Devon Seafood Grill to close after 25 years on Rittenhouse Square - Philadelphia Business Journal

Nov 07, 2024

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Devon Seafood Grill is owned by the same company that operates waterfront favorite Chart House, which is also closing.

Devon Seafood Grill in Rittenhouse Square will close after more than 25 years in operation.

The seafood restaurant is expected to shut its doors on Jan. 1, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) filing with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Julia Liebelt, senior vice president of human resources at Landry's Inc., which owns the Devon Seafood brand, said in the WARN notice that the company has decided to shutter the restaurant "because of inability to make a concept change due to condominium regime." Devon Seafood Grill sits on the ground floor of the Parc Rittenhouse luxury condominium building.

Devon Seafood Grill has been located at 225 S. 18th St. since 1999, when the space formerly occupied by a Houlihan's restaurant was renovated and rebranded. It is perched between two other Rittenhouse Square dining mainstays: Stephen Starr's 16-year-old French bistro Parc and Rob Wasserman's 26-year-old restaurant Rouge.

The restaurant's closure will impact 76 employees, according to the Landry's WARN notice. Liebelt said in the filing that Landry's will attempt to transfer the workers to the company's "affiliated locations" in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Landry's did not immediately provide further comment Tuesday morning.

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In addition to its Philadelphia restaurant, Devon Seafood has two locations of Devon Seafood + Steak in Hershey and in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, outside of Chicago. The brand serves a wide variety of seafood dishes, including sushi and oysters, along with steaks, salads, hand-crafted cocktails, wine and beer.

Houston-headquartered Landry's is an international operator in the dining, gaming, entertainment and hospitality industries. The company took over Devon Seafood in late 2019 when it acquired HRI Holding Corp., the parent company of Devon Seafood owner Houlihan's Restaurants Inc., out of bankruptcy.

When it closes early next year, Devon Seafood Grill will be the second longstanding Philadelphia restaurant Landry's has shuttered in less than two months. Chart House, the company's high-end seafood restaurant on the Delaware River, is scheduled to close on Nov. 30 after 38 years at Penn's Landing.

Landry's COO Shah Ghani said in an emailed statement to the Business Journal last month that the company had decided to close Chart House because of "major construction in the area that has cut off visibility and access for our customers to the restaurant." The restaurant is flanked by construction projects.

Landry's is led by CEO Tilman J. Fertitta, who also owns the Houston Rockets and was recently ranked No. 99 on Forbes' 2024 list of the 400 Richest People in America. The company's dining portfolio consists of dozens of restaurant brands, several of which have locations in Greater Philadelphia, including Del Frisco's Grille and Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks.