Hard Rock Cafe

Company type	Private
Industry	Casual dining restaurants, casinos, hotels
Founded	London, England June 14, 1971
Headquarters	Orlando, Florida, United States
Key people	Hamish Dodds, President/CEO John Galloway, CMO Tom Gispanski, CFO Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, Founders
Owner	Seminole Tribe of Florida
Website	http://www.hardrock.com

Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2007, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.^[1][2] Currently, there are 175 Hard Rock locations in 53 countries with the largest in Orlando.

History

Restaurants

The first Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) opened 14 June 1971, in London, England under the ownership of young Americans Peter Morton and Isaac Tigrett. Hard Rock initially had an eclectic decor but it later started to display memorabilia. Hard Rock has amassed one of the largest collections of rock and roll memorabilia in the world. The chain began to expand worldwide in 1982 with locations in (among others) Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Paris and Berlin.^[3] Hard Rock Cafe locations in the United States vary from smaller, more tourist driven markets (Biloxi, Destin, Gatlinburg, Key West, etc.) to large metropolises (Houston, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, etc.). Hard Rock Cafe does not franchise cafe locations in the United States. All US Cafes are corporate owned and operated.^[4]

In 1990, The Rank Group, a London-based leisure company, acquired Mecca Leisure Group and continued expansion of the concept in its geographic territory. Rank went on to purchase Hard Rock America from Peter Morton as well as Hard Rock Canada from Nick Bitove. After the completion of these acquisitions, Rank gained worldwide control of the brand. In March 2007, the Seminole Tribe of Florida acquired Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. and other related entities from Rank for US$965 million.^[1] In 2008, anonymous members of the wait staff criticized the business because of its practice of paying them less than half the official minimum wage in the UK, with the business allocating tips to staff to bring their salaries within the law. Most customers, it was argued, do not realize that they are subsidizing a low wage when they give the tip.^[5]

Music memorabilia

HRC is known for its collection of rock and roll memorabilia. The cafes solicit donations of music memorabilia but also purchase a number of items at auctions around the world, including autographed guitars, costumes from world tours and rare photographs; these are often to be found mounted on cafe walls. The collection began in 1979 with an un-signed Red Fender Lead II guitar from Eric Clapton, who was a regular at the first restaurant in London. Clapton wanted management to hang the guitar over his regular seat in order to lay claim to that spot, and they obliged. This prompted Pete Townshend of The Who to give one of his guitars, also un-signed with the note "Mine's as good as his! Love, Pete."^[6] Hard Rock's archive includes over 70,000 items and was briefly displayed in a Hard Rock museum named "The Vault" in Orlando, Florida from January 2003 until September 2004. After the closure, items were disbursed to various restaurant locations.^[7] The London Vault remains open and free to visitors, located near the original cafe.^[8] In 2005, Deep Purple launched its new album Rapture of the Deep in Hard Rock Cafe London. This show at the release party itself was released as a DVD.^[9]

Expansion into other businesses

Casinos and hotels

In 1995, Peter Morton spent $80 million to open the Hard Rock Hotel near the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. A subsequent $100 million expansion in 1999 nearly doubled the hotel's capacity.^[10]

In May 2006, Morton sold the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas to Morgans Hotel Group for $770 million, including the rights to the Hard Rock Hotel brand west of the Mississippi, including Texas, California, Australia and Vancouver, British Columbia.^[11] The hotel began another expansion in 2007 at a cost of $750 million. The project added 875 rooms in two towers and expanded meeting space.^[12] In March 2011, Morgans surrendered control of the property to partner Brookfield Asset Management citing the high debt on the property in the face of the economic downturn.^[13]

Today, the Seminole Tribe of Florida owns and operates all units except the Las Vegas property. In 2004, Hard Rock International and Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts launched Lifestar Hoteles España SL, a joint venture that manages Europe's first Hard Rock Hotel in Madrid. The other joint venture hotels are in Chicago, New York and San Diego (the San Diego property includes Hard Rock condominiums). Hard Rock also operates hotels and resorts in Orlando, Florida, a joint venture with Loews Hotels; Bali, Indonesia; and Pattaya, Thailand, a joint ventures with Ong Beng Seng/Hotel Properties Limited. Hard Rock International, continues to expand internationally (including hotels, casinos, resorts, and condominiums) through several joint ventures (Becker Ventures, Ong Beng Seng/Hotel Properties Limited and Loews Hotels) including hotels in Chicago, Bali, Orlando, Penang, San Diego, Singapore and planned opening in Abu Dhabi, Cancun, Dubai, Hungary, Panama, Punta Cana and Vallarta ^[14] - as well as hotel-casinos in [[Hollywood, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Biloxi, Mississippi; Las Vegas, Nevada; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Catoosa, Oklahoma, near Tulsa.^[2] Hard Rock is also scheduled to open a hotel & casino on the Boardwalk of Atlantic City by 2015.^[15]

A location in Atlantic City, New Jersey was planned but canceled. International locations include

• Hard Rock Casino, at The Printworks in Manchester, United Kingdom (closed).
• Hard Rock Hotel, at the City of Dreams in Macau.
• Hard Rock Hotel, at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore.
• Hard Rock Hotel Penang

Hard Rock Park

Hard Rock Cafe International announced in March 2006 that it licensed the "Hard Rock" name to HRP Myrtle Beach Operations, LLC, to design, build, and operate a $400 million 150-acre (0.61 km²) theme park called Hard Rock Park. Hard Rock Park opened on April 15, 2008 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The park was expected to draw an estimated 30,000 visitors per day, promised to create more than 3,000 jobs, and was billed as the largest single investment in South Carolina history. It planned to feature a large concert arena and six zones with more than 40 attractions. HRP Myrtle Beach Operations, LLC, filed for Chapter 11 on September 25, 2008. The company hoped to re-open in 2009 after restructuring.^[16] On January 2, 2009 after failing to attract a buyer with a minimum $35 million bid for over 2 months, Hard Rock Park asked a Delaware Bankruptcy Court to convert the filing to Chapter 7 (triggering immediate liquidation of assets to pay off creditors) and closing the park.^[17]

New owners renamed the venue Freestyle Music Park and planned to reopen retaining a music-theme but, without the Hard Rock name by Memorial Day, 2009. The park only operated one additional year and never reopened due to poor attendance.^[18]

Acquisition by the Seminole Tribe of Florida

On December 7, 2006, Rank sold its Hard Rock business to the Seminole Tribe of Florida for $965 million. Included in the deal were 124 Hard Rock Cafes, four Hard Rock Hotels, two Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hotels, two Hard Rock Live! concert venues, and stakes in three unbranded hotels. Rank retained the Hard Rock Casino in London, and rebranded it the G Casino Piccadilly. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was also not part of the deal, as it was sold by Peter Morton to Morgans Hotel Group in May 2006.^[19] The final takeover was mired in controversy, due to a payment clause in a contract with one casino developer, Power Plant Entertainment. Power Plant and the Seminoles announced a settlement in April 2007 which both sides called equitable.^[20]

On January 8, 2007, Rank shareholders approved the Seminoles' $965 million offer. The Tribe announced it finalized the deal on March 11, 2007.^[21] The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida gained some notoriety on February 8, 2007 when Anna Nicole Smith died while occupying a room in the hotel.^[22]

On June 22, 2008, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood began "Vegas-style" table gambling in addition to the Class II slots already in operation. To win approval for the table games, which were barred under Florida law, the Seminole Tribe paid the State of Florida $100 million as part of a 25-year pact signed by Governor Charlie Crist. On July 3, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the governor's agreement was unconstitutional, but table games continue to operate because the Federal Department of the Interior approved the now-invalid pact with the state.^[23]

List of Hard Rock Cafes

This list currently mentions Hard Rock Cafes only and not the other type of venues, such as Bars and Hotels.

Note: The list can be variously sorted using the icon.

Location (city) Location (country) Established Status London United Kingdom June 14, 1971 Open Toronto Canada June 23, 1978 Open Los Angeles United States October 24, 1982 Closed December 31, 2006 [24] Tokyo Roppongi Japan July 4, 1983 Open New York United States April 12, 1984 Relocated on August 12, 2005 San Francisco United States September 10, 1984 Closed August 26, 2002, Relocated to Fisherman's Wharf Stockholm Sweden April 16, 1985 Open Chicago United States June 17, 1986 Open Houston United States November 6, 1986 Relocated May 21, 2000 Dallas United States November 28, 1986 Relocated July 15, 2009 Cancún Mexico June 9, 1987 Open Honolulu United States July 17, 1987 Relocated May 21, 2000 Reykjavík Iceland July 25, 1987 Closed May 31, 2001 New Orleans United States December 11, 1987 Relocated December 29, 2012 La Jolla United States December 11, 1988 Closed October 13, 2008 Sydney Australia April 1, 1989 Closed October 22, 2007, Relocated July 8, 2011. Toronto SkyDome Canada June 6, 1989 Closed September 27, 2009 Boston United States June 12, 1989 Relocated July 2, 2007 Acapulco Mexico December 8, 1989 Open Washington DC United States January 1, 1990 Open Singapore Singapore February 6, 1990 Open Orlando United States June 7, 1990 Relocated December 11, 1998 Maui United States July 23, 1990 Open Las Vegas at Hard Rock Hotel United States September 7, 1990 Open Montreal Canada September 20, 1990 Closed September 27, 2009 Puerto Vallarta Mexico December 30, 1990 Open Aspen United States January 22, 1991 Closed November 1, 2000 Calgary Canada April 1, 1991 Closed June 1, 2000 Bangkok Thailand April 22, 1991 Open Kuala Lumpur Malaysia November 23, 1991 Open Paris France November 24, 1991 Open Osaka Japan January 17, 1992 Closed September 14, 2001 Tijuana Mexico April 26, 1992 Closed June 19, 2008 Berlin Germany May 18, 1992 Relocated April 26, 2010 Jakarta Indonesia October 2, 1992 Originally located in Sarinah. First relocation to Plaza Indonesia Entertainment X'nter in July 2004. Second relocation to Pacific Place to commence in April 2013. Atlanta United States November 9, 1992 Open Newport Beach United States November 23, 1992 Closed June 23, 2005 St. Thomas US Virgin Islands, United States December 17, 1992 Closed April 24, 2005 San Juan Puerto Rico, United States March 5, 1993 Closed April 22, 2011 Tel Aviv Israel July, 1993, Closed December, 1997 Miami United States September 21, 1993 Open Mexico City Mexico September 23, 1993 Open Bali Indonesia October 3, 1993 Open Taipei Taiwan December 22, 1993, Closed February 3, 2002 Beijing China May 14, 1994 Closed Sept 30, 2012 Nashville United States June 21, 1994 Open Cozumel Mexico October 22, 1994 Open Hong Kong Kowloon China November 13, 1994 Closed November 24, 2008. Relocated to Lan Kwai Fong Madrid Spain November 25, 1994 Open San Antonio United States January 12, 1995 Open Kanata Canada January 15, 1995 Closed September 2, 2002 Hong Kong at Chater Road China March 18, 1995 Closed October 1, 1999 Vancouver Canada June 6, 1995 Closed June 1, 2000 Edmonton Canada July 7, 1995 Closed June 1, 2000 Myrtle Beach United States July 10, 1995 Open Copenhagen Denmark July 18, 1995 Open Whistler Canada September 5, 1995 Closed June 1, 2000 Buenos Aires Argentina October 15, 1995 Open Melbourne Australia October 21, 1995 Closed October 21, 2007 Phoenix United States October 21, 1995 Relocated February 25, 2002 Banff Canada October 22, 1995 Closed June 1, 2000 Taichung Taiwan December, 1995 Closed December, 1996 Cabo San Lucas Mexico December 10, 1995 Open Antwerp Belgium December 15, 1995 Closed April 24, 1997 Makati Philippines December 15, 1995 Open Hollywood at Universal City Walk United States January 12, 1996 Open Surfers Paradise Australia March 22, 1996 Open Ottawa Canada June 26, 1996 Open Niagara Falls USA United States July 10, 1996 Open Shanghai China August 2, 1996 Closed March 28, 2004 Guangzhou China September 2, 1996 Closed May 18, 2003 Key West United States September 27, 1996 Open Atlantic City United States November 15, 1996 Open Cape Town South Africa November 22, 1996 Closed June 17, 2001 Seoul South Korea December 2, 1996 Closed Niagara Falls Canada Canada December 9, 1996 Open Beirut Lebanon December 19, 1996 Open Shenzhen China May 27, 1997 Closed November, 1998 Nagoya Japan July 1, 1997 closed [when?] Baltimore United States July 4, 1997 Open Yokohama Japan July 18, 1997 Open Sacramento United States August 13, 1997 Closed March 20, 2010 Amman Jordan August 14, 1997 Closed September, 2000 Bahrain Bahrain October 4, 1997 Open Barcelona Spain November 10, 1997 Open Memphis United States November 16, 1997 Open Dubai United Arab Emirates December 13, 1997 Closed for relocation March 8, 2009 Philadelphia United States January 15, 1998 Open Lima Peru August 1997 Closed December 3, 2001. Relocated on December 2012. Edinburgh United Kingdom March 28, 1998 Open Guam United States May 10, 1998 Open Ankara Turkey May 27, 1998 Closed February 8, 2002 Lake Tahoe United States June 30, 1998 Open Cleveland United States July 2, 1998 Open Salt Lake City United States July 10, 1998 Closed December 7, 2008 Kona United States July 21, 1998 Closed July 21, 2008 Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt July 24, 1998 Open San Diego United States July 28, 1998 Open Saipan Northern Mariana Islands, United States August 18, 1998 Open St Louis United States August 24, 1998 Open Denver United States November 5, 1998 Open Guadalajara Mexico November 7, 1998 Closed October, 2008 Rome Italy December 10, 1998 Open Orlando United States December 11, 1998 Open Amsterdam Netherlands March 20, 1999 Open Indianapolis United States April 13, 1999 Open Kobe Japan April 27, 1999 Closed December 31, 2003 Ft. Lauderdale United States July 7, 1999 Closed May 9, 2004. Relocated to Hollywood, FL Gatlinburg United States September 5, 1999 Open Oasis United Kingdom April 14, 2000 Closed January 31, 2002 Fukuoka Japan April 26, 2000 Open Cayman Islands United Kingdom April 28, 2000 Open Houston United States May 21, 2000 Open Rio de Janeiro Brazil June 27, 2000 Closed for relocation July 25, 2011, Shop located at base of Corcovado currently Manchester United Kingdom September 12, 2000 Open Malta Malta November 25, 2000 Open Osaka Universal Japan March 22, 2001 Open Cairo Egypt May 4, 2001 Closed December 31, 2010 Belfast United Kingdom May 10, 2001 Closed September 25, 2004 Queenstown New Zealand May 28, 2001 Closed September 28, 2004 Managua Nicaragua May, 2001 Closed December, 2001 Osaka Japan September 14, 2001 Open Bogotá Colombia October 1, 2001 Open Pattaya Thailand October 15, 2001 Open Birmingham United Kingdom November 19, 2001 Closed May 5, 2007 Phoenix United States February 25, 2002 Open Austin United States February 27, 2002 Closed January 2, 2006 Munich Germany February 25, 2002 Open Tokyo Ueno-Eki Japan March 25, 2002 Open Nottingham United Kingdom June 5, 2002 Closed November 12, 2007 Pittsburgh United States June 24, 2002 Open San Francisco United States August 26, 2002 Open Minneapolis United States September 12, 2002 Closed September 30, 2011 Leeds United Kingdom December 2, 2002 Closed July 2, 2007 Cologne Germany April 28, 2003 Open Lisbon Portugal June 12, 2003 Open Moscow Russia September 17, 2003 Open Cardiff United Kingdom October 13, 2003 Closed October 12, 2010 Nassau Bahamas October 21, 2003 Open Detroit United States November 10, 2003 Open Catania Italy February 24, 2004 Closed November, 2006 Hollywood FL United States May 11, 2004 Open Louisville United States May 31, 2004 Open Dublin Ireland June 29, 2004 Open Destin United States July 2, 2004 Open Foxwoods United States August 20, 2004 Open Royal DeCameron Resort Panama September 8, 2004 Open Panama Panama September 8, 2004 Open Athens Greece September 14, 2004 Open Hurghada Egypt November 12, 2004 Open Kuwait Kuwait November 20, 2004 Open Gothenburg Sweden December 10, 2004 Open Caracas Venezuela May 12, 2005 Open New York United States August 12, 2005 Open Gran Canaria Spain December 2, 2005 Closed October, 2009 Oslo Norway December 12, 2005 Open Belo Horizonte Brazil December 23, 2005 Open Santo Domingo Dominican Republic July 14, 2006 Open Mumbai India September 12, 2006 Open Narita Japan September 15, 2006 Closed August 2012 Ocho Rios Jamaica November 22, 2006 Closed February 3, 2011 Margarita Venezuela November 27, 2006 Open Warsaw Poland February 8, 2007 Open Biloxi United States July 1, 2007 Open Boston United States July 2, 2007 Open Punta Cana Dominican Republic July 2, 2007 Open Fiji Fiji December 4, 2007 Open Cartagena Colombia December 13, 2007 Open Bengaluru India December 29, 2007 Open Singapore Changi Airport Singapore January 9, 2008 Open Bucharest Romania January 20, 2008 Open Seoul South Korea April 8, 2008 Closed April, 2009 Mallorca Spain November 29, 2008 Open Aruba Aruba, Netherlands December 12, 2008 Open Pune India January 11, 2009 Open Yankee Stadium United States March 30, 2009 Open Prague Czech Republic April 3, 2009 Open Venice Italy April 9, 2009 Open New Delhi India June 4, 2009 Open Dallas United States July 15, 2009 Open Las Vegas United States September 5, 2009 Open Penang Malaysia September 15, 2009 Open Hyderabad India September 21, 2009 Open Marbella Spain October 30, 2009 Open Phuket Thailand November 29, 2009 Open Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam December 17, 2009 Open (rights owned by the Highlands Coffee conglomerate) Seattle United States February 10, 2010 Open Sentosa Singapore April 22, 2010 Open Berlin Germany April 26, 2010 Open Kraków Poland June 4, 2010 Open Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd United States July 19, 2010 Open Medellín Colombia September 3, 2010 Open Honolulu United States November 22, 2010 Open Glyfada Greece December 16, 2010 Open Sint Maarten Netherlands December 20, 2010 Open Tampa United States December 21, 2010 Open Hong Kong at Lan Kwai Fong China April 18, 2011 Open Florence Italy June 14, 2011 Open[25] Sydney Australia July 8, 2011 Open Costa Maya Mexico August 16, 2011 Open Hamburg Germany August 17, 2011 Open [26] Dubai United Arab Emirates November 18, 2011 Open [27] Budapest Hungary December 14, 2011 Open [28] Macau China February 14, 2012 Open New Buffalo, Michigan at Four Winds Casino Resort United States July 11, 2012 Open [29] Brussels at Grand Place Brussels Belgium July 31, 2012 Open [30] Nicosia Cyprus October 14, 2012 Open Helsinki Finland October 15, 2012 Open Lima Peru December 19, 2012 Open Santiago Chile December 20, 2012 Open New Orleans United States December 29, 2012 Open Hanoi Vietnam 2012 Planned [31] Nabq Egypt 2012 Planned [31] Melaka Malaysia 2012 Planned [31] Colombo Sri Lanka 2012 Planned [31] San José Costa Rica 2012 Planned [31] Guatemala City Guatemala 2012 Opening Scheduled for December 2012[31] Chennai India 2012 Planned [31] Limassol Cyprus 2013 Planned Curitiba Brazil 2013 Planned [31] Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia 2013 Planned [31] Doha Qatar 2013 Planned [31] Cali Colombia 2014 Planned [31]