Dallas’ Hard Rock Cafe to Shutter for Good — the End of a Tourist T-Shirt Era?

Dallas’ Hard Rock Cafe, which opened on North Houston Street a decade ago, will be closing for good on July 31.

According to a statement from Hard Rock International, the cafe’s lease on the space is set to expire in July. “The brand remains committed to the city and is open to having another location within the market, if the right space can be identified,” the statement reads.

But do we need another Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas?

If we’re gonna do it again, I wish it could be something like the original Hard Rock location in Uptown in the late ’80s and ’90s. The former church building at 2601 McKinney Avenue, that housed the restaurant, was a potential city landmark that ended up being demolished for new development in 2013.

After being bought out in 2006, the Dallas location was moved to Victory Park, very close to House of Blues music venue. Although it’s close to a lot of popular places, I rarely noticed it the times I’ve been in the area.

It’s attached to a condo building and blends in despite the Hard Rock guitar logo sign on the exterior.

Hard Rock remains a tourist hang out in many cities around the world. There are still locations in Cambodia, India, Australia and even Egypt. The Hard Rock Cafe can be an iconic spot to grab a meal and appreciate all of the music memorabilia they have throughout the restaurant.

The Dallas location, in particular, has a Willie Nelson bandana doo-rag, a tambourine once held by Selena and Dimebag Darrel’s V-guitar. All of this will soon be transported to a warehouse at Hard Rock Cafe’s corporate headquarters in Florida.

I’ve visited quite a few Hard Rocks on family vacations and I’ve collected shirts from the London, Punta Cana and Hollywood locations. But being from Dallas, I’ve never visited the Victory Park spot.

For fellow souvenir T-shirt collectors, this may be your last chance to grab a Hard Rock Dallas T-shirt.

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