Morton’s the Steakhouse took first in the Fine-Dining category in a tight race this year, edging out last year’s winner Ruth’s Chris by just two-tenths of a percentage point.

Morton’s has introduced seasonal specials in recent years, which it hadn’t done in the past.

Morton’s high Overall Score was not only the highest in the Fine-Dining category, but also the highest of all 173 brands in the survey.

Morton’s Overall Score of 79.9 percent was driven by strong scores for Atmosphere, Craveability, Food Quality, Cleanliness and Service. Overall Scores are based on an average of scores on a variety of attributes weighted by the importance that diners in that segment put on each attribute.

Among the five Fine-Dining chains, the brand received the highest scores on three out of 10 attributes: Value, Atmosphere, Craveability. Attribute scores reflect the percentage of respondents who said a chain was "outstanding" or "above average" in that area.

Morton’s new smaller steaks have become top sellers.

Morton’s two highest attribute scores were 84.8 percent for Atmosphere and 84.1 percent for Food Quality. Its next highest scores were for Service and Cleanliness, respectively.

The chain's two lowest scores came in the areas of Value and Likely to Return, at 68.8 percent and 70.7, respectively. However, its Value score was still the highest among the Fine-Dining group.

Morton’s is 90 percent finished with the refurbishing of its 73 locations.