Morton's The Steakhouse is a chain of

steak A steak is a cut of meat sliced across muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally Grilling, grilled or Pan frying, fried, and can be diced or cooked in sauce. Steaks are most commonly cut from cattle (beefsteak), but can also ...

restaurants with locations in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and franchised abroad, founded in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1978. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Landry's.

History

Morton's was co-founded in 1978 by Arnold J. Morton and Klaus Fritsch. Before they became friends and restaurant entrepreneurs, Morton and Fritsch worked together at the

Playboy Club The Playboy Club was initially a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room, and a Club ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec, Canada. While the club was in the process of changing its menu, Fritsch prepared a

hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...

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 ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district (CB ...

. The original location closed in November 2020 as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. 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. In December 2011,

Tilman Fertitta Tilman Joseph Fertitta (born June 25, 1957) is an American businessman and television personality. He has served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to Italy, United States ambassador to Italy and List of ambassadors of the United S ...

, 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 Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Support for Brett Kavanaugh

In July 2022, Supreme Court Justice

Brett Kavanaugh Brett Michael Kavanaugh (; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since Oct ...

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. Kavanaugh reportedly did not see, hear, or encounter the protestors, nor was he harassed in any way. Nonetheless, Morton's was "outraged" and sided with Kavanaugh in a press statement, citing what it termed a "right to congregate and eat dinner". 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."

Affiliates

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is an American seafood restaurant chain inspired by the 1994 film ''Forrest Gump'', based in Houston, Texas, and a division of Landry's Restaurants since 2010. As of 2025, 31 restaurants operate worldwide: twenty ...

Cadillac Bar Landry's, Inc., is a privately held American multi-brand dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming corporation headquartered in Houston, Houston, Texas. Landry's, Inc., owns and operates more than 600 restaurants, hotels, casinos, and ente ...

Landry's, Inc. Landry's, Inc., is a privately held American multi-brand dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Landry's, Inc., owns and operates more than 600 restaurants, hotels, casinos, and entertainment ...

* Landry's Seafood *

Rainforest Cafe Rainforest Cafe is a jungle-Theme restaurant, themed restaurant chain owned by Landry's, Landry's, Inc. of Houston. The first location opened in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on February 3, 1994. By 1997, the chain consisted of ...

References

External links

Headquarters for Landry's Inc.

{{Authority control Landry's Inc. Restaurant chains in the United States Steakhouses in the United States Food and drink companies based in Houston Restaurant franchises Restaurants established in 1978 Restaurants in Chicago 1978 establishments in Illinois 2012 mergers and acquisitions Morton family (restaurants)