London: 1971
Swinging London: A cultural revolution had taken place in London during the mid-to-late 1960’s. The British Invasion, led by the Beatles, introduced the world to “the London sound.” The greatest music of the time was coming out of the U.K. London was the center of the rock and roll scene. Art, fashion, and photography were all flourishing in the nations capital. Remember the movie Austin Powers? London was the place to be!
For two Americans living in London at the time, there was only one thing missing—good American food. So on June 14, 1971, in the posh section of Mayfair at Hyde Park Corner, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Mortan opened an American style diner, the Hard Rock Cafe. Problem solved!
As of today, the Hard Rock Cafe owns 185 cafe’s, 25 hotels, and 12 casinos in 74 countries. This empire, founded because two Americans couldn’t find a good burger in London, is now valued at roughly $1 billion.
As poetic as this all may sound, there’s more to the background of these two young founders. They were not your average Joe’s in search of a good meal. Morton is the son of Arnold “Arnie” Morton, a Chicago restauranteur, and founder of Morton’s Steakhouse. Tigrett’s father made his fortune as the patent holder for the “glub-glub drinking duck.” I guess you could say they were in a bit more advantageous position than, say—your average Joe!
Nevertheless, this small burger joint developed well beyond expectations. In fact, their initial lease—an old Rolls Royce dealership—was just six months. Certainly the landlord had low expectations. Yet today, the Hard Rock Cafe remains at this very location, almost fifty years later—and has since become one of the worlds most recognizable brands.
Memorabilia
Odds are you’ve been in a Hard Rock Cafe at some point in your life. Perhaps you’ve had the opportunity to stay at one of their hotels, or simply visit one of their casinos. Hard Rock Cafes are distinguished by their memorabilia. A trip to the Hard Rock is basically a trip to a museum—decorated with instruments, clothing, and other various props used by our “rock and roll” heros—except they function as restaurants, hotels, and casinos.
But did you know that the Hard Rock Cafe was open for years before it would see it’s first piece of memorabilia? In 1979—eight years after opening—Eric Clapton, a regular at the cafe, gave Tigrett a guitar to hang over his barstool to “mark” his spot. A week later, a package arrived with a guitar and a note saying, “mine is as good as his! Love, Pete.” Pete would be none other that Pete Townshend of the Who. From that point on, more artifacts were collected, and the Hard Rock Cafe became the place where rock and roll memorabilia decorated the walls.
Hard Rock Cafe Expansion
By 1979, Morton and Tigrett had their differences and would go their separate ways. Morton sold his London shares and opened the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles in 1982—the first Hard Rock to be opened in the U.S. Tigrett was opposed, and a legal squabble resulted. Morton won under the grounds of intellectual property. The two factions were divided for expansion, with a jointly owned licensing company controlling the shared trademark. In the U.S., the Mississippi River was the dividing line. Morton controlled locations to the west, Tigrett controlled the locations to the east.
In 1988, Tigrett sold his shares for $108 million to the London based Rank Organisation. He used this money to open the first House of Blues. In 1996, Rank, the same organization that acquired Tigrett’s shares, acquired Morton’s interest for $410 million, assuming full control of the Hard Rock brand. In 2006, Rank sold the franchise to the Seminole Indian Tribe in Florida for $965 million.
A Few Interesting Hard Rock Cafe Facts
- The Hard Rock Cafe logo was created in 1971 by Alan Aldridge, somewhat of a legend in his own right. His artwork has appeared on several album covers, some of which include the Beatles and The Who. Morton’s request was for their logo to have a simple design, modeled after a Chevrolet hood ornament. It was to be red, white, and blue, but it was decided it would be too “American.”
- The now famous Hard Rock Cafe tee shirts became popular by accident in 1974. They were originally created to sponsor a local football (soccer) team, simply featuring their basic Hard Rock logo. The extras were taken back to the restaurant and handed out to regulars. They became such a hit, people would show up to the restaurant to buy one—then sit and have food. I’ll bet you’ve owned one at some point in your life!
- Rumor has it, the name was influenced by the back sleeve of the Doors 1970 album “Morrison Hotel,” which depicts a fictional cocktail bar called, the Hard Rock Cafe. Apparently, this was noticed by Isaac Tigrett.
The Vault
Just across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe, you will find The Vault—the only rock and roll museum in London. The Vault, a unique fixture of the Hard Rock Cafe, is literally situated in the vault of an old Coutts Bank. The Vault contains some of the most valuable pieces of musical memorabilia on earth. These precious artifacts in the Vault are on display, just as they are in all Hard Rock locations, but with this exception: you don’t need to buy a meal to view the memorabilia in the Vault. The tour is free, but I promise you’ll spend your fair share in the gift shop above.
16 Years Later: I'm Back in the Vault
When I was in London sixteen years ago, the Hard Rock Cafe was a stop I had to make. I’m one of those “pin collectors,” and of course, I needed one from the location where it all started. It was then I first discovered the Vault. At the time, we were told that the Vault was the only Hard Rock location that allowed you to touch the memorabilia. As I discovered on this recent trip, this is no longer the case. But during my visit so many years ago, I had the honor of sitting on a bench once owned by Jimi Hendrix, and hold his custom made Gibson Flying V guitar—the one he played at the Isle of Wight festival in 1970.
Today, the bench remains pretty much as I remembered. The guitar, however—is now off limits. Locked away in a glass case, the public is no longer allowed to handle this legendary relic. As I stared through the glass, I had to wrap my head around the reality that I had once held this famous guitar that now lived behind a secured barrier—a museum piece—amongst the worlds most famous rock and roll collections. I couldn’t help but appreciate the unique opportunity I had once had.
A Tour Guide's Story of the Hard Rock Cafe
I struck up a conversation with our tour guide, and explained how I had been there once before. I even showed him a picture of myself holding the Flying V. I guess he realized I was a bit more than a casual visitor, and from that point forward, I had my own personal tour guide.
He told me a story about the creation of the Hard Rock Cafe … a story that does not seem to be written anywhere. It goes something like this: The Hard Rock Cafe, located just steps away from Buckingham Palace, lies in the Mayfair section of London. During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, this affluent section of the city in the “Queen’s backyard” was what you may refer to as, a bit “stuffy.” Typically, a suit was required to enter local establishments, or you wouldn’t get in. It was like that!
The Beatles had offices in the same section of town, just down Piccadilly—as he put it—past the “Ritz Carlton.” One Beatle in particular, George Harrison, had no interest in wearing a suit. He was looking for something a bit more “low key” in this posh section of town—something similar to what he had enjoyed in America—a place you could go in jeans and just have a burger. Apparently, this was not available in Mayfair.
The story goes that it was George Harrison who recruited Peter Morton and Isaac Tigrett—who he had been familiar with from time spent in the United States—to open this American style cafe which he so desired. The Hard Rock Cafe was the result of this venture. Whether this is true or not, I have no idea. I can find no documentation indicating George Harrison had an influence on the creation of the Hard Rock Cafe; however, hearing this story from one of the company’s tour guide’s is quite interesting, not to mention puzzling. Either way, it was a pretty good story!
A Tour Guide's Tip
Speaking about the Beatles, the tour guide asked, “I’m sure you went to Abbey Road, didn’t you?” He already knew the answer—yes! In fact, I had been there just the day before. He proceeded to ask another question, “but, did you visit the location of the Beatles famous rooftop concert?” He knew the answer to that as well—no! “You don’t know where it is, do you,” he asked. Once again, the answer was—no. He said, “of course you don’t, that’s because they don’t want you to know.”
It’s funny, his assumptions were all correct. I made it a point to go to Abbey Road, but made no effort to visit the location of the rooftop concert. It’s odd: I do a lot of research on various locations, but at no point did I ever look into a visit to the concert site—despite my knowledge of it’s historical importance. I had no idea where it even was—whether it was in the center of the city or on the outskirts. This was certainly a place I’d like to visit, yet I was content missing out on it. Shame on me!
The guide went on to explain why “they” don’t want you to know where it is. The rooftop concert took place on January 30, 1969 at Apple Corps, the Beatles multimedia corporation headquarters at 3 Savile Row in Mayfair. You may have heard of Savile Row, a street well known for it’s upscale shopping, particularly for tailoring. The bottom line is, they don’t want droves of tourists making a circus of this affluent area. They leave that to Abbey Road.
I had been in London all week, and would be heading back the next day. Prior to our Vault tour that night, I had no idea where the famous Beatles rooftop concert was held. I left there with the address, which turned out to be just a short walk from our hotel. Our flight would be departing the following day at 4pm, which meant there would be time to visit this iconic location before we went home.