Landry's Restaurant Group bought out Morton's Steakhouse on Wednesday (Feb. 1st). This has led to many locations being closed: Miami Beach, FL Washington D.C. Atlanta, GA (Buckhead) Boston, MA Jacksonville, FL Phoenix, AZ Brooklyn, NY Tyson's Corner, VA Denver, CO (Tech Center)
More people looking for jobs. Too bad. I was told that the steak house sector in Miami Dade County was reaching a level of oversaturation. It is no surprise that the Beach location was closed.
Yeah, I feel badly for these folks. I know how they feel as my company is closing March 31. Strange though, as Open Table and Morton's own website are still showing tables available at most of these locations.
Thx. I think I'm pretty good shape (fingers crossed). I work in a pretty niche industry so there's not many people competing for jobs. It sounds like these Morton's employees didn't have any warning and everything happen very abruptly. That really sucks.
They also own the Gandy Dancer (former Joe Muer's place) in Ann Arbor and the difference in the quality of the food is apparent (and that isn't meant as a compliment!). The 'Gandy' was the first rail station to be redone as an eatery.
Wow I am surprised. I thought Morton's was a successful chain. I went to the Brooklyn location a couple of times...
Apparently they are already testing new menu items at the Houston locations. Anyone been there yet and can comment about these new items? I always like Morton's. Hope Landry's doesn't change too much but on the other hand, I do believe that they know how to run steakhouses. Brenner's in Housto for instance is a really great place!
I think Morton's is. But, they did have some awkward development of locations. For example, in the DC region, they had two DC locations, Tysons Corner and Reston. Tysons made sense back in the heyday of the internet boom. But, there are a lot of other steakhouses in that region, and Reston really isn't that far away. In a recession, it's not surprising they all couldn't survive.
Morton's in DC is one of my favorite locations. Danny there got me my Morton's VIP card and always helped me get reservations around the country. I feel awful for the employees.
aww I havn't got a chance to try Morton's yet....usually Landry chains are of the "lower" end restaurant chains tho, like Rainforest Cafe etc, so I wonder how it will things turn out
I'd be surprised if they altered the format. It works. As long as they don't oversaturate a market, they've been relatively successful with a simple menu and strong wine list.
I'm a pretty big steakhouse guy and make it a point to eat at the best one's I can find whenever I travel. Not trying to sound snotty, just saying I know my way around a fine steak! Agree that you don't initially associate Landry's group with fine dining but I was recently very pleasantly surprised. Apparently they also own the Golden Nugget in Vegas and have installed a couple of their flagship brands in the casino. In particular Nick and Anthony's steakhouse. I've been to the Nugget twice since they took over, both actually within the last year. Most nights we ate at Nick and Anthony's...it's just that good. I give it high marks all around for what a fine prime steakhouse should be. Hopefully they bring some of that to Morton's. I have to admit I've only eaten at Morton's once in my life. Once because my one and only experience at the DC location was very underwhelming. From my limited experience with Morton's, Landry's acquisition in the context of their Nick and Anthony's brand can only be an improvement. Having said that however, I realize my initial experience with Morton's may well have been an aberration.
Maybe not. One of the funniest reviews I ever read in the SF Chron (well, not intentionally funny) "When I finally did start on my main course, I realized I needed to offer a second apology to any food I've criticized in the past year; by comparison, everything I've had at other places was French Laundry quality. The steak was burned and acrid, and the lobster tail was mushy, as if it had been frozen and thawed multiple times." Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/08/DDFU1EULHM.DTL#ixzz1m21sn9Vb
When Fertita announced the Morton's acquisition, they said they were going to change the menus and the decor because Morton's was outdated. In my view, after they've purchased other chains (locally speaking) the restaurants' prices went up and quality went down. I therefore now avoid any restaurant Landry's owns.
Maybe it's just our experience, but we've had a dozen or two meals over the last 10 years. While there are better steakhouses in the country, I've always found Morton's to be a high quality consistent experience.
