The Fish Market Restaurants history

What was previously an old pancake house quickly became a seafood sensation, and in 1979, the group opened the second Fish Market in Santa Clara.

The first Landry's restaurant, called Landry's Seafood Inn and Oyster Bar, was opened in 1980 in Katy, Texas, by brothers Bill and Floyd Landry.

So, they brought the concept closer to home, opening a third location across from the Del Mar Fairgrounds and Race Track in Solana Beach in 1981.

Just like the Palo Alto location, the Santa Clara Fish Market became an instant favorite that led to additional openings (San Mateo in 1982).

Jessie fished the waters between Punta Gorda and Sarasota until 1985 and taught his new brother-in-law, Claus, all there was to know about the local waters.

In 1989, The Fish Market came to Downtown San Diego, bringing its now-famed seafood to the city’s waterfront dining scene.

Despite ongoing investments, Landry's managed to post a positive net income in 1990 of $419,000 from sales of about $15.5 million.

The success of the offering was not surprising, given that Landry's sales per unit ($3.2 million in 1993) and cash flow were among the highest in the restaurant industry.

By mid-1994 the company was running 18 restaurants in Texas, Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana, and was planning to expand into several other states including Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado.

In 1995 Landry's opened a fourth Joe's in Dallas that achieved similar results.

In 2000, true to her name, the original Pilikia ran aground on San Clemente Island and was lost.