Houston Billionaire Tilman Fertitta Will Give Up His Restaurants to Work With Trump
The man behind restaurants like La Griglia and Morton’s the Steakhouse will resign from his companies if he is confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Italy
Tilman Fertitta, the Houston billionaire behind dozens of restaurants around the country, plans to resign from his food empire for a spot in President Donald Trump’s Administration.
Trump nominated Fertitta in December to be the U.S. ambassador to Italy and San Marino, and Fertitta now awaits confirmation, which prompted Eater DC to speculate whether the billionaire recently parked his “superyacht” in Washington D.C. while preparing for his hearings. (The dates for his hearings have not yet been made public.) In the meantime, Fertitta has put together a plan: He submitted an ethics agreement letter on the U.S. Office of Government Ethics website on March 20, 2025, explaining that he will divest from his various holdings if his ambassadorship is approved.
In the plan, which includes a 13-page appendix of just companies Fertitta owns, Fertitta states that if confirmed, he will resign from the many restaurants and limited liability corporations, or LLCs, that he owns. That includes the chain restaurants Landry’s, Morton’s the Steakhouse, Catch, Del Frisco’s, the Palm, Joe’s Crab Shack, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and the Rainforest Cafe. Fertitta notes that he will forfeit a promised severance package from his company Fertitta Entertainment, but will receive a lump sum payment of deferred compensation after his resignation. Fertitta will continue to maintain a passive interest in the companies but “will not provide services material to the production of income,” he writes.
His wife Paige, who is employed by that company, will continue to receive a salary, and he will retain a contract with Fertitta Entertainment that allows him, as the controlling shareholder of the company, “[a]ccess to, and use of, Fertitta Entertainment goods, services, and properties.” Fertitta will also resign from several other groups, including the Rainforest Cafe Friends of the Future Foundation, the Texas Heart Institute, and the University of Houston System, the foundation started by himself and his wife. He will remain in unpaid positions with the Houston Children’s Charity and Houston Police Foundation.
Despite the long list of companies that Fertitta will divest or resign from, it appears he’ll remain an owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets. According to Fertitta’s letter, the Office of Government Ethics has determined it is not a conflict of interest, so he is not required to divest. The Galveston native is widely known for his restaurants, particularly those that have been a part of the Houston area for decades, but his venture into politics has resulted in some controversy and left some diners divided. In November, Fertitta’s name appeared on a Houston subreddit list of MAGA-owned spots to avoid.
Fertitta’s move into politics and away from the restaurant scene also comes after a foray into New York City, where he opened the Corner Store with the hospitality group behind Catch in September and purchased the iconic Keen’s Steakhouse in November for $30 million (he has also reportedly scoped Zero Bond and Sartiano’s for a sale).
