Hard Rock Café is celebrating Vegetarian Awareness Month by expanding its legendary menu offerings and introducing brand new limited-time meatless options. On World Vegetarian Day, Thursday, October 1, 2015, Hard Rock Cafe Sydney & Surfers Paradise will begin serving new vegetarian offerings. More than 25 meatless options were developed, and the menu will feature a selection of the new items, including a variety of vegetarian burgers, wraps, salads and juices.

The two iconic Hard Rock Café venues in Australia added items in various menu categories of classic all-American cuisine to give guests the widest variety of options, including offerings for vegan guests. The new selections will include innovative menu items, such as the Quinoa Burger; Southwest Spiced Tofu and Black Bean Wrap; and Roasted Root Vegetables and Kale Salad.

“With an international movement toward a more plant-based diet, the demand for vegetarian dining has continued to grow,” said Antonio Bautista, Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations for Hard Rock International. “Hard Rock Cafe drew inspiration from global and regional cuisine to develop menu items vegetarians and meat lovers alike will enjoy.”

Something for Everyone

The new menu items will present guests with an option for every taste bud, adding to Hard Rock Cafe's robust menu of authentic American cuisine and beverage innovations. New menu offerings include:

• Roasted Root Vegetables and Kale Salad – Roasted beets, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, kale, tofu and spicy pecans tossed with an apple cider vinegar and olive oil mixture sprinkled with green onions
• Grilled Vegetable and Halloumi Wrap – Grilled zucchini, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus and Halloumi cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla
• Balsamic Roasted Carrots Wrap – Roasted balsamic carrots, hummus, avocado and spring mix greens tossed with red onions and balsamic glaze wrapped in a flour tortilla
• Roasted Beetroot Salad – Roasted beetroot and baby spinach sprinkled with feta cheese and caramelized walnuts/pecans served with honey balsamic dressing
• Tomato and Watermelon Salad – Tomatoes, watermelon, red onions and arugula tossed with lime vinaigrette dressing
• Fennel, Beet and Orange Salad – Fennel, beets, orange, mint, cilantro and spring mix greens tossed with garlic lime dressing

The expanded Legendary™ Burger menu includes:

• Quinoa Burger – Quinoa burger patty with cheddar cheese, arugula, hummus, tomato and grilled onion
• Eggplant & Hummus Burger – Grilled seasoned eggplant, baby arugula, hummus, grilled onions and fresh tomato
• Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Burger – Potato, chickpea and spinach patty with arugula, haydari sauce, tomato and cucumber
• Original Veggie Leggie – Our grilled veggie leggie patty topped with a grilled Portobello, zucchini, yellow squash, roasted red pepper, leaf Lettuce, sliced tomato, grilled onions and mayo

Thirsty for a Change

As part of the new menu expansion, Hard Rock Cafe's extensive, award-winning drink menu will also offer nutritious drink options. Fans will now find juices such as Beetroot, Orange and Ginger; Kale and Apple; Cucumber, Spinach and Kale; and Pear Cucumber and Kale on the menu.

Vegetarian Awareness Month

The new menu items honor Vegetarian Awareness Month, which was designed to spread awareness of vegetarianism and the benefits of a meat-free diet. It began as World Vegetarian Day and since then has blossomed into a month-long celebration of vegetarianism that involves educational events and festivities.

Hard Rock Cafe's new vegetarian menu features Hard Rock's handcrafted American flavour, with a commitment to fresh ingredients and an emphasis on the signature flair that is only available at Hard Rock. Guests can stop by either of the east coast Hard Rock Café restaurants to try out the latest items or visit www.hardrock.com/sydney or www.hardrock.com/surfers-paradise for more information.

About Hard Rock International

With a total of 203 venues in 64 countries, including 156 cafes, 22 hotels and 11 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the company's two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Chicago, Cancun, Ibiza, Las Vegas, Macau and San Diego. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include San Juan, Lagos and Busan, South Korea. New Hard Rock Hotel projects include Daytona Beach, Dubai, Los Cabos, Tenerife, Abu Dhabi, and Shenzhen and Haikou in China. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.