company’s master-planned redevelopment of Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard – which includes the new Galveston Island Convention Center – will take tourism to a new level in the island city. The Company manages the Four Diamond San Luis Resort, Spa and Conference Center (owned by Fertitta Hospitality, LLC since 1996) and the adjacent Hilton Resort (originally developed by Fertitta in 1984). Landry’s acquired the Holiday Inn on the Beach in 2003.

Houston. One of Landry’s shining stars is The Inn at the Ballpark, a nostalgic-themed 12-story hotel located across the street from Houston’s Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball Club. The hotel features more than 200 spacious guest rooms and 5,000 square feet of meeting space.

Kemah. The Boardwalk Inn, a beautiful 52-room boutique hotel developed and opened by Landry’s in 1998, makes the Company’s Kemah Boardwalk a multi-day experience.

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