Hard Rock Café to open downtown?
The well-known restaurant chain will be re-opening a branch in Reykjavik, this time in the city centre. Photo/AFP
The Hard Rock Café restaurant chain is interested in opening a branch in the centre of Reykjavik, in Lækjargata, where the Iða bookstore is now located.
The bookstore has a rental agreement for six years in the building which means Hard Rock would have to buy Iða. However, the restaurants Sbarro and Mezzo located on the second floor have their lease agreements runnng out next spring.
The international chain is very interested in Iceland and one of the owners of Domino's Pizza, Birgir Þór Bielvedt has secured the rights for the restaurant in Iceland.
Director of Iða, Arndís B. SIgurgeirsdóttir says that Iða has plenty of offers due to its prime location. She adds that nothing has been decided yet in the matter.
The Hard Rock Café is also looking at other locations around Reykjavik.
Bielveldt said in an interview with mbl.is that the restaurant chain hopes to find a venue in downtown Reykjavik and that discussions had come very far and added that he hopes to finalise contracts before January 1st.
It's been ten years since a Hard Rock Café was last located in Iceland. It was previously situated at the Kringlan shopping mall and was managed by Tómas Tómasson at the time, the same man famous for Tommi's Burger Joint.
The Hard Rock Café in Kringlan closed down in 2005. mbl.is/Kristinn Ingvarsson
The preferred site for the famous restaurant chain is here, the IÐA bookstore on Lækjargata. Photo/ Mbl.is
