Bangkok's refurbished Hard Rock Caf้e adds to the success of its global anniversary
If you enjoy the buzz at the Hard Rock Caf้e in Bangkok's Siam Square, you'll be interested to know that chain is now (already!) 40 years old.
The first Hard Rock Caf้e opened in London in 1971, and its quirky funkiness drew customers like Eric Clapton, who befriended founders Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton and had a table always reserved for him.
The guitar god liked the place so much that he let them hang one of his Fender axes on the wall. That's how Hard Rock Caf้es got their start as museums of music memorabilia.
There are now 133 branches in 51 countries, plus 14 hotels and casinos, making the Hard Rock brand a success beyond anyone's imagination. Movie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis tried to mimic that success with their Planet Hollywood chain, but it's struggled to survive.
That's the main reason why the Hard Rock Caf้e is making a big deal of its four decades, says chief executive Hamish Dodds, who was in Bangkok last Wednesday for the occasion.
"The 40th anniversary means a lot to us," he said. "Not many restaurant, hospitality or merchandise brands have been around for 40 years. For us it's a time to think about the next 40 years, how we can remain relevant to young people in Asia. It's a challenge to keep our brand fresh with young people."
Dodds oversaw the Bangkok outlet's recent revamp. Its interior design is now "more youthful, contemporary and synchronous with the city", he said, and replaces a layout that was just a copy of the branches found everywhere else.
"We want each caf้e to look different, so the one in Bangkok is different from the ones in Pattaya and Phuket." And the image-upgrading strategy extends to different experiences and tastes in music and dining.
Dodds is casting an eye over the many Asian cities that still don't have a Hard Rock outlet. He just opened a caf้e in Hong Kong last Tuesday and openings elsewhere are scheduled - including a Hard Rock Hotel in Bangkok.
"There are many cities in Asia we can go to, but we don't want to become McDonald's or Starbucks. Our goal isn't to have 40 outlets in every city - we want one outlet per city."
Asians have more purchasing power these days, especially younger people, Dodds pointed out, and globalisation has made Asian youths more outgoing and self-confident, though not necessarily more Westernised. Trends can move East to West as well.
"Asian consumers are more aware of their own environment and are looking for their own special locations and experiences. For us, that's good news," Dodds said.
Hard Rock's menu is food made from scratch, in-house, using fresh local ingredients, even if every dish is "American comfort food - familiar to people around the world.
"It's also an expression of American taste and American cuisine."
The chain is also committed to promoting local musicians, mainly through its global "Battle of the Bands" competition. And there's always that stuff on the walls. "Musicians trust us to look after their memorabilia - we never sell it."
The chain supports more than 25 good causes around the world as well, most recently the "Imagine There's No Hunger" campaign.
"We're an organisation that cares," Dodds said. "At Hard Rock it's a little special. We take it seriously. We have some global programmes. Locally we support a Thai charity [the Pattanarak Foundation] that responds to the needs of children on the Burma border."
It gives US$50,000 a year to the foundation.
"The situation on the border is good because most of the children are being fed - nobody is starving or dying," he said.
"But the people need funds for agricultural programmes. If they don't have support they'd be in trouble. We support them to grow vegetables and produce for themselves."
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