Tilman Fertitta exclusive: How his San Luis Salute became the biggest Mardi Gras party in Texas

It’s the first Tuesday in February and Tilman Fertitta’s office is party city. One table is covered with floral arrangements and three different versions of candelabras. Swaths of sequined fabrics are draped over a chair. There’s a bar cart filled with bottles of Veuve Clicquot and carafes full of Bramble, a popular gin cocktail. Another four wine bottles sit on the dining room table, surrounded by salads, multiple versions of the same entree and an assortment of sweets.

Tilman Fertitta tastes everything, but eats nothing. He sips, but doesn’t drink. Chefs Kathy Ruiz and Mike Orozco explain dishes or make notes as he goes. As they move, plates and glasses are wheeled out of the space on auto-pilot.

If you guessed Tilman Fertitta, CEO and sole owner of Landry’s, Inc., was adding another concept to his portfolio of 600 restaurants, hotels and casinos, you’d be wrong. In 10 days he’s throwing the biggest Mardi Gras party in Texas.

This scene unfolds every year. For a few hours each week leading up to the San Luis Salute, hosted annually on Tilman Fertitta’s native Galveston Island, his boardroom becomes a gala war room. A dozen hospitality executives assemble like generals. Their mission is simple, clear and impossible: outdo the year before.

That’s going to be a challenge. The Fertittas unveiled a new, $150 million mega-yacht during the 2022 San Luis Salute; it’s tradition for VIP guests to pre-party aboard the family’s luxury ocean liner. And Maroon 5 headlined the dinner concert at the Galveston Island Convention Center. Lead singer Adam Levine and wife Behati Prinsloo had bottles of their pink tequila, Calirosa Anejo, on every table.

The pandemic canceled 2021, and Tilman Fertitta’s daughter, Blayne Fertitta, was crowned queen in 2020, the year Usher performed.

The 2023 Salute is sold out, and always is. Guests fly in from California, New York and Mexico. People send gifts to Tilman Fertitta’s longtime publicist, Dancie Ware, in hopes of moving to the top of the list “in case anything frees up.”

“That never happens,” Ware said. “Last year, after the Salute, Maroon 5 got on a plane and flew straight to New Orleans. Adam had never been to Mardi Gras, but said he couldn’t imagine anything there could top the Salute.”

Richard Flowers, COO of the Events Company, has suggested removing walls at the Galveston Island Convention Center to squeeze in more people. His client is adamant — 1,800 max.

Flowers, Ware and the rest of the hospitality army have their marching orders. “Bigger, and better,” Tilman Fertitta said.

Restoring tradition

He inherited the responsibility from fellow Galvestonian George P. Mitchell. Mardi Gras celebrations on the island declined after World War II until Mitchell helped restore the tradition. He and wife Cynthia commissioned the “Fantasy Arches for Mardi Gras” project in the late 1980s, an idea resurrected from Saengerfest in Galveston from the 1800s; the arches have since become a permanent fixture.

Today, there’s a George P. Mitchell Parade and George Mitchell Award ceremony during Mardi Gras! Galveston honoring the late businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He died at the Tremont House in 2013. Before he passed, Mitchell and Tilman Fertitta had a heart-to-heart.

“He said, ‘There has to be an individual to pick up the ball,” Tilman Fertitta recalled. 

It’s an ask he didn’t accept lightly. His hometown’s two-weekend Mardi Gras! Galveston event is essential to the island’s revenue, Mike Dean, president of Yaga’s Entertainment, Inc. and long-time producer of the annual special event, told the Chronicle in 2022. The 111th Mardi Gras! Galveston festivities reportedly drew more than 350,000 attendees and contributed to 90-percent hotel occupancy.

The inaugural Salute was held in 1997 at the San Luis Hotel. Two years later, Flowers signed on and the gala outgrew its venue. “We had to…put tables in the hallway,” he said.

So the party moved next door, into the convention center Tilman Fertitta now owns. Plus, the 32-acre San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center, too.

Many facets of Fertitta Entertainment, Inc. revolve around organizing the Salute. “We don’t schedule a basketball game at home that night,” Tilman Fertitta said of the Houston Rockets. He purchased the NBA team in 2017 for $2.2 billion. And, he foots the Salute bill. 

“I lose a lot of money on this, but this is something I like to do,” he added. “I want normal people to be able to afford it, not corporations.”

Tilman Fertitta meets with his executive hospitality team to discuss their upcoming infamous Mardi Gras party hosted on Galveston Island on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 in Houston, TX.Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

The most expensive tables hover around the $20,000 mark; a steep drop from the six-figure black-tie balls inside the Greater Houston loop. Invitations are extended to previous table-buyers. Nearly everyone makes a repeat purchase, hence the annual sell-out. 

Proceeds benefit the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Tilman Fertitta pays for the food, alcohol, decor and entertainers. The latter doesn’t come cheap.

“This year, it’s Pitbull,” he told the Chronicle exclusively. “It’s the first time we’ve ever brought a performer back.”

Family business

Two of his four children, Blayne Fertitta and Patrick Fertitta, always have strong opinions about who should perform, their father said. The three Fertittas, Flowers and San Luis regional director of special events and catering Michelle Beckwith kick around the names of 3-5 musical artists to make a decision. Booking talent typically comes down to who’s available versus who’s on tour or in the recording studio.

Roughly 10 years ago, the Salute joined forces with the Knights of Momus. Organized in 1871, they’re Galveston’s oldest Mardi Gras krewe; Tilman Fertitta is a member.

Each year, the Knights of Momus hosts a Saturday coronation ball to celebrate an annual class of duchesses, or debutantes. The following weekend, the young women and their families attend the Salute in addition to Knights of Momus Parade Day and party festivities. 

“That injected a younger set into the gala,” Tilman Fertitta explained. His children plan a late-night bash to close out the two-weekend affair; one year, they booked Alesso to DJ.

There’s a special uniform for those participating in parade day. Black shoes, black pants and a custom T-shirt Tilman Fertitta designs every year. “They’ve become a collector’s item,” he said with a wide grin.

Tilman Fertitta meets with his executive hospitality team to discuss their upcoming infamous Mardi Gras party hosted on Galveston Island on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 in Houston, TX.Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

A few protoypes are in the Fertitta Entertainment, Inc. office. Flowers wants to confirm that all elements are cohesive with this year’s theme, “Gilded Masquerade.” The stakes are high. “People have compared this to the Met gala,” said the events designer.

Flowers, Dillon Swain of the Events Company and Tilman Fertitta consider the scheme. Do the fuchsia orchids go with brown roses? Can we get some pineapple to add height to the fruit plate? Can we guarantee that all 1,800 plates of bleu cheese grits (dyed Mardi Gras purple) will be delivered hot?

“People always ask me, ‘How do y’all get all the food out hot?’ every year,” Tilman Fertitta said. 

The chefs nod. They’ll make it happen.

amber.elliott@houstonchronicle.com