Downtown has lost another steakhouse. Ruth's Chris is the only one left.
http://jacksonville.com/business/2012-02-01/story/mortons-has-closed-restaurant-jacksonville?cid=hp-justin
Interesting. Have we reached the point where a city our size can't support a Morton's Steakhouse?
http://www.mortons.com/locations/
Honestly, I had never heard of Mortons until about two years ago. There are alot of people that didnt even know that it exsisted. When I would mention it to someone they would say, "wheres that at" Or " I didnt know there was a resturant all the way back here." I think the location was a big reason if you ask me. Ruth Chris on the other is attached to Crown Plaza, so regardless if the locals go or not, they are going to have some decent business. Again, these are just my thoughts. I personally dont go to steakhouses. Ive never stepped foot in Ruth Chris or Mortons. But, the West Palm location is closing also, and you would think with the MSA down there Mortons would have survived. But in this economy, I am not surprised at all at anything that closes.
Well, this sucks. Not that I ever went there, but still.
Quote from: stephendare on February 01, 2012, 05:17:45 PM
Having eaten there on a number of occasions, I cannot say I am surprised. It was sub par for the money, and the decor was a tacky facsimile of what a Chicago Style Steakhouse should look like. It was just never the real thing.
Therefore, it deserves to close down.
-Josh
restaurant Bubble
Ruth Chris location nearby,yet decidedly superior....added bonus.
Employee career development another driver
Quote from: stephendare on February 01, 2012, 05:17:45 PM
Having eaten there on a number of occasions, I cannot say I am surprised. It was sub par for the money, and the decor was a tacky facsimile of what a Chicago Style Steakhouse should look like. It was just never the real thing.
.......why then so many occasions????
Quote from: Tacachale on February 01, 2012, 04:37:28 PM
Well, this sucks. Not that I ever went there, but still.
well,no worries you ain't missed much, I've been there on a few occasions,actually casual,not a birthday party or anything,never paid/guest,that makes me a big shot.
The place always reminded me of Senator Jim King.
Quote from: stephendare on February 01, 2012, 05:17:45 PM
Having eaten there on a number of occasions, I cannot say I am surprised. It was sub par for the money, and the decor was a tacky facsimile of what a Chicago Style Steakhouse should look like. It was just never the real thing.
For the price, you were better off going to Ruth Chris.
There is always 3 Forks
Quote from: fsujax on February 01, 2012, 04:17:39 PM
Downtown has lost another steakhouse. Ruth's Chris is the only one left.
http://jacksonville.com/business/2012-02-01/story/mortons-has-closed-restaurant-jacksonville?cid=hp-justin
Don't forget Chart House :)
This is a loss for Downtown. It was pricey and it did seam to struggle a bit.
Quote from: Seraphs on February 01, 2012, 10:53:37 PM
This is a loss for Downtown. It was pricey and it did seam to struggle a bit.
How so? Maybe the vacancy will allow another, more inclined, restaurant to open in it's space.
You can't live by name alone, there has to be some substance.
Perhaps a gordon biersch.
Quote from: thelakelander on February 01, 2012, 04:30:06 PM
Interesting. Have we reached the point where a city our size can't support a Morton's Steakhouse?
According the FCN, there were ten Mortons that closed down nationwide, so it doesn't sound like something that's just exclusive to Jax.
I assume they closed their ten least performing locations?
^^^More than likely, although Palm Beach, Miami Beach, DC, Phoenix, ATL, Boston, and Brooklyn among others aren't exactly second-tier places. Something is telling me that there's more than meets the eye concerning all of these closures. I guess if Jax had a multiple number of Mortons like some of these cities do, one closure wouldn't put much of a dent.
Quote from: JeffreyS on February 01, 2012, 11:18:24 PM
Perhaps a gordon biersch.
I'd actually prefer to see a smaller-scale craft brewery/restaurant go in. While Gordon Biersch certainly isn't the worst it is a chain restaurant with a chain mentality. Look at BJ's out at Town Center, it does well but, for a beer lover, it has little substance. The staff is poorly educated in beer, their house beers are of mediocre quality and not brewed on premises (caveat, some locations brew their own, but most of their beer is contracted out from regional brewers or brewed in a regional brewery the chain operates), and the food is so-so. It reminds me of The Cheesecake Factory with beer instead of cheesecake.
No, I say we get an entrepreneurial new craft brewery with a bold vision in there. It would be a great addition to the South Bank and, with the explosion of craft beer interest, it would pull people from San Marco, St. Nicholas, San Jose, and Lakeside.
Maybe the competition would get Rivercity to amp up their game.
Jax isn't the only town Morton's didn't catch on...Morton's is just a sub-par restaurant, like it or not. As many have said on this thread...for the money...much better options around.
Creative destruction. The place was probably not pleasing customers enough to turn a profit. It would be nice if an operation goes in there that compliments Charthouse, Ruth Chris, and River City Brewing but doesn't duplicate what they do. From the TU article, http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/food-and-dining/2012-02-01/story/mortons-steakhouse-has-closed-restaurant-jacksonville (http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/food-and-dining/2012-02-01/story/mortons-steakhouse-has-closed-restaurant-jacksonville), it sounds like 80% of their customers were business travelers.
Morton's was never that good, at least this location. I've been to others that weren't as bad. But this one always had an attitude and the food was mediocre. Ruth's Chris is much better.
Heard there was an ownership change within the company that spurred the cuts. The same group also owns the Chart House.
To me, it always felt like Mortons pandered to out-of-towners and kind of stuck up their nose up to the local community. The location wasn't great (a lot of people probably didn't even realize it was there), the interior felt pretty dated from the beginning, and the food was more expensive than its competitor, but not as good (though still quite great), and without the fantastic view. Sucks for downtown, but I've kind of seen this one coming for the last five years. Would love to see something different in this spot. Perhaps a pipe dream, but I believe the same company that owns Mortons and Chart House also owns Rainforest Cafe.
It would be pretty cool if Tree would open up another location in the old spot. Get a local steakhouse close to the core.
or how about dragonfly sushi? gainesville and orlando seem to be able to support one just fine, and it would obliterate all of the other lackluster sushi options in this city.
I'm just bummed to see another place close downtown. Though the more I look at it it seems the chain is struggling, so it's not a shock that an underperforming restaurant would shut down. Hopefully something successful will replace it.
I say tear the building down and put a more intense use there. I never liked the suburban style layout of the place anyway.
Quote from: exnewsman on February 02, 2012, 09:15:24 AM
Heard there was an ownership change within the company that spurred the cuts. The same group also owns the Chart House.
Yep. Landry's bought it Wednesday and closed around a dozen locations.
Mortons deserved to close. By far some of the worst service in town.
I have had overcooked steaks and no one to complain to. I actually feel good that our city no longer has deal with this snooty, ill-fated establishment.
Ruth's Chris is worlds better, though it is also has the old, stuffy steakhouse feel. III Forks has better decor than both, but the steak isn't as good as Ruth's Chris.
From what I heard the entire Mortons chain has been struggling for years. I went to a Mortons in Maryland and it looked like a carbon copy of the Jacksonville dining room. Service was better though.
just think of all the extra parking we will have!
Maybe Shad Khan can build his house there so Alvin Brown will leave him alone.
^^^LMAO!
Quote from: chipwich on February 02, 2012, 11:08:36 AM
Mortons deserved to close. By far some of the worst service in town.
I have had overcooked steaks and no one to complain to. I actually feel good that our city no longer has deal with this snooty, ill-fated establishment.
Ruth's Chris is worlds better, though it is also has the old, stuffy steakhouse feel. III Forks has better decor than both, but the steak isn't as good as Ruth's Chris.
From what I heard the entire Mortons chain has been struggling for years. I went to a Mortons in Maryland and it looked like a carbon copy of the Jacksonville dining room. Service was better though.
I agree with all that. Stopped going there two years ago.
The Morton's in West Palm closed, but reopened after 24 hours. Not sure if the same situation is true here, but their location was acquired by Landry's, who chose to close the restaurant. After he was showered with complaints, he chose to re-open the restaurant. This video clip says it all http://www.wpbf.com/video/30363787/detail.html (http://www.wpbf.com/video/30363787/detail.html) Oddly enough, the customer in the video is a good friend of my sister and his dog Teddy is a friend of mine as well. The clip is worth watching just for the awesome food puns alone.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on February 03, 2012, 02:26:06 PM
The Morton's in West Palm closed, but reopened after 24 hours. Not sure if the same situation is true here, but their location was acquired by Landry's, who chose to close the restaurant. After he was showered with complaints, he chose to re-open the restaurant. This video clip says it all http://www.wpbf.com/video/30363787/detail.html (http://www.wpbf.com/video/30363787/detail.html) Oddly enough, the customer in the video is a good friend of my sister and his dog Teddy is a friend of mine as well. The clip is worth watching just for the awesome food puns alone.
Interesting, two of the news people in that clip worked here in Jacksonville - the anchor Victor Blackwell and the reporter Cathleen O'Toole.