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]
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 ClubinMontreal, 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 PlazainDowntown 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]
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.[17] Kavanaugh reportedly did not see, hear, or encounter the protestors, nor was he harassed in any way. Nonetheless, Morton's was "outraged"[18] and sided with Kavanaugh in a press statement, citing what it termed a "right to congregate and eat dinner".[19]
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."[20]
