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Two mysteries about Hard Rock Café intrigue me

Jun 22, 2019 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Last Thursday, I took my wife to dinner at the Hard Rock Café which is part of the Movie Towne complex. Movie Towne is directly opposite to where I live. I know when the complex has customers or when it is a slow night.
I would look across from my bedroom window to see how empty or filled is the car park.
Hard Rock Café rocks and in a hard way too. A part of Europe has come to Guyana. Guyana is getting there. Hard Rock Café came too late for people of my age. When I was a young, mad bohemian student at UG in the seventies, I am sure rich boy on campus, Carl Singh (former chancellor of the judiciary) would have taken us to Hard Rock Café.
What adjectives can I reach for to paint the ambience and the totality of Hard Rock Café? I would say, “enchanting,” “inviting,” “captivating.” About the food. Well, here is my thought. I cannot as a columnist recommend you dine out at Hard Rock Café because that would be free advertisement and it may dissuade patrons from other places.
So here is what I will say; that food was gorgeous, great and comparable with any I have had elsewhere in other countries. I think Hard Rock Café makes damn good food.
What are the two mysteries I would like to have solved to kill my curiosity? The first one is the attendees. Are they from Guyana? Were they brought to Guyana by the owners? If they are from Guyana then they were extensively trained. They were just phenomenally courteous and made you feel that Guyana has some of the nicest people in the world (in fact, it has).
As we reached towards the entrance, one of the young ladies showed me and my wife how a human could have one of the friendliest smiles you hardly see in the miserable world we live in. She suggested how we should take the pictures so the Hard Rocke Café emblem could be visibly seen in the image. She took my wife’s smart phone and did the snapping.
Inside we were asked to choose our table by another wonderful young lady. Then Abzul came up to us. From his accent, he was definitely from India. Abzul introduced himself and informed us we were his responsibility for the rest of the evening. After the treatment we got from Abzul, no human could have given Abzul his required 15 percent tip. You had to be a monster not to go way beyond fifteen. Abzul is a superb host.
A smiling young lady brought water for us. She spoke perfect English but her name, Roccio, was not one that you find Guyanese women wearing. So I said to her, looking at her tag; “Are you Guyanese?” With an oceanic smile, she answered; “No, I’m Cuban.”
Then the manager came to our table and introduced himself. He had an Indian accent like Abzul so I asked him if Hard Rock Café is owned by a company from the sub-continent. He told me it was Caribbean ownership. Three times the manager came to see if we were fine. What better treatment do you want from the management of a restaurant you were dining at?
So the first mystery I would like solved. Where did Hard Rock Café get these excellent humans from? Where did Roccio pick up her perfect English from? Where did management get Abzul from?
Now the second mystery. Our table was close to the western entrance. Facing me were the photographs of three historic pop artistes – Jimmy Hendrix, Ringo Starr and Elvis Presley.
I could understand Hendricks. It is going past fifty years and no one comes close to matching the guitar genius of Jimmy. Why Starr? Ringo was drummer. I’m not sure he knew how to play a guitar. The same cannot be said for Presley.
I’m not a fan of Presley. I love oldies but I don’t listen to his songs; he was a racist. Instead of Starr and Presley, why not B.B. King or Chuck Berry or Santana or George Benson or Eric Clapton? My choice after Hendrix would be Santana. I think Santana could enter any genre; Clapton comes close but Santana has a wider reach.
There was a live band. The front man can sing. I am no expert on music but that young man can sing. Can someone give him a break to walk on greener pastures? I had a lovely evening with my wife at Hard Rock Café. I hope Guyana keeps getting better. We need to.

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