The Hard Rock Café on the Grote Markt in Brussels closed without notice on Friday. It was the last branch of the chain in Belgium. ‘The closure had been decided some time ago, but we didn’t want visitors to notice anything. We served our customers right up until the last day as if nothing were amiss.’
All Hard Rock Cafés in Belgium gone after eatery on Brussels market square disappears
Colin Clapson
Published:
All is not going well for the chain of Hard Rock Cafés in Europe. The restaurant chain with its famous guitar logo and rock music references in the décor was founded in 1971. At one time there were more than 100 branches spread across the world.
But in 2023, the restaurant in Antwerp closed. Branches in Paris, Lyons, Dublin, Budapest and Glasgow also recently disappeared. Since 2012 the Brussels Hard Rock Café had been located in renovated 16th-century commercial premises near the town hall on the Grote Markt.
Rent becomes unaffordable
‘We’ve enjoyed working here, but the rent at this location is very high and we’ve had fewer customers since the pandemic,’ says one of the staff, who has worked there for years. ‘At weekends and on special days, such as the Flower Carpet event, it was still very busy here. But on weekdays, it’s been quieter in recent years. People are staying at home more often or having food delivered.’
The Hard Rock Café may be leaving Brussels’ Grote Markt, but there is already a new tenant lined up for the expensive premises. A new restaurant is set to open here by the summer.