Hard Rock Cafe Opens in Newport
More than 15,000 of Orange County’s young and trendy gathered Sunday in a Fashion Island parking lot to welcome the latest addition to the local social scene: the Hard Rock Cafe.
The 250-seat rock-’n’-roll eatery, which opens to the public today, joins outlets in 10 other cities.
Determined not to be outdone by last month’s glitzy opening of rival Planet Hollywood--the movie eatery--at South Coast Plaza, the Hard Rock Cafe benefit struck a populist note. It featured half a dozen parachuting Elvis impersonators from the movie “Honeymoon in Vegas,” a circling beer company blimp, Christian bikers and a free concert by New Orleans’ Neville Brothers.
The band Thelonious Monster opened the outdoor concert, which lasted from midafternoon until dusk. Proceeds from food concessions and rides, as well as a $125-per-person benefit Saturday night, were earmarked for the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa.
There was a definite look to the crowd, which ranged from the unconsciously to the self-consciously hip. Much of the hair was blond, big or in ponytails. Fashion favorites ran toward the tight, black and low cut, often under denim or leather. But there were also a number of families with small children.
The Grammy-winning Neville Brothers were introduced to the crowd by the Hard Rock Cafe’s founder and owner, Peter Morton, who explained how happy he was to be in Orange County. Other cafes are in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, Aspen, Houston, San Francisco, New Orleans, Honolulu, Maui and Las Vegas. Estimated annual revenues for the chain exceed $100 million, the privately held company said.
Morton claims to be the world’s largest collector of rock-’n’-roll memorabilia, much of which is displayed in the chain’s restaurants.
The Newport Beach restaurant favors the area’s surf-and-skate culture, the company said. Between acts Sunday, Orange County’s famed “King of the Surf Guitars,” Dick Dale, presented the restaurant with two reproductions of his Fender Stratocasters.
Other Hard Rock Cafes, dubbed the “Smithsonian of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” feature such items as Michael Jackson’s jacket from the “Thriller” video, an original handbill for one of Bob Dylan’s first concerts in New York, eyeglasses worn by Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and the King himself.
Morton’s interests also runs strongly toward environmentalism, symbolized by Hard Rock’s credo, “Save the Planet.” Some profits are donated to a variety of environmental and socially responsible causes, according to the company, and within the restaurant, recycling is emphasized. Even the menus are printed on recycled paper.
The Los Angeles restaurant, which frequently draws long lines at its Beverly Center location, has a lighted sign above the entrance that keeps a running tally of the acres of rain forest lost to development.
Like the other Hard Rock Cafes, the Newport Beach outlet features hamburgers, fries, milkshakes, salads, sandwiches, grilled fish and chicken. T-shirts with the chain’s distinctive orange sun logo have become ubiquitous around the world.
* ADVANCE FUN: A crowd of 400 welcomed the Hard Rock Cafe to Newport Beach at a Saturday night benefit. E1
