One of the richest restaurateurs of America, Tilman Joseph Fertitta is the founder and chairman of the Landry’s Restaurants. He also occupies an important position in the board of members of the University of Houston System.
His roots come from Galveston, Texas, where he was born and raised. His family had moved from Sicily to Texas. On the educational front, Fertitta went to the Texas Tech University. Further completing his graduation, he moved to University of Houston where he studied business administration and hospitality management.
Fertitta displayed his entrepreneurship skills on the first streak. His first venture was building homes and along with it selling Shaklee vitamins side by side. In the year 1986, he switched towards full time food service, by this time he was working as real estate specialist for Landry’s. Feritta was not a great believer in the Landry’s capability but was satisfied with their food. In 1988, he became the owner of the chain. After facing a few troubles, he started adding a dozen restaurant chains and individual entities.
After achieving success with restaurants, Fertitta moved towards casinos. His earliest and biggest venture was the Trump Marina in Atlantic City, which was renamed and redesigned as Golden Nugget Atlantic City. Fertitta now handles more than 56 brands across 421 locations across the globe. Other than the restaurant business, he has invested in Houston Texans NFL franchise. He also holds Houston’s Bentley, Rolls Royce dealership, Post Oak Motor Cars, Ltd.
Tilman Fertitta Family
Fertitta Parents- Vic Fertitta
Fertitta’s father was based in Galveston Island, where he owned a seafood restaurant. His instincts with food started from childhood, after school he worked at his father’s restaurant and helped him to peel shrimps. Not much information is available about his mother on the internet.
Fertitta Siblings – Victor Fertitta and Todd Fertitta
Victor Fertitta and Todd Fertitta are the two brothers of business tycoon. Both of them accompany Tilman in handling the works of Landry’s.
Tilman Fertitta Spouse – Paige Fertitta
Paige Fertitta is the wife of the business magnet. A love story where Tilman had to ask Paige three times to convince her to tie a knot. The couple currently lives in River Oaks area of Houston. The couple have four children from their marriage. On the Philanthropic end, Paige is active with First Baptist Academy and Fay School. She hosts a benefit for the Children’s Cancer Center at M.D. Anderson.
Children of Tilman Fertitta and Paige Fertitta
The couple has four children from the alliance named Michael, Patrick, Blayne, and Blake.
Tilman Fertitta Family Net Worth
Fertitta has a net worth of $2.6 Billion. He is ranked at 261st position on the Forbes ranking in 2014.
A true believer in philanthropy, Fertitta hosts a number of fund raising events and galas at the home. He also serves as the chairman of the Houston Children’s Charity. Fertitta was also appointed to the Board of Regents for the University of Houston System in 2009. He is a board member for the following Houston-based organizations: Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Greater Houston Partnership and Texas Heart Institute.