Hard Rock does it right!

Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe

It is probably one of the biggest fears a waitress or a cook can have - news that their restaurant is shutting down for a three-month renovation at a time when unemployment is high and paychecks are precious.

As someone who has experienced the pains of being unemployed during the current economic downturn, I know the fear that losing a job - even for a short time - can strike in the hearts and minds of employees. Too often than not, businesses must sacrifice their greatest assets - their employees - for the survival of the enterprise.

But once and awhile a business swallows the easy excuse of a bad economy and shows its heart by doing something for their employees and community that is more than unconventional. Nashville's Hard Rock Café restaurant is one of those businesses.

The Hard Rock in Nashville will be closing for renovations September 14 and won't reopen for three months. But the 71 full time staffers will get a paycheck anyway. Hard Rock will pay its staff their regular salaries, including the average tips wait staff earn, during the restaurant's dark days. And the 71 employees will stay busy with community-spirited "work" assignments at local non-profit and community organizations. Employees will volunteer a total of roughly 2,000 hours a week at organizations selected by Hands On Nashville.

I had the opportunity to work for Hard Rock International for five or so years in the early/mid 90's. I started at the corporate office in Orlando and made stops in Nashville, Myrtle Beach, Atlantic City and other cities along the way. The best part of my work at Hard Rock was the opportunity to teach Hard Rock 101, an orientation program for new staffers and crew.

Hard Rock 101 was more than rules and policies and do's and dont's. It was about the spirit of the company and the Hard Rock brand, which lived in the mind and soul of consumers who visited the Café's worldwide. Teaching 101 was great because, as an employee, I believed in the comany's brand and tried to share that belief with others. Hard Rock's brand wasn't just about selling burgers and t-shirts. The brand also meant serving the needs of people other ways, both big and small.

Hard Rock's motto of "Love all, serve all," means a lot more than just to signifying that it aims to serve people of all backgrounds. It is more than simply a catchy phrase on Cafe walls and t-shirts. "Love all, serve all," is the soul of the enterprise.

Hard Rocker's live that spirit everyday and often without much notice or acclaim. Cafe's and local Ambassdor teams, comprised of crew members, can regularly be found feeding the homeless, volunteering in the community, reaching out to people in need, even taking care of the grocery shopping and other little tasks for a young guy back in 1994, while he spent six weeks at the bedside of his dying father.

That guy was me. It made a huge impact on my life at work and away. For the last 15 years whenever I am asked about what shapes my approach to business or career, I share my experience about Hard Rock and its "heart" during those six weeks. It is the most impactful thing that ever happened to me in the business world and it had nothing to do with anything else except the importance of people. It proved to me that even a big corporation can have a heart and share it.

Way back in 1994 and again in 2009, Hard Rock has shown that it isn't all about burgers and t-shirts but about people and community are equally important. And that motto isn't just a slogan used in advertising but the spirit of a company that is shared by each and every true Rocker in the enterprise.

The three month renovation of the Nashville cafe's will be the first major change since it opened in 1994, bringing the 6,500-square-foot space to more than 11,500 square feet. Plans include adding new memorabilia, such as shoes from the late Michael Jackson and a suit from Hank Williams Jr. A second-floor addition for events and live music also will be part of the makeover.

When completed, Nashville will become the third of Hard Rock's 127 cafes worldwide with the chain's new building model. Others with the new look are in Las Vegas and Dallas.

I haven't been to my local Hard Rock in a few years. Its located in Nashville's tourist district which the locals typically avoid.

For me, that avoidance will change in the days before the store's September 14 closing. I'll visit to say thank you, in the form of my business, for living their motto and impacting the world in a positive way. And you can count on me returning in three months to do it again, and again, and again.