Morton's first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London. The chain began global expansion in 1982 when Morton and his partner, Isaac Tigrett, agreed to develop their own cafes in various cities. Morton (Hard Rock America) opened Hard Rocks in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Houston, Las Vegas; San Diego, La Jolla, and Newport Beach, California; Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii; among others. In 1995, The Rank Organisation (now The Rank Group) acquired the cafes owned by Morton, but Morton retained the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.