DETROIT, Mich. (WOOD) — After 15 years serving up food to Campus Martius Park visitors in downtown Detroit, Hard Rock Café is getting ready to close for good.
Hard Rock International plans to close the restaurant at 45 Monroe Street on Jan. 26. In a Monday letter notifying the state, the company says the shutdown will lead to 60 worker layoffs, primarily servers and cooks.
The Hard Rock Cafe opened in Detroit in 2003, marking a significant step in the Motor City's revival.
In a statement to the Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV, Hard Rock International said its closing the restaurant because its lease is expiring. However, the restaurant chain said it’s “committed to the city and is open to having another location within the market, if the right space can be identified.”
It’s unclear what will take over the former Hard Rock site, or what will happen to the restaurant’s Detroit and Motown décor, featuring memorabilia from The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Eminem, Ted Nugent and others.
Michigan is home to only one other Hard Rock Cafe, at Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo.