I had lunch at Hard Rock on Beale yesterday… the management there contacted me and asked if they could buy me lunch and talk with me about the place. Like many Downtown locals, Hard Rock simply hasn’t been on my radar the past several years – there’s a tendency to dismiss it as just a chain restaurant where only tourists go. I have to admit, once I got in there I was surprised by a few things I learned:
– All their food is made from scratch in the kitchen, except for one very popular item (the spring rolls). As a corporate chain I’d assumed all the food was shipped in pre-prepared. That’s not the case, they told me. I had the chicken mac & cheese and it was definitely from scratch and very good. They said that’s why their food is slightly higher than other Beale restaurants – because they have to cover labor costs involved in preparing the food.
– When there’s a cover at the door for live events, it usually goes to charity. When local management suggests an event to corporate, corporate will often come back to them with the response, “That’s great. Now how can we partner with a charity and make this a win-win for both of us?” Except for very special events, they try to keep their cover reasonable, no more than $5.
– Authenticity is one of their key values. “If Jimmy Page came in here, we’d ask him to sign a guitar,” they told me, “but we couldn’t hang it on the wall. We’d probably auction it for charity. We couldn’t hang it on the wall because the guitar would have no significance. The guitars and clothes and other items you see on the wall here were used for a particular tour, or with a special show the band did.”
– They showed me their upstairs area, which is the second-largest publicly viewable collection of Elvis memorabilia in the world (obviously the largest is Graceland). They have a wedding picture which Priscilla came in and signed. They even have Elvis’ garbage can, encrusted with jewels, from one of his California homes.
I was pleasantly surprised by the place and will go back. They’re trying to be a locals’ destination for live music, so there should be some good shows there this year. I invited them to send me details of upcoming events, and I’ll post them as they do.
I will make one criticism though: Beer pricing. They told me they had to fight with corporate to do a $3 special on pints of Coors Light. If they want locals in there regularly, they need to understand that $3 Coors Light is hardly considered a “special” Downtown. Reminds me, I need to get back and do the long version of the “why I hang out the places I do Downtown” post that I promised a couple of months ago. “At least one value drinking option” is one of the things I look for, and that most Downtowners look for. Hard Rock management: Feel free to show this to corporate if it will help.
Overall though, I liked what I saw, and Hard Rock will be on my radar from now on. Thanks to management for the lunch and the tour.
Tonight is the annual Memphis Flyer Hotties party, to celebrate the “Hotties” named in the annual Valentine’s Day issue. It’s open to the public and will be at the Red Rooster from 5 to 8 PM tonight. There’s no cover, there will be happy hour drink specials, and they’ll have free hors d’ouevres. Free food… wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up?
Speaking of free food, thanks to the Flying Saucer, who put out a free buffet last night to thank its UFO members for their business. There was bratwurst and sauerkraut, cheese and crackers, pasta salad, and enormous fruit and vegetable trays. It was a very nice gesture that is much appreciated. It was also Valentine’s “Buy the Beer, Keep the Glass” night, although I wasn’t fond of the slogan, “I love you more than beer.” That’s just sacrilege.
At the Saucer, I watched the Memphis Tigers dominate Tulsa. Tulsa scored a total of 37 points… that’s the kind of score that’s rarely been seen since the shot clock and the three were adopted. Go Tiger defense! I had conversations with two people about Tyreke Evans, one who said that Tyreke will definitely go pro after this year, and another who said that there’s no way Tyreke will go pro and he wouldn’t even be a first-round pick. We shall see what happens… I am ready for March Madness to get here.
Meeting my BBQ team captain Chuck at the Center for Southern Folklore in a few minutes… it’s Thursday, which means it’s their Brown Bag concert series with lunchtime musical entertainment. They don’t have the artist posted on their site, so I guess this one will be a surprise.