Slow economy takes sizzle from Morton's steakhouse

Article by: PAUL LEVY , Star Tribune
Updated: July 3, 2009 - 11:50 PM

The steakhouse attracted singers and sports stars but couldn't cut the tough economy.

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Morton's, the Minneapolis steakhouse that served former President George H.W. Bush and the late Twins owner Carl Pohlad but was better known for serving hefty 24-ounce porterhouse slabs of beef, closed Friday, citing economic difficulties that became too tough to swallow.

The Minneapolis branch of the Morton's chain, where Bush and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney dined during last year's Republican National Convention, served its last supper Thursday night, said Gary Young, a local spokesman for Morton's.

The restaurant on the Nicollet Mall was a favorite of Pohlad's and many Twins players, including Michael Cuddyer, said Roger Drake, a Morton's spokesman at the franchise office in Chicago. Others who dined recently in the Minneapolis Morton's include singers Josh Groban and Wynonna Judd, and members of Whitesnake and Gnarls Barkley.

The Minneapolis branch opened in 1991. Morton's still operates 78 steakhouses worldwide.