CHICAGO Morton's Restaurant Group Inc. has named Christopher Artinian president and chief executive, replacing Thomas J. Baldwin, who resigned.
Artinian has been with the company since 1995, most recently as vice president of Eastern operations. No reason was given for the departure of Baldwin, a 20-year veteran of the steakhouse chain.
"Chris Artinian has impressed us with his strong management skills throughout his career at the company," John K. Castle, chairman of the executive committee of Morton's board of directors, said in a statement Tuesday. "We are confident Chris will continue to build the Morton's brand and lead the company to strong future performance."
Like many upscale concepts, Morton's has struggled with steep sales declines during the past year. In its most recent third quarter, Morton's reported a 16.8-percent drop in same-store sales, which Baldwin at the time attributed to declines in business travel and convention business.
Roger Drake, Morton's chief communications officer, said the company has not yet identified Artinian's successor as vice president of Eastern operations and that Morton's would continue its turnaround efforts.
"For 31 years, Morton's has always been all about the power and strength of the Morton's The Steakhouse brand," Drake said, "and with Christopher Artinian's leadership, we expect to continue to grow our business, grow greater awareness for the Morton's brand and continue our focus on delivering our guests 'the best steak anywhere.'"
Morton's has also closed at least seven of its namesake steakhouses over the past two years. The Chicago-based company currently operates 76 steakhouses and one location of Trevi in Las Vegas.
Mark Brandau contributed to this report.
Contact Molly Gise at [email protected].