“This is a family acquisition. Tilman is not involved,” Katelyn Roche Gosslee, a family representative, told the Globe on Wednesday.
In a statement, Milano called the Fertitta family “a highly respected family that shares our deep commitment to preserving the restaurant’s rich heritage, cherished traditions, and historic significance.”
The incoming management group is registered to the same Texas address as Landry’s, the Houston-based hospitality company that Tilman Fertitta owns. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Here’s what you should know about the new owners.
The Fertittas are one of America’s biggest restaurant families (and already own places in Boston)
Tilman Fertitta built Landry’s, originally a handful of Houston-area seafood restaurants he acquired from two brothers, into a sprawling hospitality company with more than 600 properties, more than 60 restaurant concepts, and operations across more than 15 countries, according to the company. Their portfolio includes many restaurants that already exist in Boston, including Morton’s, Chart House, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, and Palm. In 2012, Forbes dubbed Tilman Fertitta “the world’s richest restaurateur” at a net worth of more than $10.8 billion.
Who is Patrick Fertitta, Tilman Fertitta’s son?
Patrick Fertitta, who is in his early 30s, is the director of Fertitta Entertainment, the holding company behind the family’s sprawling hospitality interests. In December, the Houston Chronicle reported he is a key decision-maker at the Rockets and oversees operations at the companies many properties, including Landry’s and the casinos, while his father serves as the US ambassador to Italy and San Marino.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed Patrick Fertitta to the University of Houston System Board of Regents, which his father chaired until last year. He also serves as an alternate governor on the NBA board of governors, and was recognized in 2024 on The Athletic’s “NBA 40 Under 40” list as one of the league’s top emerging leaders.
It’s unclear whether the billionaire’s son has any ties to Union Oyster House or Boston. He earned his bachelor of business administration from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. He lives in Houston.
Landry’s historic strategy in acquisitions: Buy cheap, reorganize management
Tilman Fertitta is considered to have an eye for gobbling up poorly managed, out-of-date and distressed restaurants, hotels, and casinos that he can acquire cheaply. It’s unclear what the total sale price was for Union Oyster House.
In past transactions of chains, the Fertittas have been known to clean house by firing top executives, closing failing locations, revamping existing ones, and moving the company’s top management teams to Landry’s headquarters.
“When we buy somebody, we cut the head off,” Tilman Fertitta told Forbes in 2012.
Milano, Union Oyster House’s longtime owner, said in a statement that the Fertittas “have made it clear that their intention is to honor and protect what makes this restaurant so special.”
“They have assured me that they will not be making changes to our operations or traditions,” said Milano, who has served as the Honorary Consul General to Thailand in Boston since 2002. “Most importantly, they have expressed a strong commitment to retaining our current team and keeping everyone in place.”
Fertitta’s spokeswoman said after the transaction closes, the Fertitta family will not make changes to staff or operations.
Elizabeth Pisano, an attorney representing the family, said during a city licensing board hearing on Wednesday that Kathleen Street will serve as the restaurant’s manager. She has worked for Union Oyster House for 30 years, said Pisano.
The Fertittas are on a buying spree
The family was already running a major hospitality empire, but it’s been getting a whole lot bigger. In May, Fertitta Entertainment, a conglomerate that holds companies and investments such as Landry’s Inc., the Houston Rockets, and the Golden Nuggets Hotel and Casino brand, agreed to acquire Caesars Entertainment for about $17.6 billion. In the deal’s announcement, they also assumed approximately $11.9 billion of Caesars’ outstanding debt.
Also in May, Tilman Fertitta paid $300 million to the Mohegan Sun tribe for the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. The Sun are now wrapping up their final season in Uncasville before the franchise relocates to Texas where they’ll be renamed the Houston Comets. That ruffled the feathers of some basketball fans in New England after Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Co. declined to take former Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca up on his offer to buy the cash-strapped franchise for $325 million.
Tilman Fertitta is a current ambassador, and has long had business ties to Trump
Tilman Fertitta, who is of Sicilian descent, is currently the US ambassador to Italy and San Marino. In December 2024, when then president-elect Trump announced the nomination of Fertitta, he referred to the businessman as his “twin.”
The Texan and his wife, Lauren Fertitta, have donated substantially to Trump in the past. During the 2024 election cycle, Tilman Fertitta donated $1.4 million to Trump-aligned campaign committees. His wife donated $924,600 to the Trump 47 Committee. He was also among the wealthy Republican supporters who helped host a reception around Trump’s 2025 inauguration, serving as a co-host alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson, and others.
His ties to the current president also go beyond politics. Tilman Fertitta purchased the Trump Marina Hotel Casino in Atlantic City in 2011 for $38 million, about a tenth of what Trump Entertainment was offering the casino at the time. It was rebranded to the Golden Nugget.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.