Landry’s lands deal to feed NBA players in Orlando ‘bubble’
Starting Saturday, NBA players quarantining at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., will be able to have meals from six of Landry’s restaurants delivered to them in the so-called bubble.
The league partnered with the Houston-based restaurant chain, owned by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, after photos taken by players of the scant offerings served to them while they undergo mandatory quarantines in their hotel rooms went viral. News of the arrangement was first reported by USAToday.
The participating Landry’s restaurants include Del Frisco’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, Morton’s, The Oceanaire, Palm and Saltgrass, according to an NBA memo obtained by the Chronicle. Delivery drivers will drop off food on carts at designated areas, and catering staff, wearing full protective gear, will wipe down the bags and bring them to team meeting rooms.
“All six restaurants are in strict compliance with NBA and CDC health and safety guidelines,” the memo states.
In March, Landry’s was one of the first large hospitality companies to announce large-scale furloughs when the pandemic took hold. With an annual payroll of $1.5 billion, Fertitta told the Chronicle in an April interview, there was no choice but to slash staff. Late last month, Fertitta, who borrowed $300 million to have enough cash to get through the summer, said almost all of his furloughed employees had been brought back to work.
Twenty-two NBA teams have gone to Orlando to compete in the pandemic-shortened season. Players began arriving this week, and the season is expected to resume July 30, with the finals beginning Sept. 30.