The interior of the Hard Rock Cafe in Newcastle is set to be stripped and sold off following its collapse into administration.
The former cafe closed its doors for good earlier this month, having served up American diner-style fayre alongside music memorabilia and merchandise since 2021 when the Guildhall on Newcastle Quayside became home to the franchise’s first restaurant in the region.
The venue, launched by David and Penny Tilly who had previously run successful companies in the care sector, also provided a platform for music acts, regularly featuring live performances from local bands, tribute acts, and special guests. However, having filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators in February, administrators from Newcastle’s FRP Advisory were appointed on March 17, when the café officially ceased trading.
Now the assets of the cafe have been put up for sale by Gordon Brothers, on behalf of joint administrators Steve Ross and Tonya Allison of FRP Advisory. The items set to be sold off include the fully equipped commercial kitchen, bar furniture and refrigeration equipment, freestanding dining tables and booths, media walls, Bose sound system, lighting system and neon signage.
The restaurant also featured a collection of music memorabilia, including signed guitars, clothing, rare photographs and even a handwritten love letter by Amy Winehouse. The memorabilia represented artists including Sting, The Animals, Ed Sheeran, Mark Knopfler, Alicia Keys, Dua Lipa, Two Door Cinema Club, The 1975 and AC/DC, although it’s not yet known what happens to the collectibles.
Offers are due by April 4 for the kitchen, bar furniture and other restaurant equipment.
A statement by FRP Advisory said: “Antonya Allison and Steven Philip Ross, of FRP Advisory, were appointed Joint Administrators of The Hardrock Café franchise at Quayside in Newcastle on 17th March 2025. Despite efforts to find a positive way forward for the Company, it has unfortunately had to cease trading. FRP is supporting employees with applications to the redundancy payments service and marketing the business’s assets for sale.”
Following its closure, a statement from Hard Rock Cafe said: “The Hard Rock Cafe franchise location in Newcastle has enjoyed serving the community for four years and playing a role in the city’s dining culture.
“While this cafe location has closed, Hard Rock International looks forward to welcoming guests at its other cafes in the Ƶ including in London Old Park Lane, London Piccadilly Circus, Manchester and Edinburgh locations as well as its other 300+ cafes, hotels and casinos in over 70 countries around the world. Additionally, we are opening 12 new Hard Rock Cafe locations this year.”
The Hard Rock Cafe chain was founded in the 1970s by American businessmen Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton. Its first site in London began the tradition of having rock and pop memorabilia on its walls. The company now operates hundreds of venues around the world, with a mixture of directly-owned cafes and franchises run by other companies.
