Houston Rockets Rumors
How long can your companies survive this pandemic at this rate? Tilman Fertitta: Until the end of the year. I don’t think anyone can survive past the end of the year, can they?
What about employees—do you have a rough number of how many have been furloughed? Tilman Fertitta: Probably 40,000. You have to understand, this is a big company. Marriott and MGM have furloughed tens of thousands of employees. I can keep everyone employed, that’s easy. But then we would just fold up in 45 to 50 days. My employees want me to save the company. I can tell you honestly, people will work in this office for no pay. They want to save the company. Do people want a job for four months or do they want a job for four weeks?
Is this an existential crisis for your company? Tilman Fertitta: For the country! If I survive, the country survives. I can tell you this, I’ll survive this before the country does. Okay? I’ll out-survive the country. Just like I out-survived the banks in 1987, okay? The country will fold before I do. If the country is shut down come October or November, it’ll be anarchy in the streets. Do you not agree with that? TM: Expand on that—what do you mean? Tilman Fertitta: If nobody’s back to work and everything is shut down six months from now, how do you think we’ll be operating as a people? As a society?
TM: It would be like the Great Depression. Bread lines. Tilman Fertitta: I’ve already got a great depression! I’m feeding my two thousand Houston employees out of one of my closed restaurants. All free. It’s not a bread line, but it’s something I’m doing for my employees. It’s tough out there for people, so the least I can do is feed them.
Mark Berman: #Rockets guard @Ben McLemore on when NBA resumes play: “I’m prepared.I always stay ready so I won’t have to get ready.This is like an offseason for me. I’m going to continue to fix or make some little adjustments so when I get back I made progress & I can finish the season strong”
