Hard Rock Café, Worli, India's first, Mumbai’s most loved, shuts down

Master franchisee for Hard Rock Cafe in India says café will relocate and reopen in 2019.

India’s first Hard Rock Café and one of Mumbai’s most loved live-music hot-spots shut down earlier this month.

Located inside the Bombay Dyeing Compound at Worli, Hard Rock Café downed its shutters over rent issues after a successful 12-year run. Shiro, a Bohemian restaurant and pub in the same compound, has also shut down.

A sprawling 6000-sq ft party and live music place, featuring two stages and walls adorned with memorabilia associated with legends such as Elvis Presley, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Led Zeppelin, Hard Rock Café breathed life into Mumbai’s music scene when it started in 2006.

Currently, there are seven Hard Rock Cafés in India, including one in Andheri.

A spokesperson for Bombay Dyeing, which controls the compound in Worli housing offices, clubs and restaurants, said both the restaurants had repeatedly defaulted on payment of rent. “Hard Rock Cafe and Shiro were tenants of Bombay Dyeing compound for over 15 years and we had valued our relationship with them. The rentals had remained constant for over five years. But following rent defaults, we were left with no option but to terminate their contract. Both restaurants have vacated the said premises,” he said.


However, JSM Corporation, the master franchisee for Hard Rock Cafe and Shiro in India, denied the allegations. “The contract was not terminated because of a default at our end. The reasons for termination are purely commercial in nature,” said a spokesperson.

Tirthankar Poddar, writer-singer-actor who goes by the stage name 2Blu and has performed at more than 100 shows for Hard Rock Cafés across India, said the live-music chain was the best thing to happen to Mumbai’s music scene in 2006. “We had had enough of Jazz by the Bay. I have deep emotions attached to the place, but it couldn’t handle rock very well. Rock is very physical, you need movement. Sometimes, when I played there, things would go flying in someone’s plate. Hard Rock Café gave this mad man more room,” he said.

He, however, said that the representatives of the Wadia group clearly didn’t seem to have a thing for music, and artists would constantly be told to keep the sound check low. “Hopefully the place will relocate soon,” he said.

Hard Rock Café, Worli, that claimed to serve the best burgers in town with live music, has hosted artists like Armin van Buuren, Switchfoot, Wyclef Jean, Jay Sean, Bob Sinclair, Wolfmother, Paul van Dyk, Euphoria, Agnee and Kailash Kher.



Co-founder of erstwhile pop-rock cover band, The Other People, Samuel Berlie, a regular at Hard Rock Café, said the place nurtured budding talent. “The best thing about Hard Rock Café was they did not just host established musicians. We were only a college band when we started out. Hard Rock Cafe played a huge role in us rising to popularity between 2008 and 2010,” he said, adding that the “place struck the right balance between keeping it commercial and keeping it true for rock lovers.”

Sanjay Mahtani, co-founder and executive director, JSM Corporation, said the café will relocate and reopen in mid-2019. “Hard Rock Café, Worli, has temporarily closed. Hard Rock International has been and continues to be committed to Mumbai and the surrounding communities,” he said.

Mahtani said the relocation is aimed at restructuring their offering to meet the everchanging trends of the consumers.