Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of casual dining restaurants. It was founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, and their first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London, in a former Rolls Royce car dealerships showroom close to Hyde Park, where in 1979 they began to cover the walls with rock 'n' roll ephemera.

There are more than 143 Hard Rock Cafes in over 36 countries at current date, with several more in the works. Hard Rock was most popular in the 1980s when some people engaged in the hobby of visiting as many locations as possible and collecting a Hard Rock t-shirt bearing the Cafe logo and the location name. Pin collecting is an alternative for amassing of memorabilia.

Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of casual dining restaurants. It was founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, and their first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London, in a former Rolls Royce car dealerships showroom close to Hyde Park, where in 1979 they began to cover the walls with rock 'n' roll ephemera.

There are more than 143 Hard Rock Cafes in over 36 countries at current date, with several more in the works. Hard Rock was most popular in the 1980s when some people engaged in the hobby of visiting as many locations as possible and collecting a Hard Rock t-shirt bearing the Cafe logo and the location name. Pin collecting is an alternative for amassing of memorabilia.

Hard Rock Park - Theme Park

Hard Rock Cafe International announced in March 2006 the $400 million 150 acre Hard Rock Park that opens in the spring of 2008 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The park, billed as a totally immersive full-day attraction, appealing to visitors of all generations, is expected to draw an estimated 30,000 visitors per day and create more than 3,000 jobs, and is also the largest single investment in South Carolina history. The park will feature a large concert arena, which will feature headline entertainment, similar acts to those seen on the Hard Rock Live series filmed at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal City Walk in Orlando, Florida. The groundbreaking park will feature six unique, custom-designed zones and will include more than 40 attractions, a multi-purpose live music amphitheater, shows and state-of-the-art sound systems - uniquely developed for the project, roller coasters, children's play areas, restaurants, cafes and retail stores.

Seminole Tribe of Florida takeover

On December 7, 2006, Rank sold the Hard Rock business to the Seminole Tribe of Florida for US$965 million. Included in the deal are 124 Hard Rock Cafes, four Hard Rock Hotels, two Hard Rock Casino Hotels, two Hard Rock Live! concert venues, and stakes in three unbranded hotels. Rank is keeping the Hard Rock Casino in London, but will be changing its name. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is also not part of the deal, as it was sold by Peter Morton to Morgans Hotel Group in May 2006. The final takeover was mired in controversy, as another of the chain's suitors, Power Plant Entertainment, charged that Merrill Lynch sabotaged its acquisition efforts. On January 8, 2007, Rank Group shareholders approved the Seminoles' US$965 million offer. The Tribe expects to have finalized the deal by March 5, 2007. The Hollywood Casino/Hotel location gained some notoriety on February 8, 2007 when Anna Nicole Smith died there.

Music memorabilia

Hard Rock is better known for its atmosphere than its food. The cafes not only solicit donations of music memorabilia, but also purchase a number of items at auctions around the world. Hard Rock has the world's largest collection of such items. Memorabilia like autographed guitars, outfits from world tours and rare photographs are oft to be found mounted on cafe walls. The collection began in 1979 with the gift of a un-signed guitar (a Red Fender Lead II) from Eric Clapton, who was a regular at the first restaurant in London. Pete Townshend of The Who got wind of this and sent in one of his guitars, also un-signed. Attached was a note: "Mine's as good as his! Love, Pete." Hard Rock has so much material in its archive, over 70,000 items, that it opened a Hard Rock museum named "The Vault" in Orlando, Florida. It closed in 2004. The London Vault remains open, located near the original cafe.

Memorabilia is displayed on location for seven years before it is returned to Hard Rock headquarters in Orlando for archival storage. On occasion, Hard Rock has given an item back to its original owner, such as when Peter Frampton asked for his displayed guitar back.

Merchandise

Part of the Hard Rock Cafe's success is the inclusion of its own brand merchandise. The classic Hard Rock t-shirt was created when the original cafe sponsored a local football (soccer) team. The shirts became a popular item and lead to the creation of the line of merchandise that is an integral part of Hard Rock's business today. Besides the classic tee, there are many different styles of shirts, hats, jackets, glassware, shot glasses, and pins to name a few. Many of these items considered to be collectibles with many being cafe, hotel, or casino specific. These items can generally only be purchased on site, with few items being available from Hard Rock's website.

Hard Rock even has a pin club for those who collect pins, with members holding meetings to buy, sell, and trade pins.

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Merida (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmeɾiða]) is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan, and the largest city in southeastern Mexico. The city is also the seat of the eponymous Municipality. It is located in the northwest corner of the Yucatan Peninsula, about 35 km (22 mi) inland from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. In 2020 it had a population of 921,770 while its metropolitan area, which also includes the cities of Kanasín and Uman, had a population of 1,316,090.

The city's rich cultural heritage is a product of the syncretism of the Maya and Spanish cultures during the colonial era. It was the first city to be ever named American Capital of Culture and is the only city that has received the title twice. The Cathedral of Merida, Yucatan was built in the late 16th century with stones from nearby Maya ruins and is known to be the oldest cathedral in the mainland Americas. In addition, the city has the third largest old town district on the continent. In 2007, the city was visited by former U.S. President George W. Bush to meet with then-president of Mexico Felipe Calderon for the historic creation of the Merida Initiative.

Merida is often considered the safest city of Mexico and one of the safest cities in the Americas. In 2019 it hosted the 17th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, receiving more than 30 of them. It is a City of Gastronomy as part of the UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. The UN-Habitat's City Prosperity Index recognized Merida as the best city to live in Mexico for its high quality of life.The city was certified as an International Safe Community by the Karolinska Institute of Sweden for its high level of public security. Forbes magazine has ranked Merida three different times as one of the three best cities in Mexico to live, invest and do business.