A well-known restaurant operator has quietly been shrinking the footprint of several of its brands, with some once-expansive chains now operating far fewer locations than they did just a few years ago.The latest closure involves a high-end steakhouse in a major U.S. city, where a longtime location has shut its doors and is already expected to make way for a new restaurant concept. The move follows a series of closures involving the same chain and comes as its parent company continues to reshape an extensive portfolio of restaurant brands. Founded in 1981, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse is a fine-dining American steakhouse operating 14 locations across the U.S. The chain has been owned by Landry’s Inc. since 2019, when the company acquired Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse and Del Frisco’s Grille as part of its expansion into upscale dining.Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse continues restaurant closures in 2026 Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has closed its restaurant at 888 Boylston St. in Boston’s Back Bay after roughly eight years in the neighborhood.The location, which opened in 2018, was one of two Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse restaurants in the Boston area. The chain’s remaining Boston location is in the Seaport neighborhood, according to its website.The Boylston Street property is not expected to remain vacant for long. Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese dumpling chain, is seeking to open its first Massachusetts restaurant at the location, although the proposal still requires approval from Boston officials and an opening date has not been announced, according to Corbett Restaurant Group.Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse owner has closed other restaurantsThe Boston closure follows other Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse shutdowns in recent years, including locations in Los Angeles, California, in 2025 and Dunwoody, Georgia, in 2024.The chain’s parent company has also closed restaurants across several of its other brands. Recent Landry’s-owned restaurant closures include:Morton’s The Steakhouse: Closed a West Palm Beach, Florida, restaurant in May 2026 and a Baltimore Inner Harbor location in January 2026, The Palm Beach Post and CBS News reported.Joe’s Crab Shack: Now operates 14 restaurants, down from its peak of 140 locations in 2014, News10 ABC noted.Landry’s Seafood House: Closed its oldest restaurant in Katy, Texas, in December 2025, Chron reported.Oceanaire Seafood Room: Closed its Galleria Mall location in Houston, Texas, in December 2025 after two decades, Chron confirmed.Houlihan’s: Now lists 22 locations, down from 29 at the end of 2024, TheStreet reported. Del Frisco’s Grille: Closed its Center City Philadelphia restaurant in July 2025, according to 6abc Philadelphia.Landry’s has also replaced its restaurants with other concepts instead of completely shutting them down.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse owner closes another restaurant.Yuliya Taba / Getty Images
Why Landry’s is closing restaurantsLandry’s operates a broad collection of restaurant concepts, spanning steakhouses, seafood restaurants, casual dining, and other hospitality businesses. Its portfolio includes nearly 50 brands, enabling the company to evaluate individual restaurants and properties rather than treating every location the same.Landry’s has not publicly attributed every recent closure to one specific factor. However, the company’s continued trimming of locations comes as restaurant operators across the country face higher operating costs, changing consumer spending habits, and increased competition.Here’s some of my previous coverage of restaurant closures:Popular breakfast chain closes more restaurants17-year-old Mexican restaurant chain closes all locations57-year-old burger chain closed 28 restaurants, 100s more comingThe environment can make it more difficult for individual restaurants to justify remaining open, particularly when sales are not strong enough to offset labor, food, rent, and other operating expenses.Restaurants are also dealing with higher prices. Food away from home increased 3.4% over the 12 months ending July 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.At the same time, consumers have become more selective about dining out as restaurant prices have risen. Industry data from Circana showed restaurant traffic declined 0.3% in 2025 compared to the prior year, with a 0.5% bump in the fourth quarter. This highlights that while modest growth is expected to continue through 2026, expansion will likely remain uneven across the industry.What this means for Landry’s futureFor Landry’s, the size of its portfolio allows it to close less viable locations while continuing to operate the broader brand. It can also potentially replace a restaurant with another concept that it believes is better suited to the property and local market, an advantage many smaller restaurant companies may not have.Landry’s used this approach across parts of its portfolio. The company has steadily closed Joe’s Crab Shack, McCormick & Schmick’s, and Oceanaire Seafood Room locations, with some properties being replaced by other restaurant concepts, SeafoodSource reported.The shutdowns do not necessarily signal that Landry’s is abandoning its restaurant business. Instead, they point to the company continuing to reshape a large and diverse portfolio, retaining locations and concepts that make sense while allowing other properties to close or transition to different concepts. For Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, the Boston closure is another example of that strategy playing out at the individual-location level. The brand continues to operate elsewhere, while the former Back Bay space moves on to a new restaurant concept.Related: 17-year-old Mexican restaurant chain closes all locations