THE NEW OWNER OF KEENS STEAKHOUSE IS A TRUMP AMBASSADOR PICK

As New Yorkers hold their breath in hopes that a transfer of power at Keens Steakhouse, won’t mean big, corporate changes, its new owner is also gearing up other new roles in tandem with a takeover of the Midtown institution. In November, Eater reported that billionaire Tillman Fertitta had purchased Keens, the restaurant since 1885, for $30 million. Shortly thereafter, President Trump announced that Fertitta would be his pick for ambassador for the U.S. to Italy.

“Tilman is an accomplished businessman, who has founded and built one of our country’s premier entertainment and real estate companies, employing approximately 50,000 Americans,” Trump said of naming Fertitta his ambassador to Italy. Trump even went as far as to call Fertitta, who has also been the host of a television show Billion Dollar Buyer, his “twin.”

As our colleague Chris Crowley at Grub Street asked last fall: “is this the end of Keens as we know it?”

Will it remain business as usual, or is Keens about to add a bunch of TikTok bait to its menu in the run-up to a Dallas expansion?” Crowley wrote.

Though Fertitta’s name may carry more weight in Texas, where he is the controversial owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team, he’s also known for being the CEO of Landry’s, a national hospitality group that has overseen chains like Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp, and the Palm: pretty corporate restaurants not so much known for good food. (His ownership of Keens, is separate, however, from the Landry’s Group.)

Yet Fertitta has been throwing his name behind a lot of New York endeavors as of late. In addition to being the new Keens owner, as a partner in Catch Hospitality, Fertitta is an owner in the Corner Store, a spot for celebrity gawking. And that means, as Eater reported last week, that Fertitta would also be a partner in a new spot in the old Frog Club/Chumley’s space.

“We looked for a buyer that agreed to allow our team to continue to operate and manage Keens in the same tradition it has been for the past 140 years,” said longtime Keens manager Bonnie Jenkins in a statement to Eater last fall.

“Tilman appreciates our old-world charm and unique museum like dining experience, and I am grateful that we will continue to serve our community and visitors from all over the world while preserving our iconic restaurant for years to come.”

2025-02-03T21:59:24Z