Morton's The Steakhouse is Coming to Naperville, IL; Seventh Chicago Area Morton's is Scheduled to Open as Early as 2008

CHICAGO, April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A new Morton's The Steakhouse fine-dining restaurant is coming to fast-growing and affluent Naperville, IL, in the Chicago suburbs, it was announced today by Morton's Restaurant Group (NYSE: MRT) , which owns and operates the 74 Morton's steakhouses throughout the United States and in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The company said it has signed a lease to open a Morton's steakhouse in Freedom Commons, a 25-acre development under construction at the intersection of I-88 and Freedom Boulevard, in Naperville, the fourth largest city in Illinois, located 28 miles west of downtown Chicago.

Freedom Commons will feature several other restaurants, a 45,000 square foot LA Fitness center and 35,000 square feet of retail establishments, including Fidelity Investments. A new I-88 exit will provide direct access to the site.

The new Morton's is projected to open as early as 2008.

The site is within a quarter of a mile of seven major office centers and six hotels. Major employers in Naperville include BP America, ConAgra Foods, General Motors, Kraft Foods, Lucent Technologies and Office Max. Naperville has a population of over 140,000 and a labor force of 75,000, with a ten-mile population of approximately 900,000.

Morton's Restaurant Group is the world's largest operator of wholly-owned upscale steakhouses and the Morton's brand has become a globally-recognized icon of fine dining.

Morton's specializes in classic, hearty American fare, serving generous portions of its specialty, USDA grain-fed Prime aged beef (the finest available), and fresh fish, lobster, lamb and chicken entrees and spectacular desserts.

In addition to a uniform menu, an award-winning wine list and professional, warm and friendly Midwestern service, all Morton's steakhouses share the same luxurious look and comfortable feeling, with elegant decor, reflected in dark rich woods, leather-covered booths, subdued lighting and white linen table cloths.

The restaurant's main dining room will seat approximately 130 guests, and Morton's luxuriously-appointed private dining Boardrooms can accommodate groups as small as 10 and as large as 70.

The Boardrooms will be Wi-Fi equipped and they will be outfitted with the revolutionary Velocity private broadcast suites, making it possible for companies to produce personalized high-definition programming that reaches national or international audiences simultaneously in Morton's steakhouses.

The Naperville restaurant will feature Morton's Bar 12-21, which is designed for convivial meeting, greeting and eating. Bar 12-21 has rich decor, well-spaced tables, comfortable chairs, large plasma television screens and the popular Bar Bites menu. It seats 36 for dining.

The company had announced that it has also signed leases to open new Morton's steakhouses in Annapolis, MD; Boston, MA; Cincinnati, OH; Coral Gables, FL; Woodland Hills, CA, and Macau, China.

There are six Morton's steakhouses in the Chicago area. Two are in downtown Chicago: the original Morton's on State Street, which opened in 1978, and the Morton's on Wacker Place.

The other area Morton's are located in Northbrook, Rosemont, Schaumburg and Westchester, IL.

"Naperville is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation. It is a major business center with outstanding commercial, educational and cultural assets. The Naperville Morton's will strengthen our leadership presence in the Chicagoland area," said Thomas J. Baldwin, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Morton's Restaurant Group.

Forward-Looking Statements

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Except for the historical information contained in this discussion, the matters addressed are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, written, oral or otherwise made, represent the Company's expectation or belief concerning future events. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes," "thinks," "anticipates," "plans," "expects" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, or otherwise, from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks of the restaurant industry, including a highly competitive environment and industry with many well-established competitors with greater financial and other resources than the Company, the impact of changes in consumer tastes, local, regional and national economic and market conditions, restaurant profitability levels, expansion plans, timely construction and opening of the new restaurant, demographic trends, traffic patterns, employee availability, benefits and cost increases, product safety and availability, government regulation, the Company's ability to maintain adequate financing facilities and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's most recent Form 10-K, Forms 10-Q and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could harm the Company's results. Consequently, there can be no assurance that actual results or developments anticipated by the Company will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.