Graduates of Morton's University

Graduating Class of July 2011

Last week, 13 Morton’s managers from various locations came together for “Morton’s University,” (MU) held at the company’s Restaurant Support Center (RSC) in Chicago, Illinois. This group of managers was the first to graduate from the newly revised four-day training program, and they all passed with flying colors!

While the RSC has been hosting MU for new restaurant managers since 2001, the program has been redesigned with a leadership development focus, and is now attended by managers at the end of a full 12-month training cycle.

The new MU is an interactive learning experience designed to build leadership skills within Morton’s four strategic focus areas: people, product, profit, and sales. In this high-level program, Morton’s managers bring their own experience to the learning environment, interacting with their peers and senior leadership to work through challenges, identify and capitalize on opportunities and hone their ability to lead within the Morton’s organization.

The program is taught first-hand by senior executives from the purchasing, finance marketing, development, HR, and legal departments. Instructors included Morton’s Vice Chairman and Co-Founder, Klaus Fritsch ; President and Chief Executive Officer, Chris Artinian; Sr. Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, Ron DiNella; Sr. Vice President of Operations, Kevin Weinert; and Sr. Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Roger Drake…to name just a few!

An exciting new feature to the program is the culminating activity, which gives managers a chance to apply key learnings from throughout the week. Participants work in cross-functional teams to conduct a SWOT analysis for a target location and develop an action plan based on key findings. But one thing about MU that hasn’t changed over the years is the behind-the-scenes tour of Stockyards, the purveyor of Morton’s prime steaks since it first opened for business back in 1978. It remains one of the most memorable highlights for our participants.

Morton’s is committed to the growth and development of its management team, as evidenced by a 12-month training cycle for all new managers that concludes with the Morton’s University leadership development experience. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the hospitality industry and becoming a leader at Morton’s The Steakhouse, click here to learn about how you can Be More. Be Morton’s.

MaryAnn Fulco
Director of Training
Morton’s The Steakhouse