When Cardiff rocked hard with its own Hard Rock Cafe!
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IT MAY be long gone, but back in October 2003, the Hard Rock Cafe opened its doors in Cardiff. This is how we reported it...
A HOST of Welsh celebrities turned up for an opening party at Cardiff’s Hard Rock Cafe last night.
It was a truly glamorous affair complete with red carpet, limousines and waitresses dancing on the bar. The evening was in aid of Help a South Wales Child, and featured Bonnie Tyler and Cardiffbased rising star Amy Wadge.
Celebrities included HTV newsreader Lucy Cohen, her fiance television presenter Rhodri Owen, and Cardiff City player Alan Lee.
Former Hear’Say singer Noel Sullivan, patron of the charity, also joined the party.
The 23-year-old from Ely said: “I think you measure a city by whether or not it has a Hard Rock Cafe.” Earlier in the day, veteran waitress Rita Gilligan joined celebrations to mark the restaurant’s official opening – 32 years after starting work at the chain’s first restaurant. Galway-born Rita has served many of the greatest rock and movie stars – such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Tom Cruise and Wales’ own Tom Jones – during her career. And Rita, 62, awarded the MBE in 1998 for services to tourism, says Tom is one of her favourites: “He really is a diamond, and it was great serving him and the Stereophonics at a party in the London restaurant.” Cardiff Council deputy leader Michael Michael marked the official opening in the traditional rock ‘n’ roll way – by smashing a guitar...
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