Hyderabad, September 09: It’s not just a restaurant, it is a museum of rock culture, with authentic memorabilia from Rock ‘n’ Roll legends covering its walls.
After spreading the spirit of Rock ‘n’ Roll around the world since 1971, Hard Rock Cafe, a premium brand with Rock ‘n’ Roll sensibility at its core, is almost ready to rock the city this September. With guitars, racks of clothes, shelves of gold records — it was an incredible sight. ‘Love All, Serve All,’ the motto displayed at the entrance was adopted from Sathya Sai Baba.
David Holle, who started as a waiter in Hard Rock Cafe in New York, 25 years ago, is the person choosing the memorabilia for the location.
“Hard Rock Cafe has an acquisitions person, who goes to auctions in search of memorabilia. But often artists actually call the café and ask if they can sell or donate some of their collectibles, says Holle. “We don’t sell memorabilia, but we do have Hard Rock signature retail store – the Rock Shop, which offers a line of authentic Hard Rock Cafe items, including Hard Rock’s famous Classic and City T-shirts, as well as highly collectible accessories and pins.
“Hyderabad is an exciting and strategic city for us. The city has its culture and music and I am hopeful that Hard Rock will become the ultimate destination here. It is better known for its atmosphere than its food,” says Anibal Fernandez Lorden, director, Middle East, India, Africa franchise operations and development.
The walls are adorned with neat glass showcasing Madonna’s brown bret, Tina Turner’s black ankle boot, Keith Richards’ guitar, Elton John’s sunglasses and nearly 70 other such objects that are treat to a music lover’s eye. Michael Jackson’s black fedora hat is among the memorabilia.
The memorabilia being featured in Hard Rock includes some of the most valued and treasured pieces of Rock ‘n’ Roll history.
Hard Rock’s Memorabilia Collection has grown over the years through donations, auctions, and acquisitions from some of the world’s greatest musicians and artists.
Hard Rock strives to showcase this collection for music fans everywhere while preserving some of the most memorable moments of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
It is a brand that believes God is in the details and maintains high quality service at all times. It is not about coffee, it’s about music, finedining and entertainment.
The round bar and the inviting restaurant is a major entertainment place, with the popular retail shop on the first level, a must for all visitors.
Hard Rock International manages about 115 cafes – 65 of which are they own — across 41 countries.
Started by two Americans, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, it opened the first café in London in the early 70s, celebrating the Rock ‘n’ Roll spirit. The Hard Rock Cafe is going to open at GVK One Mall.
Rock and Relics
* Its memorabilia collection, which consists of more than 60,000 pieces that are rotated to different cafes, is considered as the world’s most comprehensive “visual history” of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and has prompted observers to describe the brand as a “cultural force.”
* The birth of Hard Rock International’s memorabilia collection is itself a part of music history. The collection began when Eric Clapton, a regular customer at the original Hard Rock Cafe London, asked the staff if he could hang his guitar on the wall to mark his favourite bar stool as his spot.
* Hard Rock also derives significant revenue as an accessory retailer.
Its merchandise, like T-shirts, lighters, shot glasses and music related products, is city-specific and has reached many markets across the world years before the brand actually set foot there.
* With more than 130 outlets in 40 countries around the world, Hard Rock Cafe has become a global phenomenon. These treasures include a collection of classic guitars and other instruments, posters, costumes, music and lyric sheets, album art, platinum and gold LPs and photos.
—Agencies