Tilman Fertitta Steak Chain Condemns Anti-Kavanaugh Protest

Posted on: July 10, 2022, 01:00h. 

Last updated on: July 11, 2022, 05:09h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More

Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Morton’s The Steakhouse is blasting pro-abortion protestors that disrupted the dining experience of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and other guests at the chain’s Washington, DC restaurant on Wednesday night.

Morton’s is part of the sprawling Landry’s restaurant empire controlled by Tillman Fertitta’s Fertita Entertainment Inc. (FEI). The group owns more than 600 restaurants across the Bubba Gump’s, Chart House, Del Frisco’s, Mastro’s and Morton’s brands, among others.

Honorable Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh and all of our other patrons at the restaurant were unduly harassed by unruly protestors while eating dinner at our Morton’s restaurant. Politics, regardless of your side or views, should not trample the freedom at play of the right to congregate and eat dinner,” said the high-end steakhouse in a statement.

Kavanaugh was one of five justices that recently voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, sending the abortion rights issue back to the states. Chief Justice John Roberts concurred with the majority but didn’t join. Kavanaugh, appointed by President Trump in 2018, has been a lightning rod for the left since his nomination.

For Kavanaugh and his family, Morton’s flap pales in comparison to a recent assassination attempt on the justice’s life. Last month, a federal grand jury accused 26-year-old Nicholas Roske, of California, of plotting to kill the Supreme Court judge.

‘Void of Decency’

Abortion clearly is a hot-button issue and one that draws emotional responses on both sides of the political spectrum. But Morton’s is making clear that its restaurants aren’t the appropriate venues for vigorous political debate.

“There is a time and place for everything. Disturbing the dinner of all of our customers was an act of selfishness and void of decency,” added the steakhouse in the statement.

Fertitta, who also owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets, has well-known ties to President Trump and the Republican Party. However, he’s voiced support for President Biden and donated to candidates from both parties.

It appears that the Wednesday commotion at Morton’s in Washington was driven solely by protestors’ disdain for Kavanaugh and not knowledge of Fertitta’s ownership of the chain and his political affiliation.

Gaming Ties

In addition to the Landry’s restaurant group, Fertitta’s entertainment consortium features five land-based Golden Nugget casinos, including two in Southern Nevada. The company is in the process of acquiring a casino in Colorado and is building a new gaming venue in Danville, Ill.

Fertitta recently acquired 6.2 acres of real estate on the Las Vegas Strip for $270 million, stoking speculation the billionaire will finally make a long-awaited entry into the most- coveted casino area in the US.

Fertitta also sold Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) to DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG), making him one of the largest investors in the online sportsbook operator. That deal wrapped up in May.