Wed | Oct 8, 2025

Hard Rock Café coming to MoBay

Published:Tuesday | August 2, 2016 | 12:00 AM
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From left: President of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Ron McKay poses with Hard Rock executives, Shaniin Morales-Lewin, Cheri Schimm, André Dixon and Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett.
Wisynco's Tamara Pinnock (centre) is sandwiched by Secrets Resorts' Deryk Meany (left) and Richard Thompson of Select Brands.
Secrets Resorts and Spa’s area director general, Emilio Huhn (third left) and André Dixon, chief operations officer, of Vikings Productions share lens time with (from left) Sheena Stewart, Daveia Magnus, Treshia-Gay Baker, Keyshia Grandison, Kedisha Maxwell and Cavel Woolery during the groundbreaking of the new Hard Rock Café at the former Seawind Beach Club in Montego Bay, recently.
Hard Rock Cafe's chief operations officer, Andre Dixon (right) shows Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett (left) and his senior adviser, Delano Seiveright an artist rendition of what the new Hard Rock Cafe will look like.
All smiles for our camera are from left: Olivia Johnson, Christopher Ramsay and Rosemarie Fuller of Bigg's Barbecue.
From left: Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris, Vikings Production's chief operations officer, Andre Dixon, Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, president of AMCHAM, Ron McKay and Secrets Resorts' director general, Emilio Huhn breaks the ground in preparation for the new Hard Rock Cafe.
From left: National Commercial Bank's Shaniek Watson and Janet Reid share lens time with Hard Rock Cafe's Tessa James during the groundbreaking of the new HardRock cafe at the Seawind Beach Club in Montego Bay.
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WESTERN BUREAU:

With a total of 198 venues in 63 countries (including 152 cafés, 21 hotels and 10 casinos), Hard Rock International (HRI) has finally broken ground for its home in Montego Bay, St James, Jamaica.

Being opened under the Vikings Production umbrella, HRI will take up residence at the former Seawind Beach Club, which is currently operated by Secrets Resorts, offering its collectable fashion, music-related merchandise, live performances, and great food.

"With Jamaica's reputation for great live music, we think that having a Hard Rock Café in Montego Bay is the right choice at the right time," said André Dixon, chief operations officer at Viking.

 

TURN-KEY PROJECTS

 

Dixon, who has lived in the resort town for the past 14 years, has dabbled in a number of turn-key projects in the tourism capital over the years.

Vikings Production already owns two Hard Rock Café locations in the Caribbean - Nassau, Bahamas and Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

In the past Dixon has cited a need for more entertainment options in the second city. "It must be mind boggling to some visitors when they come to a city like this only to find that there are limited entertainment options relative to the local and hotel population in this city," he told Outlook.

The ground-breaking was officially done by Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris, President of the American Chamber of Commerce, Ron McKay, and Director General at Secrets Resorts, Emilion Huhn, on Friday July 29.

Janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com