An entrepreneurial Newcastle couple has unveiled plans to create the North East’s very first Hard Rock Cafe in a grand listed building in the city centre.
For the last 20 years David and Penny Tilly have run successful Washington care specialist Care-Ability, making and supplying moving equipment for the healthcare industry to local authorities and companies across the North East, Cumbria and Scotland.
Last year, however, the pair ventured into the leisure sector for the first time to realise longheld ambitions to run their own restaurant in Newcastle, called Nova Seafood.
Earlier this year the restaurant closed after the opportunity arose to take over plans to reinvigorate the Grade I listed Guildhall, on Newcastle Quayside.
Now, following 18 months of negotiations, the couple has emerged as the franchisees aiming to create the region’s first Hard Rock Cafe in part of the building, a former tourist information centre which has lain empty for several years.
A premises licence application has been submitted to the council, ahead of transforming the interior into the famed rock restaurant, which first opened close to London’s Hyde Park in 1971 and now has scores of venues in 74 countries, including seven in the 海角视频.
Mr Tilly said: “Penny and I are passionate supporters of the Hard Rock brand and have visited many locations around the world.
“When people visit a Hard Rock venue you know what to expect, with amazing service, authentic food, music and merchandise.
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“Iconic brands need iconic cities and we could never understand why no one had brought Hard Rock to Newcastle. We both have a huge amount of passion for our region and everything it has to offer.
“We can’t believe it’s finally happening after 18 months of discussions, with finding the right venue being a vital part of this process. Securing one of the most significant buildings in Newcastle in a fantastic location just adds to the immense achievement, completing what we believe will be one of the most talked about venues in the city.
“Hard Rock venues have a global following and Newcastle will be right up there with the best. We are delighted to play a part in helping attract local, national and international visitors to the region and to provide almost 60 new job opportunities for people who live here.
“For us there is no better place to bring a Hard Rock, the vibrant and energetic city of Newcastle is a perfect fit. We couldn’t be more excited that our dream of bringing the Hard Rock brand to our home region is now starting to become a reality.”
The plans were welcomed by NewcastleGateshead Initiative, which has spent the last year and a half working with Mr and Mrs Tilly on the plans.
Sarah Stewart, CEO, said: “We are naturally very excited about a global brand like Hard Rock potentially coming to our region. Hard Rock International already owns, operates and franchises cafes in 75 countries in iconic cities such as London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. We are delighted that we may be able to add ‘Newcastle’ to this list.
“Our inward investment team have been supporting David and Penny Tilly for the last 18 months, providing insights into our leisure and tourism industry and helping them to build a strong business case for investing in Newcastle. They’ve also been helping them to find a new location for the café, which is now in for planning permission with Newcastle City Council.
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“Hard Rock International attracts millions and millions of visitors to their cafes, hotels and casinos across the globe. Our city has been voted one of the top places to visit and already attracts 18 million visitors every year, this new brand will not only add to our cultural offer, it will create new jobs and play a significant role in the growth of our visitor economy. As well as visiting Hard Rock, new visitors will get the opportunity to experience everything else our vibrant city has to offer.”
The building was originally destined to be transformed into a licensed patisserie called Merchants by well known North East leisure entrepreneur Bob Senior, who helped to create Newcastle’s party city status in the 1990s through the numerous bars and clubs operated by his firm Ultimate Leisure.
Mr Senior had gained permisison to open a licensed cafe but brought in Mr and Mrs Tilly after concluding that a big name brand would make an ideal addition to the quayside area.
Mrs Stewart added: “We were blown away by David’s ambition as Hard Rock franchisee and are privileged to have played a part in this journey so far and look forward to working with his team as plans progress.”