Del Frisco’s Grille’s location on South Broad Street plans to close
Landry's, the parent company, filed paperwork with Pennsylvania indicating that 51 workers would be affected by the impending shutdown.
Del Frisco’s Grille’s Philadelphia location, on Broad Street near Locust, plans to close July 31 at the end of its lease, according to Tim Whitlock, its chief operating officer.
Parent company Landry’s Inc. filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice indicating that 51 employees would be affected by the shutdown. The sprawling steakhouse — with about 250 seats, a balcony, and wine towers — opened in December 2018 on the ground floor of the Cambria Hotel & Suites, 225 S. Broad St.
The Grille is a notch more casual than the Landry-owned Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, whose Philadelphia location is at 15th and Chestnut Streets — and is on par with its McCormick & Schmick’s, a seafood concept on Broad Street at Penn Square. Neither location will not be affected by the closing.
In a statement to The Inquirer, Whitlock said the company was working to relocate the employees to its nearby restaurants.
Since the Grille’s opening, the Broad Street restaurant scene has grown with Steak 48, Loch Bar, and Leo nearby. The Palm, a competitor in the Bellevue, closed in 2020.
The Del Frisco’s website lists 13 Grille locations, besides Philadelphia.
In 2020, Inquirer critic Craig LaBan found the Grille to feel “boxy and corporate” and said it “has distilled the steakhouse genre down to its lowest bar-food common denominator, with the worst cheesesteak egg rolls ever (and that’s saying something) drenched in treacly chili sauce, cafeteria-grade salads, and two ruined burgers.
“Unexpectedly, the prime strip was among the best steaks I ate last year — perfectly cooked, not oversalted, and so buttery. For $44, though, I might as well be dining at the swanky original.”
That steak is now $54, according to the menu.
Landry’s CEO, Tilman Fertitta, was confirmed in April by the Senate as President Donald Trump’s choice as U.S. ambassador to Italy and San Marino. Fertitta, who also owns the Houston Rockets basketball team, had said he would divest his Landry’s holdings if confirmed. Among other Landry’s restaurant brands are Morton’s the Steakhouse, Catch, the Palm, Joe’s Crab Shack, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and the Rainforest Cafe.