Morton's The Steakhouse

Last updated
Morton's The Steakhouse
FoundedFebruary 17, 1978;46 years ago (1978-02-17) in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Founder Arnold J. Morton and Klaus Fritsch [1]
Headquarters1510 West Loop S,
Houston, Texas
,
United States
Number of locations
72 in United States, 8 overseas, 12 franchised (included before)
Key people
 Tilman J. Fertitta, President, CEO & sole owner
Gary Bullers, Regional Director of Operations
Ralph Cook, Regional Director of Operations Richard H. Liem, Treasurer and Vice President
Steven L. Scheinthal Esq., Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary [2]
Products Steaks, wine, seafood
Revenue$66.029 million (estimated) [3]
Number of employees
4154 (3 September 2017 [4] )
Parent Landry's
Website www.mortons.com

Morton's The Steakhouse is a chain of steak restaurants with locations in the United States and franchised abroad, [5] founded in Chicago in 1978. [6] It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Landry's. [7] [8]

Contents

History

Morton's was co-founded in 1978 by Arnold J. Morton and Klaus Fritsch. [9] Before they became friends and restaurant entrepreneurs, Morton and Fritsch worked together at the Playboy Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. While the club was in the process of changing its menu, Fritsch prepared a hamburger for Morton to sample. Morton said the burger was the best he'd ever tasted. Together, they opened Morton's of Chicago in Newberry Plaza in Downtown Chicago. The original location closed in November 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. [10] [11] [12] [13]

In 1987, Morton's, then with $15 million in sales and nine restaurants throughout the United States, was sold for $12.4 million to the venture capital firm Quantum Restaurant Group, Inc. in partnership with the Baltimore brokerage house Alex. Brown & Sons. Fritsch stayed on as president. [14]

In December 2011, Tilman Fertitta, President, CEO and sole owner of Landry's, Inc., announced his company had acquired all of Morton's stock, assuming complete ownership. In 2012, Landry's completed the acquisition and moved company operations to its own headquarters in Houston. [15] [16]

Special events

Some Morton's locations host ESPN’s "Lunch with a Legend" series, where guests dine and interact with current and former athletes. These have included Dwyane Wade, Bobby Hull, Derrick Rose, Dick Vermeil, Tony Stewart, Elgin Baylor and others. [17] [18] [19] Morton's also hosts "Celebrity Server" events to raise funds for local foundations and charities. Local celebrities, including Larry Fitzgerald, Jim Furyk, Jack Nicklaus and Jonathan Vilma [20] [21] act as waiters at these special events.

Support for Brett Kavanaugh

In July 2022, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh attended a dinner at Morton's location in Washington, DC, but left before his dessert course due to the presence of pro-choice protesters from the activist group "ShutDownDC" demanding his removal. [22] Kavanaugh reportedly did not see, hear, or encounter the protestors, nor was he harassed in any way. Nonetheless, Morton's was "outraged" [23] and sided with Kavanaugh in a press statement, citing what it termed a "right to congregate and eat dinner". [24]

Morton's was subsequently targeted by pro-choice activists, receiving a flood of fake reservations. Morton's Chief Operating Officer acknowledged that the company's statement was extremely unpopular, and reportedly told restaurant managers that "Currently we are experiencing a massive wave (trending at #2 on social media now) of negative response to our comments yesterday." [25]

Affiliates

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References

  1. ↑ "Experience Our Culture". Morton's The Steakhouse. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  2. ↑ "Company Overview of Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  3. ↑ "Morton's Restaurant Group Inc Revenue and Financial Data" . Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  4. ↑ "Company Overview of Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  5. ↑ "Locations". Morton's The Steakhouse. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  6. ↑ "Arnold 'Arnie' Morton". Chicago Tribune . 2005-05-29. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  7. ↑ "Landry's to beef up with Morton's purchase". Houston Chronicle . 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  8. ↑ "Landry's CEO to buy Morton's Steakhouse". San Antonio Business Journal . 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  9. ↑ "Experience Our Culture". Morton's The Steakhouse. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  10. ↑ "History of Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc" . Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  11. ↑ "Restaurateur Arnold 'Arnie' Morton Dies at 83". Fox News . 2005-05-29. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  12. ↑ "Morton's Restaurant Group Remembers Arnie Morton, Who Died in Chicago on May 28; Legendary Restaurateur was Co-Founder of Morton's Steakhouses". PRNewswire. 2005-05-31. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  13. ↑ "Morton's closes original location on State Street". Crain's Chicago Business. 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  14. ↑ Funding Universe: "Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. History" retrieved August 3, 2015
  15. ↑ "Morton's steakhouse chain to be sold". Chicago Tribune. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  16. ↑ "Morton's inches closer to being owned by Landry's Inc". Crain's Chicago Business . Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  17. ↑ "Lunch with a Legend - Ricky Williams". ESPN. 2013-10-08. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  18. ↑ "'Lunch With A Legend:' Briggs on Urlacher - Chicago Bears Blog". ESPN. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  19. ↑ "Lunch with a Legend". Morton's The Steakhouse. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  20. ↑ "Celebrity Servers". Morton's The Steakhouse. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  21. ↑ McLain, Samantha. "Jonathan Vilma to Host Third Annual Celebrity Servers Dinner at Morton's". Neworleanssaints.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  22. ↑ Plumb, Tierney (2022-07-08). "Activists Crash Brett Kavanaugh's D.C. Dinner at Morton's This Week". Eater DC. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  23. ↑ Lizza, Ryan; Daniels, Eugene. "POLITICO Playbook: Schumer ups pressure on McConnell in USICA-reconciliation dance". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  24. ↑ Folmar, Chloe (2022-07-08). "Morton's condemns abortion rights protesters for disrupting Kavanaugh's freedom to 'eat dinner'". The Hill. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  25. ↑ "Morton's has been flooded with phone calls and fake reservations after it said Brett Kavanaugh had a 'right' to 'eat dinner' without protestors gathering outside". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
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