Landry’s CEO Tilman Fertitta is among the biggest deal-makers in the restaurant industry.His Houston-based company operates more than 40 brands, many of which Fertitta acquired just before, during and after the recession, when prices for restaurant companies were low.
Fertitta took a break until last year, when he acquired a chain he once sold in Joe’s Crab Shack, which Landry’s took ownership of when it bought Ignite Restaurant Group out of bankruptcy. The deal was a reminder that Fertitta, the “Billion Dollar Buyer” on CNBC’s reality show of the same name, is always open to buying a concept that fits with Landry’s large roster of higher-end and tourism-focused restaurants.