Music-themed restaurants eyeing WA

Tourism WA’s “destination Perth” strategy, launched in March, has encouraged three music-themed cafes to set up in Western Australia.

A report in The West Australian said that Hard Rock Café, Cafe del Mar and KISS co-founder Gene Simmons and guitarist Paul Stanley’s Rock and Brews franchise are on board. Hard Rock and Cafe del Mar are considering expanding their operations from the East Coast and Simmons and Stanley are looking to set up their first Australian outlet in Perth.

Cafe del Mar Australia’s Chief Executive John Zappia is working with WA Director Eric Pearson to expand on the success of Zappia’s Sydney restaurant, while Hard Rock Cafe Franchisee Australia Executive Chair Jeffrey Beaumont has said his franchise group “shares the vision of Destination Perth”.

Simmons and Stanley opened their sixth Rock and Brews restaurant in Overland Park in Kansas on April 29. In 2012 the band opened a KISS-themed miniature golf course and amusement park in Las Vegas.

While official talks with Café Del Mar have commenced, Pearson is still in talks with Beaumont and KISS’ Simmons and Stanley, who have expressed their interest in the past two months.

The strategy, put together by Tourism WA, includes the construction of four new event venues, the expansion of the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre to 30,000m2 (from 16,700m2) and an iconic annual home grown-event to showcase Perth globally. The 10-point development plans are expected to create 11,000 jobs and inject $2.6 billion into the local economy.