After a much publicized romp with Lindsay Lohan, we all know what Harry Morton did last summer. But the heir to the Hard Rock fortune is more than just a pretty face with playboy-ish charm. As president and CEO of Pink Taco restaurants, he’s keeping up the family penchant for franchising splashy, high-profile eateries (yep, Arnie Morton of the steakhouse chain is his grandpap) and brings his third installment home to L.A. How often can we unironically say “pink taco”? Behold, as Morton gets serious about the mall, East L.A. and the best interview of his life.
I just drove by Pink Taco the other day. It’s very, very...pink.
You know that’s what we’re about, so we decided to do something that gets a little attention. When I built [the Scottsdale location], the developer was a pain in the ass and limited everything I can do. The bright pink of L.A. is more along the lines of what they are going to look like rolling out.
Was it hard to find the paint chip for that color?
It came from Mexico. That’s like actually a real Mexican pink—I guess that’s what you would call it.
Why set up shop in the Century City Mall?
Century City is having this total boom right now. [The mall] is a proven location with Houston’s, Gulfstream, and all these restaurants were doing huge business there. So the opportunity to be right on top of them and next to the new movie theater and surrounded by all these office buildings—with CAA and ICM moving in there—it just really made sense for us.
What’s the Pink Taco scene like?
A mix of great Mexican food with jumpin’ atmosphere, a little rock n’ roll and East L.A. vibe.
Did you do extensive research in East L.A.?
Yeah. For example, all the artwork that’s in a Pink Taco is unique to each location; it’s not like we stamp everything out. There’s artwork that was done by prisoners in Folsom. I’ve got lowrider hoods that were painted by some of the best artists from East L.A. The murals on the wall are by Vyal One, who’s a huge artist from East L.A. We definitely do everything as authentic as we can and we make sure it has that real edge—that it’s got that Mexican feel.
The opening party was quite a star-studded affair. Were those all your friends?
No one has 1,200 friends, but all my friends were there. You know, L.A.’s my hometown. I know a lot of people here and it was a really personal thing for me. It was great to invite everyone I know and show them a good time.
How do you see Pink Taco fitting into L.A.’s restaurant culture?
I don’t really worry about the restaurant scene, per se. I worry more about my specific customers. We pride ourselves on being in touch with what our customers are looking for, what they want. Pink Taco fills in that hole and provides a place for them that’s fun with amazing food, and it’s not expensive for what you’re getting.
There must be an excellent story behind the Pink Taco name.
It came out as a dare. That’s it, to be honest. My dad—never one to shy away from a few laughs or controversy or taking himself too seriously—decided to do it. It was funny, and we thought it was a funny…you know.
Pink Taco is also your signature dish. How does it taste?
It tastes amazing. It’s our signature dish because the onions are dyed pink.
I didn’t know it was a classic technique to 'dye onions pink'...
I don’t know if it’s a classical Mexican thing but it’s something that our executive chef did when he created the menu and...he’s from Mexico, so he added his own twist. I think it’s important, when you’re serving Mexican food, to offer all the traditional items but at the same rate, you’ve got to offer things that set you apart from the competition.
It’s also called a panucho?
Panucho is Spanish for…it’s not an exact translation but it would be the Spanish equivalent to “pink taco.” I don’t think the dictionary equates it exactly, but it’s sort of a slang version.
How would you recommend one eat a pink taco?
I would recommend you eat it with a strong margarita. With good attitude and good friends.
A Pink Taco Margarita?
That’s like our house margarita. But we do everything from that to a $250 margarita. The “Beyond Premium” margarita is Grand Marnier and super high-end, 150-year old tequila. We actually find that people are coming in and buying them.
We loved Pink Taco’s feature on “The Daily Show.”
That was fun. You just can’t take it too serious. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I did it, but Ed Helms was amazing. He did that whole thing ad lib.
When did you realize that you were participating in a spoof?
I think when he said something like, “Vagina tacos.” Or, when he asked, “Was it my dream to open a vagina pink restaurant?”—I think that’s when I was tipped off. Listen, that was my favorite interview I’ve ever done.
Jiyeon Yoo is Restaurants editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
