Hard Rock Cafe Boston closing (Florida: hotels, buying, college)

[Remy11]

https://www.boston.com/food/restaura...-cafe-closing/

I remember going to the previous location in the Back Bay with the back of the black '57 Chevy emerging from the area over the front entrance. I always thought that location felt more like a true HRC versus the one in Faneuil Hall, but I'm still sad to see it closing nonetheless. Covid has really wreaked havoc on so many restaurants in the area. I wonder if there will be more closings down the road for HRC? I know it's certainly not as popular as it once was, but I still enjoy visiting the different restaurants when I travel and checking out the memorabilia.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by Remy11

https://www.boston.com/food/restaura...-cafe-closing/

I remember going to the previous location in the Back Bay with the back of the black '57 Chevy emerging from the area over the front entrance. I always thought that location felt more like a true HRC versus the one in Faneuil Hall, but I'm still sad to see it closing nonetheless. Covid has really wreaked havoc on so many restaurants in the area. I wonder if there will be more closings down the road for HRC? I know it's certainly not as popular as it once was, but I still enjoy visiting the different locations when I travel and checking out the memorabilia.

Not a huge loss as far as I'm concerned...I must admit I came to view Hard Rock as a chain. And as a rule, I avoid chains when I travel...heck, even here in Greater Boston for the most part. The only Hard Rock I've been to was in Helsinki...and only because an expat couple took me there for dinner! Way too generic for my liking.

[Remy11]

As a big music fan, I enjoyed checking out the different memorabilia collections in other cafes. That was always the draw for me.

[BostonMike7]

That sucks.

I have fond memories of that place as a college student in Boston 20 years ago.

[Remy11]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

That sucks.

I have fond memories of that place as a college student in Boston 20 years ago.

BostonMike7,
I definitely agree—lots of fond memories. I remember my mom, my best friend, and her mom taking us every year for our birthdays. We used to love buying the Signature Series t-shirts with images of artwork that different musicians had drawn featured on the back of the shirt. I remember one really cool one that had an image of Rhiannon that Stevie Nicks had drawn herself. It's now going for almost $200 online—I wish I kept mine.

[msRB311]

I didnt even realize it was still open. I remember in the early 90's those places were all the rage.

[Remy11]

They definitely were! I guess it moved from Back Bay (near the Back Bay station) to Faneuil Hall due to more foot traffic and a higher concentration of tourists back in 2007.

[msRB311]

I just had a flashback of Dick's last Resort. Did those close too?

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by Remy11

They definitely were! I guess it moved from Back Bay (near the Back Bay station) to Faneuil Hall due to more foot traffic and a higher concentration of tourists back in 2007.

I think the current location is OK at best. On paper, it's close to all of the touristy stuff, but it's still kind of a crappy spot. It's a garden level space underneath a parking garage which is the only building on a small triangle parcel that's surrounded by high car/truck traffic streets, and there's very little additional retail facing it. Even with all of the tourists in the area, I don't think a ton of foot traffic actually passes by the entrance. Most of it is another block up (Freedom Trail, at North/Union) where you can't really even see the Hard Rock, or along the Greenway on the back side of the Garage. They probably would have had more success being in the actual Faneuil Hall area - like where Abercrombie is, or down at the other end where the Gap, Banana Republic, etc. are. But then again, they've closed quite a few restaurants all over the world in the last decade, so maybe it's more than just a mediocre location.

I loved the chain as a kid/teen. I had a pretty decent Hard Rock glassware collection by the time I got to college. And while I haven't been to a Hard Rock in years (last time was Boston for a drink in 2017), I've stayed at and visited a few Hard Rock Hotels. Those are pretty great (and seemingly very popular) and it does seem like the brand has really focused on that aspect of business in recent years.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by msRB311

I just had a flashback of Dick's last Resort. Did those close too?

It resorted to closing it's Boston location back in 2020.

Fun fact - Dick's Last Resort is owned by Deja Vu Services, Inc., an owner and operator of 200 strip clubs worldwide as well as gay bars, video production companies, and adult themed retail stores.

Fun fact II - Hard Rock is owned by the Seminole Indian tribe of Florida.