Peter Morton

About Peter Morton

A multifaceted entrepreneur with a rich history of accomplishment as a restaurateur, hotelier, and film producer, Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton can trace much of his success to early experiences in the restaurant industry. Born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, Morton gained his first taste of the restaurant business from his father, Arnold, noted for his work with the Playboy Club and the famed Morton’s of Chicago. Following high school, Peter Morton enrolled at the University of Denver, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1969. From Denver, Morton moved overseas to London, where he noticed the growing demand for American-style casual dining in the U.K. Finding none, Peter Morton set out to bring the best of the U.S. to Britain and opened The Great American Disaster, a restaurant with authentic American feel, flavor and fare. The success of The Great American Disaster paved the way for Morton and business partner Isaac Tigrett to launch the first Hard Rock Cafe just outside of London’s famed Hyde Park Corner.

Toward the end of the 1970s, Morton returned to the U.S. and subsequently grew the Hard Rock Cafe brand into a worldwide phenomenon, building it into a billion-dollar business. Since selling his share of Hard Rock Cafe for $410 million in 1996, Peter Morton has turned his attention to various other pursuits, including philanthropy, the management of Morton’s restaurant in Los Angeles, and film production, with Executive Producer credits on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch; and Stardust.