The Hard Rock Café (HRC) and Hard Rock Hotels/Casinos are a series of highly successful businesses that offer entertainment, music, food, nostalgia and drinks. HRC is also famous for its music collectibles, including guitars used by industry icons (Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, etc.), fashion, live concerts, and Hard Rock Live performance venues. The first Hard Rock Café opened on June 14, 1971 in London, England. Founded by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, HRC rose to prominence and success almost immediately. Tigrett opened HRCs in New York, Boston, Washington DC, Dallas, Orlando, Paris and Berlin, while Morton developed HRCs in Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Various takeovers were carried out, starting with the takeover of Tigrett by “Mecca”, then by The Rank Group which acquired Mecca. In time, Mecca acquired Hard Rock America from Peter Morton, "consolidating global control of the brand," the Hard Rock website explains. ¹None of these consolidations and buyouts are of any benefit to the millions of happy customers who simply enjoy the atmosphere and music of HRCs around the world. The company's website calls the HRC experience "a truly global phenomenon." There are currently around 130 HRCs across the planet, including in places like Shanghai and Kuala Kumpur. HRC claims to have more than 70,000 pieces in its collection, including Bob Dylan's motorcycle and Elvis Presley's shotgun. The theme of HRC is of course rock music, but once inside a store the customer has the opportunity to explore the history of rock and roll, the roots of the music, some of the early pioneers including the names are not well known, and much more. Staying true to its original motif and theme is one of the hallmarks of HRC. « C...... middle of paper ......ndinguniverse.com.6- Johnny Rockets (2009).http://www.johnnyrockets.com7- Planet Hollywood. (2009).1http://www.planethollywood.com8- Hard rock internationalhttp://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=40000024329- Hard Rock Cafe casehttp://www.oppapers.com/essays /Hard-Rock-Cafe-Case-Study/154227 www.kitejunkies.com/images/hard-rock-01.gif http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Tigrett http://www.aviconpartners .com/pdfs/news/HardRock.pdf http://faculty.unlv.edu/kleong/SCM352PowerPoint_files/Chapter%2002%20Operations%20Strategy%207th%20Ed%202009.pdf http://www.slideshare.net /knksmart/introduction-471248 MacLaurin, Donald J. and MacLaurin, Tanya L. (2000). Customer perceptions of Singapore themed restaurants. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant AdministrationQuarterly. 41(3), 75-85.