Arnie Morton - Career

Career

Arnie Morton opened his first restaurant, the Walton Walk, between Rush Street and Michigan Avenue in the 1950s. This paved the way for a partnership with Victor Lownes and Hugh Hefner, the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy Magazine.

Morton was the right-hand man of Hugh Hefner when he launched the Playboy Empire on February 29, 1960. He was largely involved in the opening of the first Playboy Club with Hefner and Lownes in 1960.

He served as Executive Vice President of Playboy Enterprises, where he developed the worldwide chain of Playboy Clubs.

Over the course of 20 years, Morton created his flagship namesake restaurant, Arnie's, a landmark of Chicago's Gold Coast; Zorine's a tribute to his beautiful wife; and Morton's of Chicago Steakhouses. In 1978, Morton's of Chicago opened in the basement of a Near North Side high-rise in Chicago adjacent to the existing Arnie's restaurant. 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. This original Morton's of Chicago became the stepping stone for 65 other Morton's locations in the United States, Hongkong, Singapore, and Canada. During the 70s and 80s, his other ventures included Arnie's Restaurant, Arnie's Cafe, Maple Street Pier, Arnie's First Street Pier, Arnie's North, Morton's Marketplace, the Institute and an exclusive Club, Zorine's (discothèque).

Morton met Klaus Fritsch while working alongside Hugh Hefner. Then, Fritsch was food and beverage director of the Playboy Clubs. Morton left Playboy in the early 1970s as did Fritsch to begin a 20 year run of working together.

Morton once teamed with chef Jean Banchet to open an elegant French seafood restaurant, Zorine's Club La Mer. Morton sold his Morton's Steakhouses in 1987.