Manchester's lost burger bar loved as much for its cocktails 'paved the way for McDonald's'
Whenever online discussions turn to Manchester's most missed pubs, clubs and restaurants, one name crops up time and again.
Read More:Lost burger bar 'better than McDonald's' was an absolute essential after boozy night in ManchesterThe very first TGAD opened up on Fulham Road, London in 1970. In and interview with the Daily Mirror in 1971, the then 23-year old entrepreneur's new restaurant was quoted as being the place "where the rich and famous queue to get in with their faces pressed up against the window pane".
But TGAD was an attempt at an authentic not 'fast-food' experience. The chain wanted to customers to spend the afternoon or evening there and one way to do that was by selling alcohol, especially cocktails. The restaurant and bar had also been popular meeting place for people who were going to the alternative nightclub, Pips. Commenting on TGAD on the Pips Facebook page, Wendy shared her memories, commenting: "We remember The Great American Disaster, not as a burger bar but as a cocktail bar. We used to go there before Pips, it was a lovely little place with great drinks, if a bit expensive! The Tequila Sunrise was amazing.
On the back of the sudden success of TGAD opening in London in 1970, owner Peter Morton along with new business partner, Isaac Tigrett, opened their first Hard Rock Cafe in London, inspired by the popular TGAD business model. The new venture took off as the pair concentrated on making the Hard Rock Cafe a success and TGAD slowly fell by the wayside, the chain eventually being bought out by former employees in the late '70s.