How many Hard Rocks have you visited?
I am currently at 84. My goal was to hit 50 by year-end 2000, 75 by year-end 2002... both barely accomplished in time. And now my goal is to hit 100 by year-end 2005.

What's with the "1/2 visit" you keep jabbering on about?
That would be for Kanata, Canada. This cafe had a bizarre hours, and I had a very narrow window for visiting before they closed for the week. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed, so I didn't make it. To make matters worse, the cafe was ultimately closed (with no notice, of course) before I could make it back. I did, however, actually go to the cafe and take a picture while I was in Ottawa, so I count it as a "half visit."

Have you REALLY visited EIGHTY-FOUR Hard Rocks?
YES! But that doesn't stop this from being the #1 question that people email to me. Every picture on this site was taken by me as I visited the property in question. NO, I'm not making this up... NO, people don't send me the photos... NO, I didn't steal the photos from the Hard Rock web site. If you find 84 to be unbelievable, my friend Michael has been to 106 (including exotic locations like Bogota and Beirut)!

When did you start visiting Hard Rock Cafes?
My first Hard Rock visit was while on vacation with friends in Maui, 1990. Later, while visiting relatives in La Jolla, I spotted another Hard Rock Cafe and was instantly hooked! Since that time, I've tried to get to as many properties as I'm able.

Why are you doing this?
Well, no particular reason... but I like to travel, and the wide variety of locations for Hard Rock Cafes gives me new destinations to explore. Odds are I would have never visited Tennessee if not for the Hard Rocks there, and would have missed out on seeing beautiful cities like Nashville, and wonderful country like the Great Smokey Mountains. My Hard Rock obsession has exposed me to people and places I wouldn't normally think about, which is pretty cool if you ask me!

Do you collect any Hard Rock pins, shot glasses, T-shirts, etc.?
While not a hard-core collector, I do like to pick up a pin and a shirt from each of the properties I visit. Most of the stuff I purchase is used as souvenirs for family and friends (or tips for Hard Rock wait staff)... after photographing the stuff for this web site, I rarely keep all of it.

Do you sell or trade pins, shot glasses, etc.?
As I mentioned above, I don't have tons of pins or other merchandise sitting around... but there are a few extras for some properties that I would probably trade... email me if there is anything in particular you are looking for: dave@daveweb.com.

Why is your numbering of cafes different from other HRC web sites?
There doesn't seem to be an "authorized" numbering system for the Hard Rock properties. For myself, I treat hotels, casinos, and cafes as separate entities (since, as an example, you could easily choose to visit the Hard Rock Cafe Bali without visiting the hotel behind it... they are two separate places). Also, if a cafe MOVES within a city (like has been done in Houston, Phoenix, and San Francisco) I give the newer cafe its own number, since it is an entirely new Hard Rock unto itself. On the other hand, I do not believe in assigning a new number when a cafe is rennovated (like Chicago), because it's the same place (albeit with a new look). Some day I hope that there is an official listing, so we can all be on the same page, but until then I'll keep my numbering system.

What are your favorite Hard Rocks?
The ultimate Hard Rock experience would have to be the Hard Rock Beach Club Resort & Hotel on Bali (and the Orlando Hotel is pretty spiffy too!). But, as for the restaurants, that's a tough one! I've found that just about every Hard Rock offers something unique and special, and you can always count on good food and excellent service no matter where you go. If forced to pick my top five restaurants, I'd have to say Myrtle Beach is my favorite (the architecture is amazing), followed closely by Maui (very relaxed atmosphere and incredible food), then Edinburgh (the restaurant is made special by this spectacular city), Dallas (cool collection of memorabilia in an awesome restoration property), and finally La Jolla (which is in one of the most beautiful cities on earth!). A close runner-up would be Gatlinburg (which, oddly enough, I have never seen in daylight!).

What are your least favorite Hard Rocks?
There really are no "bad" Hard Rocks, but I really hate the latest trend of boring mall locations (like Ft. Lauderdale which, HELLO, is known for the BEACH!), and "slick sports bar knock-offs" (like Belfast)... they lack the classic atmosphere and unique locations that make the Hard Rock fun to visit. This is the type of thing that killed the Planet Hollywood franchise, and I would hate to see the Hard Rock properties suffer the same fate.

Which Hard Rock have you visited the most?
That would probably be Maui. I've been there at least 9 times... after that would be a tie between San Francisco (7 times), and New York (6 times). If they ever put a cafe in Seattle, that'll be the death of me. :)

Which properties would you most like to visit that you haven't been to yet?
Probably any of the Hard Rocks in Australia or China. I've always wanted to visit Egypt, so Cairo & Sharm El Sheikh would be wonderful. Still others (like Beirut) would be an amazing cultural and educational experience, but I doubt I will ever be able to visit, which is most unfortunate.

What do you eat at the Hard Rock?
Their Veggie Burger is pretty good, but my all-time favorite is a Veggie Sandwich with no sprouts and extra mayo on the side (which was removed for a while, then came back in a new way that wasn't nearly as good as the original). In general, I find that a Hard Rock chocolate shake is hard to beat.

Why isn't there a Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle?
I wish I knew! It is amazing to me that Seattle spawned a music genre for an entire generation (the whole "Grunge" scene), is home to major players like Hendrix, Heart, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana... and has such beautiful locations available, DOESN'T have a Hard Rock yet! I see properties in odd places like Sacramento and Indianapolis, and just don't "get" why Seattle is left out. I am constantly hearing rumors about something happening for Seattle, but nothing has been officially announced. Now Pittsburgh has a cafe too... this can only mean that Hard Rock's Corporate Office hates Seattle for some reason!

How do you feel about HardRock.com selling city-specific merchandise?
I am totally against this extremely stupid idea, and encourage everybody who has even a remote intrest in the Hard Rock Cafe restaurants to write to Hard Rock Corporate Headquarters and complain... A LOT. What is the point in travelling to the various properties around the world and buying a T-Shirt or pin when you can buy the same merchandise from HardRock.com? Sure you can find that stuff on eBay, but at least somebody had to go get it.

Do you visit other restaurants like Planet Hollywood, All-Star Cafe, and Rainforest Cafe?
Sometimes, but it is not a priority. The "new" menu at Planet Hollywood (if you can even find one anymore) is very "vegetarian hostile" so eating there is out of the question... not only that, but they are usually out of the city pins and T-shirts, so it's not like you can collect anything. The official Hard Rock Cafes are really my only interest.

Your site is cool! How did you make it?
Thanks! I created this site using an Apple Macintosh computer (currently the awesome G4 Cube & G4 PowerBook) with Adobe GoLive, BBEdit, and CSSEdit. All graphics are created by hand using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe LiveMotion. Most photographs were taken using my Canon EOS Digital Rebel or Canon PowerShot 400 (older photos were taken on film with a Canon A-1).

Can I link to your site? Can I use your pictures on my site?
You are welcome to link to my site, but please use the "http://www.davecafe.com" address, because individual pages may change as the site continues to grow. As for taking my pictures to use on your site... I guess that's okay, as long as you give me credit and a link to this site... please COPY the image so that it is hosted on YOUR site, however, because I don't want to use up my bandwidth to host for somebody else.