Cleveland Hard Rock Cafe

CLEVELAND, Ohio - After nearly 20 years serving burgers and selling T-shirts, the Hard Rock Cafe at Tower City will close its doors for good at the end of the day on Sunday.

The company announced back in April the restaurant would be closing after the Republican National Convention. A spokesperson for Hard Rock International confirmed that Sunday would be the Tower City location's last day in business.

Hard Rock said it was closing the restaurant so that it could focus marketing efforts on the Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Rocksino at Northfield Park in Northfield. The company said employees will be given priority consideration for open positions at the Rocksino.

No word yet on what will happen to the huge 65-foot-high guitar sign hanging outside the restaurant on Huron Road. The restaurant's collection of music memorabilia will be moved to corporate headquarters in Orlando.

"We are absolutely tickled to death to be [in Cleveland], " the company's then-CEO Pete Beaudrault told The Plain Dealer at the time. "The marriage between the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [and Museum] and the Hard Rock Cafe will be the most unique of all cities in the world."

The opening was celebrated with a free concert in the parking lot featuring the Raspberries and Michael Stanley. Crowds waited in lines to dine on Hard Rock's signature burgers, view the impressive collection of rock and roll artifacts and, of course, buy one of their ubiquitous t-shirts.