MEET: MB STEAK:

Restaurateurs: ‘Passing the locals test makes us good enough for rock stars and royalty’

Brothers David and Michael Morton pose in a dining area of the MB Steakhouse in the Hard Rock hotel-casino Monday, Sept. 18, 2017.

Meet: David and Michael Morton

A pocket lounge looks out toward the casino floor from the MB Steakhouse in the Hard Rock hotel-casino Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. The louvers can be closed for privacy. Launch slideshow »

MB Steak

• Address: 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, inside Hard Rock Hotel

• Phone: 702-483-4888

• Email: [email protected]

• Website: mbsteaklv.com

• Hours of operation: Open at 5 p.m. daily; last reservation available at 10 p.m.

• Owned/operated by: David Morton and Michael Morton

• In business since: 2017

Describe your business.

MB Steak is a luxury steakhouse inspired by our shared experience of growing up in the restaurant industry, combined with all of the eating the two of us have done in restaurants around the world. We love restaurant research.

Seriously, is it not difficult to recognize a good restaurant experience; it is a combination of factors that together have an intangible result. MB Steak is casual enough to grab a bite, sexy enough to bring a date, big enough to throw a party and smart enough to conduct business.

What prompted you to open the restaurant at the Hard Rock?

When they offered us a never-developed shell with a private valet entrance, we got to unleash our creative fantasies. While MB Steak itself may be more practical than the fantasy, the result is a venue on two stories with complementary experiences of intimacy and celebration.

Who are your customers?

Rock stars come with the territory at the Hard Rock, but MB Steak is a spot for locals. Las Vegas rivals any city in restaurant offerings. Las Vegans know great food and, more importantly, great service. We built MB Steak for people we know, people we want to hang out with and people we want to make happy. Passing the locals test makes us good enough for rock stars and royalty.

Other than excellent steaks, what is the formula for a successful steakhouse?

People, people and people. The two of us have worked every position in the restaurant. Every single position is absolutely necessary for the perfect outcome for our guests. In each one of those positions is a person who is a valued member of our team.

What is your most popular dish?

Like most premium steakhouses, our filet mignon is our bestselling item, but not by much.

What’s the best business advice you’ve received?

Our dad (restaurateur Arnie Morton) always said, “This business is 90 percent common sense and 10 percent a good eye.” We have learned that you can develop a good eye by practicing your common sense.

The other advice we love is the business standard, “The answer is yes; what is the question?”

What is the best part about doing business here?

Las Vegas is arguably the most dynamic city in the country. Combine 45 million visitors looking to be entertained — dining is entertainment — with the deepest talent pool of hospitality professionals on earth and you have the most enjoyable place to do what we do. Throw in the arrival of a couple of major professional sports teams and we are back to fantasyland.

What obstacles has your business overcome?

We have never really looked at our work as a series of obstacles to overcome. That isn’t to say that what we do is easy. People are the core of what we do, and people are variable and require loving care. It is never boring but always fulfilling.

Business

Share