Morton’s The Steakhouse on the Southbank closed Wednesday. It was one of several Morton’s locations across the U.S. to shut its doors following a change in ownership.
Landry’s Restaurant Inc. Chairman Tilman Fertitta agreed in December to purchase the chain for $116.6 million, according to media reports. He announced Wednesday he had purchased 90 percent of Morton’s stock.
By Wednesday afternoon, the Jacksonville location’s signs were down and a moving truck was in the parking lot.
Reports from publications across the U.S. indicate that Morton’s restaurants in Miami Beach, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, Boston, Washington, D.C., Tyson’s Corner, Va., and Brooklyn, N.C., also closed.
An apparent closing in West Palm Beach was reported but later turned out to be a mistake, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Landry’s officials would not say how many employees worked at the Jacksonville restaurant.
Kris Guthrie, Landry’s vice president of marketing, issued a statement Wednesday about the Jacksonville closing:
“Over time, demographics shift and so do the areas in which businesses thrive and it’s because of this that we must close the Morton’s location in Jacksonville,” Guthrie wrote in an email.
“We look forward to serving guests at our Chart House restaurant located at 1501 River Place Blvd.”
Signs on Morton’s doors Wednesday encouraged diners to visit the nearby Chart House, also owned by Landry’s.
By Wednesday afternoon, Morton’s had removed information about the Jacksonville restaurant and several others from its website.
Morton’s opened on the Southbank as Morton’s of Chicago in 1999.
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