Michael Morton (born 1964) is an American restaurateur. He is the co-founder of Morton Group which operates La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway inside

Wynn Las Vegas Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Wynn Resorts, and was built on the former site of the Desert Inn resort ...

, CRUSH inside MGM Grand and La Comida in Downtown Las Vegas. He is also the former owner and co-founder of

N9NE Group The Nine Group (stylized as N9NE Group) is a company that owns and operates restaurants and nightclubs at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and formerly in Chicago and Dallas. The N9NE Group was founded by Michael Morton and Scott DeGraff. ...

and the son of

Arnie Morton Arnold Morton (1922 – May 28, 2005) was a restaurateur who founded Morton's Restaurant Group/Morton's Steakhouse. Early life Arnie Morton was born in Chicago, the son of Mort and Isabel Morton. He grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the ...

, the founder of the

Morton's Morton's The Steakhouse is a chain of steak restaurants with locations in the United States and franchised abroad, founded in Chicago in 1978. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Landry's. History Morton's was co-founded in 1978 by Arnold J. Mo ...

Steakhouse.

Biography

Michael Morton is the son of Zorine and

, who founded

Steakhouse restaurants. His father was of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent. Raised in Chicago, Morton spent most of his young life in restaurants, which contributed to his co-founding th
N9NE Steakhouse
in 2000 with Scott DeGraff. Before co-founding N9NE, Morton and DeGraff were known for having opened Drink and Eat, Too in Chicago in 1992. The psychedelic dance club featured inventive touches like a VIP bar in an elevator shaft and drinks served in baby bottles; they would later open Drink! in Las Vegas in 1995. Morton and DeGraff had many successful years with N9NE Group, opening Las Vegas-based megaclub Rain, the tower-topping Ghostbar and N9NE Steakhouse, which created a trend of club-like restaurants that dominate the Strip today. Morton has been credited for having created some of the first lucrative, non-gaming nightlife ventures in Las Vegas including N9NE, Rain, Ghostbar, Moon, Nove Italiano and the Playboy Club, all located in the Palms Casino. Michael founded Morton Group in 2010 with his wife, Jenna Morton, to open a new portfolio of restaurants, selling his share of N9NE Group in 2011. Morton Group's first restaurant, La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway, opened at Wynn Las Vegas at the end of 2010. His focus on Morton Group is a reflection of his desire to develop restaurants, like his father, as opposed to Vegas nightclubs. The pair followed La Cave's success with the debut of a funky, urban Mexican Restaurant, La Comida, which opened in Downtown Las Vegas' burgeoning Fremont East Entertainment District in May 2013, and then with CRUSH, a highly social restaurant and bar serving American cuisine, at MGM Grand in December 2013.

Current Restaurants

La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway serves an upscale menu of American small-plates with items from the sea, farm, garden, oven and grill, prepared by Morton Group's Corporate Executive Chef William DeMarco. Reminiscent of a vintner’s tasting room, La Cave presents a multi-sensory journey including mood, food and music, perfect for gatherings of two or 200. La Comida uses traditional ingredients and family culinary secrets from various regions in Mexico combined with the sophisticated influence of Mexico City. The restaurant brings a funky, American rock-n-roll vibe to Mexican food in one of Sin City's hippest areas. CRUSH, located in MGM Grand, offers a selection of American cuisine, also by DeMarco. Among the “Best Places to Party…While Having Dinner” and “The Best Restaurants in Vegas, Right Now” by Thrillist, the highly social restaurant and bar offers a range of dishes to satisfy foodies and casual diners, alike.

Family

Morton comes from a long family history of hospitality, which includes ventures in Chicago, Las Vegas and other major cities around the United States. Of Arnie Morton's seven children, five have opened their own concept restaurants, including Michael. He is the brother of

Peter Morton Peter Morton (born August 7, 1947) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder of the Hard Rock Café (along with Isaac Tigrett), a chain of casual dining restaurants. Early life and education Morton is the son of Arnie Morton, founder o ...

, the founder and former owner of the

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and ro ...

and co-founder of

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and rol ...

. He is also the brother of David Morton, the co-owner of DMK Restaurants, a group in Chicago that operates DMK Burger Bar as well as Fish Bar, Ada Street and more. He is the uncle of Harry Morton, the President and CEO of the Mexican Restaurant Chain

Pink Taco Pink Taco is a restaurant chain in Los Angeles, California, with locations in West Hollywood on the Sunset Strip and in Century City, located on the premises of the Westfield Century City mall. It serves Mexican food. Locations The first Pink Tac ...

. Michael resides full time in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

with his wife, Michigan-native Jenna Marie (née Devries) and three children.

Philanthropy

Michael and his wife are involved in a variety of philanthropic pursuits around the Las Vegas Valley. In particular, the Mortons donate time to

After-School All-Stars After-School All-Stars (ASAS) is a national non-profit organization that partners with schools across the United States to expand the learning day for low-income children. It provides after-school programs. Currently, ASAS serves nearly 92,000 ...

(ASAS), which expands the learning day for low-income students. Michael's natural interest in the program comes from his father Arnie, who adopted Westinghouse High School, an inner-city school, when Michael was young. Arnie Morton would bring students to Morton's Steakhouse to speak with them and give them a tour of the kitchen; Michael has followed in those footsteps by bringing students to CRUSH as part of ASAS's CEO: Boss Life program.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Michael 1964 births Living people Businesspeople from Chicago American restaurateurs American people of Jewish descent Morton family (restaurants)