The co-founder of the Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) and the former Chief Executive Officer of Hard Rock Hotel Inc., Peter Morton remains actively involved with the corporation he formed in 1971 through his work as Chairman of the Board at Hard Rock Hotel Holdings, LLC. In addition to the many projects he undertakes as a hotelier, Peter Morton owns and operates one of the most revered fine-dining restaurants in Los Angeles: Morton’s. He established this venue, which caters to celebrities and entertainment industry executives, in 1979.
Peter Morton enjoyed great success from the moment the first Hard Rock Cafe opened its doors to the public on June 14, 1971. Thanks to a menu comprised of moderately priced American fare, service of the highest quality, and its “ever-present rock ‘n’ roll music and sensibility,” HRC provided Morton with the chance to expand his operations globally, an opportunity he leveraged on a large scale over the course of the ensuing decades. Peter Morton’s restaurant empire began its worldwide growth efforts in 1982, with Morton focusing on development in the western United States and his former partner, Isaac Tigrett, channeling attention toward the East Coast and international venues. During the 1980s and 1990s, Morton launched numerous HRCs in the United States and Australia. He eventually accepted a bid of purchase from The Rank Group Plc, a leisure company headquartered in London.
Aside from playing a key role in Hard Rock International, the parent organization overseeing all HRC entities, Peter Morton devotes much of his time and energy toward philanthropy in Los Angeles. A member of the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Morton also made a considerable donation to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Moreover, he maintains ties with Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a non-profit organization based in New York that advocates environmental sustainability.