Landry’s Restaurants Reportedly Laying Off All Employees; Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs Now Closed Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Jessica Figueroa

Updated on:

Disneyland Resort Anaheim

Landry’s Restaurants Reportedly Laying Off All Employees; Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs Now Closed Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Due to the ongoing closures related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic across the nation and at Walt Disney World Resort, new reports from Landry’s Restaurants employees, which includes Rainforest Cafe and T-REX Cafe in Disney Springs, plus the Rainforest Cafe and Yak & Yeti in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, state that all employees are being furloughed.

Disneyland Resort Anaheim

Employees are stating that due to the closures, not only will they not be paid, they have since been furloughed, or laid off temporarily with no pay. Employees received a link to unemployment agencies, but no other options for assistance.

The owner of Landry’s, Tilman Fertitta, was recently featured on CNBC earlier in the month when Coronavirus concerns drove Landry’s restaurant sales down $1 million per day. Corporations of 50 or more employees are being encouraged to pay their employees throughout all Coronavirus-related closures, but instead it seems the company has decided to fully shut down and lay off its employees instead of offering support.

Both the Rainforest Cafe and T-REX Cafe restaurants at Disney Springs are now closed, with Rainforest Cafe and Yak & Yeti Restaurant having closed with the rest of Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Sunday night. Due to the mass layoffs, it is not known whether these locations will reopen with the rest of the parks after the closure.

We’ll continue to update this piece as more information arises.

17 thoughts on “Landry’s Restaurants Reportedly Laying Off All Employees; Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs Now Closed Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)”

    • The right to get soda while on break. 50% discount (usable in all stores and restaurants). Oh, and access to the cast meal.

  1. Wow, how harsh. Shout out to Chris, my favorite Bartender at Yak and Yeti. BE safe and be strong my friend, hope to see you back in DAKP on my next visit!

  2. If this is how he treats his employees I will never step foot in any of his restaurants again I have a Landry’s card and loved the benefits went to Rainforest cafe around 4 or more times a year at Animal Kingdom our favorite place to eat there so I hope Disney will take over all his restaurants on Disney property put Tilman Fertitta in the poor house.

  3. They say their paying the Post Oak Hotel but what about the rest of the employees? They are refusing to pay to those who qualify for their vacations right now that they’re in need. Some employees haven’t even been notified of the procedure that is being taken, they’re being informed by other co workers who have been spoken to.Extremely unprofessional! I don’t work there but I know many people who do work for the company and it’s unfair what they are doing to their employees!

  4. Yikes. Shout-out to all of the service industry folks… This stinks.

    It also hits Tillman pretty hard. Houston Rockets might be up for sale soon.

  5. I hope that Disney cuts ties with Tilman Fertitta and Landry’s as quickly as he cut ties with his employees. Hopefully they will leaving him with a stained and tarnished image and forcing him to pack-up his companies belongings and vacate Disney properties at his own cost as soon as possible.

    • I’m not defending Tillman (I’m a Houston resident, so I know all about his legacy), but, to play devil’s advocate, should Tillman keep paying his employees when they aren’t working?

      And again, not trying to be combative, just playing devil’s advocate.

      • He ABSOLUTELY should, and here’s why. Every other restaurant in this country will at least allow you to drink a fountain drink while you are on the clock, even if they don’t offer you a discount on food, which most do. In order to enjoy this as a Landry’s employee, you are required to pay 20 bucks per month to be a “member” of the employee discount program. Otherwise, if you want a Coke or an order of fries to get you through your work day, you pay full price. If much smaller restaurant chains like Texas Roadhouse and Cracker Barrel, who are tiny compared to his conglomerate, can still pay their employees, give them food, turn a profit and never required their employees to PAY the company just to get a discount on food and beverage. Hell, yeah he should sacrifice for his employees for once in his life

      • He needs to pay pto and vacation like they made us belive they would he doesn have to pay pepole ho are not working but he needs to b human

    • And, keep in mind that if Tillman Fertitta left Disney entirely, it would probably mean at least a 10-20% restaurant vacancy on-property. Not ideal.

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