Arnie Morton

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Arnie Morton
Born
Arnold Jerome Cohen

(1922-03-23)March 23, 1922
Chicago, Illinois
Died (aged 83)
Deerfield, Illinois
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of Morton's Restaurant Group
Spouse(s)Adleen June Savin (divorced)
Zorine Morton
Children7, including Peter and Michael
FamilyHarry Morton (grandson)

Arnold Jerome Morton (March 23, 1922 – May 28, 2005) was a restaurateur who founded Morton's Restaurant Group/Morton's Steakhouse.

Early life[edit]

Arnold Jerome Cohen was born in Chicago, the son of Morton Cohen Morton and Isabelle Cohen Morton.[1][2] He was of Jewish descent.[3] He grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the city's South Side, where his father owned two restaurants.[4] He had two brothers, Edward and Robert.[1] From the age of 15, Morton bused tables, worked in the kitchen, and performed a wide array of odd jobs in the family business. He graduated from Hyde Park High School[5] and enlisted in the United States Army during World War II where he saw eight months of action after arriving in Normandy, France immediately after D-day.[4] After the war, he attended the University of Alabama where he played football for two years.[4]

Career[edit]

Arnie Morton opened his first restaurant, the Walton Walk, between Rush Street and Michigan Avenue in the 1950s.[4] This paved the way for a partnership with Victor Lownes and Hugh Hefner, launching the Playboy Club in 1960.[4] Morton was the right-hand man of Hugh Hefner when he launched the Playboy Empire on February 29, 1960.[6] He served as Executive Vice President of Playboy Enterprises, where he developed the worldwide chain of Playboy Clubs.[7] He went out on his own again after ten years,[4] partnering with Klaus Fritsch, the food and beverage director of the Playboy Clubs.[8]

Arnie Morton's parents had run a restaurant in Hyde Park, called Morton's, which for 23 years had been located at 5487 Lake Park Avenue.[9] In 1958, his parents having died, Morton relocated the restaurant to the newly-opened Shore Drive Motel, at 56th and South Shore Drive.[10] The menu was sophisticated for the era, featuring filet mignon, roast duck, lamb shish kebab flambe, and Caesar salad.[9] In 1978, Morton closed the Hyde Park location to open the first Morton's Steakhouse (see below).

In the 1970s, he and Klitsch opened several successful ventures in Chicago's Newberry Plaza including Arnie's on Chicago's Gold Coast;[4] the seafood restaurant LaMer;[7] and the disco/night club Zorrine's (named after Morton's wife).[11][12] In 1978, Morton's of Chicago opened in the basement of Newberry Plaza in Chicago adjacent to the existing Arnie's restaurant.[4] The menu consisted simply of giant potatoes and large steaks. It was slow at the beginning, but gained a boost when Frank Sinatra arrived at the restaurant and became a regular.[12]

In 1987, Morton sold Morton's Steakhouses, then with $15 million in sales and nine restaurants throughout the United States, for $12.4 million to the venture capital firm Quantum Restaurant Group, Inc. in partnership with the Baltimore brokerage house Alex. Brown & Sons with Fritsch staying on as president.[13]

Morton's eventually grew into a chain of Morton's of 70 locations in the United States, Hongkong, China, Singapore, Macau, Mexico, and Canada. In 2011, Landry's bought 77 Morton Restaurants for $116.6 Million.

Taste of Chicago[edit]

Morton is credited as the inspiration behind the "Taste of Chicago", one of the city's best-loved summer festivals. He got the idea when he went to a similar event in New York in the late 1970s. Thinking that Chicago could do much better, he lined up restaurants to participate and persuaded then Mayor Jane Byrne to block off Michigan Avenue for the first Taste of Chicago on July 4, 1980. A crowd of 100,000 was expected, but more than 250,000 showed up, with food and soda sales grossing $300,000. Since then, the festival has been held annually during the Fourth of July celebrations.[14]

Personal life[edit]

Morton was married for a short period after World War II to Adleen June Savin, and had twins: Peter Morton and Pam Morton. Later he met his surviving wife Zorine at a Playboy party in 1960, and they married in 1961. They had five children: sons Michael and David; and daughters Stephanie Morton, Amy Morton-Levin and Debra Morton-Berger.[15] He has a brother, Robert.[16]

His son Peter Morton is the founder and owner of Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe; his daughter Pam Morton is the general manager of Morton's restaurant in Los Angeles;[17] his daughter Amy Morton-Levin is the owner and operator of the restaurant Found in Evanston, Illinois;[18][19] his son Michael Morton is the head of the N9NE Group which operates contemporary American steakhouses in Las Vegas, Chicago, and Dallas; his daughter Debra Morton-Berger is a documentary filmmaker and TV producer (PBS, A&E, Discovery, COMCAST) and owner of a contemporary European art gallery in Philadelphia;[citation needed] his daughter Stephanie Morton-Millstein is an artist and producer living in Los Angeles;[20] and his son David Morton is the co-owner of the Chicago restaurants—DMK Burger Bar, Fish Bar, County Barbeque, Henry's Swing Club and Ada Street.[21] Morton was the grandfather of the late Harry Morton (1981–2019), President and CEO of the Mexican restaurant chain Pink Taco,[22] and 16 other grandchildren.[citation needed]

Morton died on May 28, 2005, aged 83 at a care home in Deerfield, Illinois. He had Alzheimer's disease and cancer.[4] In recognition of his significant contributions, a resolution was presented to his family from the House of Representatives of the 94th General Assembly of the State of Illinois "so that his memory may be honored and ever cherished".[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Robert C. Morton, attorney, age 82, of Evanston, formerly of Lincolnwood". Chicago Tribune. December 30, 2011. ...son of the late Mort and Isabel Morton; fond brother of the late Arnold (Zorine) Morton and the late Edward (Lauri) Morton.
  2. ^ "Morton, Robert C. 82. Soulmate of Rita (nee Birnbaum)". Jewish United Fund. February 2012.
  3. ^ "HPHS Jewish 'Fame and Fortune' Alumni" (PDF). Chicago Jewish Historical Society. Fall 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gibbard, M. Daniel (May 29, 2005). "Arnold 'Arnie' Morton / 1922-2005". Chicago Tribune.
  5. ^ "HPHS Jewish 'Fame and Fortune' Alumni" (PDF). Chicago Jewish Historical Society. Fall 2007.
  6. ^ "News - NORM: Playboy event 'as good as it gets'". reviewjournal.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  7. ^ a b "Steakhouse chain pioneer 'Arnie' Morton dies at 83 | Nation's Restaurant News | Find Articles at BNET.com". Findarticles.com. 2005-06-06. Retrieved 2010-09-21.[dead link]
  8. ^ Meitus: Burger launched chef's career-building alliance : Columns & Blogs : The Rocky Mountain News Archived October 30, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b "The Core: College Magazine of the University of Chicago". thecore.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Davis, Susan (2013-07-09). Chicago's historic Hyde Park. Vinci, John. Chicago. ISBN 9780226138145. OCLC 809911094.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Klaus Fritsch: Co-Founder & Vice Chairman Morton's, The Steakhouse" (PDF). Morton's The Steakhouse. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Los Angeles Times: "Arnie Morton, 83; He Worked the Room at His 'Steakhouses for the Rich'" by Myrna Oliver May 31, 2005
  13. ^ Funding Universe: "Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. History" retrieved August 3, 2015
  14. ^ "Archived copy". www.findarticles.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ Los Angeles Times: "Arnie Morton, 83; He Worked the Room at His 'Steakhouses for the Rich'" by Myrna Oliver] May 31, 2005
  16. ^ as well as a brother Eddy. "News Article". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  17. ^ Galvan, Manuel; Sullivan, Barbara (January 5, 1990). "Time to retaste the best of eats". Chicago Tribune.
  18. ^ Kogan, Rick. "Notes left in drawers are now a part of Amy Morton's Found". Chicago Tribune. She worked in the business for a short time doing consulting until meeting her husband, attorney Neal Levin, and starting a family that now includes three girls, two in high school and one soon to be.
  19. ^ Found Kitchen website Archived 2015-08-10 at the Wayback Machine retrieved August 3, 2015
  20. ^ "Vegas, Baby". Chicago Sun-Times. August 16, 2007.
  21. ^ Le Beau, Christina (January 24, 2015). "The Take-Away: David Morton". Crain's Chicago Business.
  22. ^ Pasquini, Maria (November 24, 2019). "Restaurateur Harry Morton, 38, Found Dead in Beverly Hills Home by Younger Brother". People.com.
  23. ^ "HR0540 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY". Ilga.gov. 2005-05-28. Retrieved 2010-09-21.

External links[edit]

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