In 1953, an ambitious young American publisher named Hugh Hefner launched Playboy magazine.

The periodicals then scandalous nude photos of Bucsum Vixen's helped ignite the sexual

revolution, and by the end of the decade, the man who went by Hef initiated the next phase

of his empire.

The first Playboy Club opened in 1960 in Chicago, Illinois.

A private nightclub chain catering naturally to men, with bunnies serving as cocktail

waitresses, it thrived throughout the 60s and 70s before beginning a prolonged refractory

period in the 80s.

But during the Playboy Club's heyday, a pair of men named Klaus and Arnie met his co-workers

at its Montreal branch.

Klaus the chef impressed Arnie the businessman by serving him the best burger he ever

tasted, and in 1978, the two struck out on their own, ditching the overt sexuality of

their former employer but retaining the elitism and air of exclusivity with their high-end

stake-house concept.

Using Arnie's last name as their branding, the duo claimed to offer, quote, the best

stake anywhere.

Perhaps appropriately giving its lascivious origins, though the restaurant now boasts

69 locations across America as the go-to chain for power-lunching businessmen, celebrities,

and the idol rich, or people who just want to experience a small sliver of that world.

This week on Doe Boys, Morton's The Steakhouse.

Welcome to Doe Boys, the podcast about chain restaurants.

I'm Nick Wiger alongside my coast as always.

...