Hard Rock International Inc. (Orlando) moved its New York flagship cafe from its original location on 57th Street to the former site of the historic Paramount Theater in the center of Times Square. The theme retailer and restaurant transferred several piece of music memorabilia to the new location, including pieces from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Billy Joel, The Ramones and Elvis Presley.
The new café officially opened for business on August 12 with the smashing of more than 100 Gibson guitars, which it claims is the world’s largest guitar smash. The guitar smash kicked off a month-long celebration, which will include concerts and special events. The grand opening celebration benefited Peace Games.
“Relocating the New York Cafe to Times Square is an important strategic initiative,” said Hard Rock president and ceo Hamish Dodds. “Hard Rock Cafe New York will bring high-energy dining, live music and exciting entertainment events to New Yorkers and visitors alike, with the rock ‘n’ roll passion that has made Hard Rock world famous.”
The memorabilia being featured in the new cafe includes the doors to the Beatles’ Abbey Road Studios, Elvis’ tuxedo, hand-written lyrics by Jimi Hendrix, guitars played by Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton and stage costumes worn by Madonna and Gwen Stefani.
The new venue features a 708-seat restaurant, a recently opened 1800-square-foot Rock Shop with authentic Hard Rock merchandise and a Hard Rock Live concert venue for performances and special events. Furthermore, the cafe will have a unique outdoor space above the building’s historic marquee, where guests can host private parties.