Nearly one year ago, on March 31, 2014, Hard Rock Café on Charlotte St. in downtown Nassau closed abruptly. The café reopened under new ownership in May 2014 and many of the original employees were retained to ensure that the heart and soul of the brand would remain in tact. Hard Rock Café has reentered the market with a new facelift that includes a retooled exterior facade with upgraded flags strategically placed directional signage throughout downtown, enhanced lighting and a new attitude.
“New programs and events have been debuting since the beginning of February and more are soon to come,” said Andre’ Dixon, chief operating officer of Hard Rock Café Nassau and Grand Cayman.
“We have a vested interest in ensuring that the local community really believes in our motto of ‘love all, serve all’. They’ll believe it when we live it and display it, so it’s up to us to prove it by welcoming everyone with open arms.”
Dixon and his crew have added things like a happy hour program called “Six in the City” that focuses on catering to the after-work crowd. It features two for one martini’s and other specials from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The newly formed “Sing Like a Star” karaoke event (hosted by Sean Mullings Karaoke company) is held every Friday starting at 9 p.m. and has been a bit hit.
“Last Friday night, it was standing room only in here”, said Nakia Hield, a holdover from the original Hard Rock crew who manages the bar and event promotions at the café.
She’s been behind the effort to build more nighttime and evening business and embraces the approach by the new owners.
“They’ve shown us that they’re serious about making Hard Rock Café a home for locals and we’re very happy about it,” Hield said.
The café is also introducing another themed night every Saturday at 10 p.m. called EDM Mania, which will feature the best in electric dance music, house and techno music and will be augmented by synchronizing the music with videos throughout the room. DJ Fab DaFuture is the featured deejay.
Hard Rock Café is also a great place for food and drinks. The café recently introduced a new menu that includes grilled salmon, a 16-ounce cowboy rib-eye steak and an Arugula salad. However, the smokehouse ribs and the twisted mac, chicken ‘n cheese are still crowd favorites, along with an assortment of drinks that include margaritas, hurricanes and smoothies.
Hard Rock also maintains its reputation as the premiere stop for an assortment of great T-shirts and memorabilia.
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