A major restaurant chain announced recently that it suffered a data breach.

Houston-based Landry's Restaurants, which operates over 500 restaurant, hotel, resort and casino properties nationwide, including Rainforest Cafe, Morton's, McCormick and Schmicks, Bubba Gump Shrimp and Golden Nugget Casinos, confirmed via press release on Dec. 17 that it was a victim of a data breach.

According to the company, it was in the process of a systems upgrade to increase security when it discovered the hack.

"System changes that we began implementing even before we were apprised of the reports of unauthorized usage have already been made, both to the specific restaurants where the suspect activity occurred as well as the overwhelming majority of our restaurants. The new, enhanced payment system encrypts the card data throughout our processing system," Landry's wrote. "We want to assure our customers that protecting their payment card information is a top priority and are working non stop to complete the investigation."

News of the breach was first reported earlier that same day by data security expert Brian Krebs, who was informed by sources at several banks of fraudulent activity leading back to Landry locations. As investigations into the breach are still ongoing, the dates and extent of the breach are still unknown, but Krebs' sources said that the problems seem to have started in May of this year.

Landry's set up an informational page on its website for concerned customers. The restaurant chain is instructing customers to monitor their credit information closely and report and fraudulent charges as soon as possible.

Situations like these showcase the importance of a robust disaster recovery plans. To find help develop a plan for your business, consider seeking the advise of a disaster recovery planning consultant.