Hard Rock Cafe was founded in London in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, who set out to bring authentic American burgers to a city that didn’t have it. Music has been an important part of Hard Rocks history, annually they host over 35.000 live performances worldwide. In the Hard Rock Cafes sat musicians and guests side to side.
The memorabilia collection started when musician Eric Clapton hung his guitar above his regular stool at the bar to mark his spot. A week later Peter Townshend also sent his guitar to mark his spot. Now the cafe has a global archive of over 80,000 items, rotating across more than 300 locations worldwide. The Amsterdam location has been on Max Euweplein since 1999.
The building lies along the Singel gracht canal with floor-to-ceiling windows, a waterside terrace and a dock. Six rooms across three floors each have their own character, from the bright, window-lined main restaurant to the darker, industrial Rock Bar at the back. The Amsterdam location holds its own section of the global memorabilia collection
