DOZENS of jobs are up for grabs in Glasgow as the world-famous Hard Rock Cafe launches a massive recruitment drive.

The venue in the A-listed former Athenaeum Theatre in Buchanan Street is opening its doors in mid-November - and bosses today began the search to fill 80 vacancies.

They are looking for employees who are friendly, hard-working and with a vibrant personality to join the firm that brought rock 'n'roll to the food industry.

Bosses are looking for managers, servers, bar workers, cooks, hosts and retail associates as well as other roles.

Glasgow's Hard Rock will be big enough to seat 170 people and will showcase memorabilia, including a green two-piece suit worn by The Who's Pete Townsend and a burgundy velvet schoolboy outfit worn by Angus Young of AC/DC.

The new recruits will join a workforce of 39,000 in Hard Rock venues across more than 50 countries.

Brand ambassador Rita Gilligan, 72, has worked with the company since the first day it was launched 43 years ago, serving stars from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Take That and George Michael.

She said candidates should be passionate about music as well as Glasgow.

She said: "We want quality staff and we want them to be able to leave customers with a memory of the Glasgow Hard Rock experience.

"They should embrace hard work, love music and rock and roll.

"We always want staff to show their personality -there's nothing worse than going into a shop or restaurant and you don't even have someone ask you about your day."

Rita said Hard Rock's goal was to make everyone feel welcome.

She said: "When I started at the first Hard Rock Cafe back in London in 1971 I had just turned 30 and it was a real culture shock.

"At that time bars and restaurants were for wealthy people who wore good suits.

"But Hard Rock changed everything. It was the first classless restaurant aimed at everyone.

"That's still our policy today - we want to include everyone."

There are 175 Hard Rock Cafes in the world and Glasgow is the second Scottish city to have one after Edinburgh. Galway-born Rita, who was awarded an honorary MBE in 1998, said: "When I opened the Edinburgh one 15 years ago, everybody kept asking when will Glasgow open?

"It's been too long but we've saved the best to last.

"The building we're in is absolutely amazing and Glasgow is such a beautiful city."

The site, which dates back to 1891, will have live music space, a late night bar and a merchandise-filled shop.

Other exhibits on show include the Epiphone Firebird guitar that singer KT Tunstall used in her Hold On video, an artist's palette used by the fifth Beatle, Scottish-born Stuart Sutcliffe, and a sports tie worn by Eric Clapton.

Applications for jobs will be accepted online only through Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hrcglasgow

An official job fair will also take place from September 27-29.

rachel.loxton@eveningtimes.co.uk