The Union Oyster House sale to Houston’s Fertitta family is final. The deal for the 200-year-old restaurant at 41 Union St., near Faneuil Hall, closed on Oct. 1, ending more than five decades of ownership by North End native Joe Milano, the Boston Globe reported on Oct. 13. Terms were not disclosed.
The Union Oyster House Deal at a Glance
- Buyer: the Fertitta family of Houston, owners of the hospitality company Landry’s and of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
- Seller: Joe Milano, who had owned the restaurant since 1970.
- Price: not disclosed.
- Key dates: the license transfer surfaced in late August 2026; the sale was finalized Oct. 1, 2026. Milano will stay on as a consultant through the end of 2026.
- License: Union Oyster House, Inc. asked Boston’s Licensing Board to transfer its license to UOH Manager, LLC, a Texas company whose registered agent is a Landry’s executive, according to NBC Boston.
- Impact: the restaurant keeps its name. The family said it planned no changes to staff or operations, though a new general manager has taken over.
America’s Oldest Restaurant Changes Hands
Union Oyster House opened in 1826 and is widely described as the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States. It is a stop on the Freedom Trail, and its raw bar and chowder draw tourists and locals alike. It earns a spot in our guide to the best clam chowder in Boston, and we profiled the restaurant earlier this year.
The building itself is older than the restaurant. It dates to the 1700s, and the Blackstone Block around it is one of the oldest parts of the city.
Axios Boston reported that the Fertittas will be the restaurant’s fifth owners since 1826. Milano, who grew up in the North End, bought it in 1970 and ran it for 56 years.
Who the Fertittas Are
The family, led by billionaire Tilman Fertitta, runs Landry’s, a Houston restaurant and hospitality company. Its brands include Morton’s The Steakhouse, McCormick & Schmick’s, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Chart House, according to Axios. In Boston, the Globe says the family’s holdings already include Oceanaire, Morton’s, Chart House on Long Wharf, The Palm and Mastro’s Ocean Club. Union Oyster House is the group’s second historic local restaurant after the Chart House, which sits in an 18th-century building on Long Wharf.
The family also owns the Houston Rockets and the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, NBC Boston reported. A family spokesperson confirmed the purchase to the Globe in August.
What Changes and What Doesn’t
The family has said it does not plan major changes. The one confirmed shift is at the top of the dining room. Brian Kirk, formerly of the Chart House, has taken over as general manager from Jim Malinn, who is stepping down after 45 years, the Globe reported. The license transfer filing listed Kathleen Street as the license manager, according to NBC Boston.
The license transfer went through Boston’s Licensing Board, which handles changes in ownership for restaurants that serve alcohol. That process is covered in our guide to opening a restaurant in Boston.
Boston’s Legacy Restaurants Under Pressure
For more Boston dining news, see our profile of the reopened Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square.
The deal closes a year in which several Boston restaurants struggled. Clover Food Lab closed its 12 Boston-area locations in May, cutting about 170 jobs after it could not find a buyer, the Globe reported. Nine, the successor to No. 9 Park on Beacon Hill, said this fall it would close after funding dried up. Boston liquor licenses can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in prime areas, according to the Globe, and a new report from State Auditor Diana DiZoglio found that the state’s license system leaves Massachusetts with about 500 fewer full-service restaurants and 9,500 fewer jobs than its neighbors’ rates would suggest.
For an older independent restaurant, selling to a large group can bring buying power and capital for repairs. It can also raise fears among regulars that the place will lose its character.
Our Take
This section is analysis, not news. The Fertittas are buying a name that is hard to copy: you cannot open a new 200-year-old restaurant. Their promise to leave staff and operations alone is the right first step, and keeping Milano on through December should help. The real test comes later, in menus, prices and the dining-room feel. Regulars will notice quickly if a landmark starts to feel like a chain.
Reactions
The family told the Globe in August that no changes to staff or operations were planned. Milano has not commented publicly on the price. He told the Globe he would remain as a consultant until year-end.
Sources
- Boston Globe Power Play: sale of Union Oyster House finalized Oct. 1 (Oct. 13, 2026)
- Boston Globe: Union Oyster House sale: What to know about the Fertitta family
- NBC Boston: Union Oyster House being sold to Houston Rockets owners
- Axios Boston: Texas chain behind Morton’s, Bubba Gump looks to buy Oyster House
- Boston Globe: Clover restaurants to close down after more than 17 years
Photo: “Union-oyster-house-2” by Schneidz, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped from the original.