Wikipedia

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

This article is about Jimmy Buffett's holding company. For the Jimmy Buffett song "Margaritaville", see Margaritaville. For other uses, see Margaritaville (disambiguation).

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is a United States–based hospitality company that manages and franchises a casual dining American restaurant chain, retail stores selling Jimmy Buffett-themed merchandise, and hotels.

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
Company typeHolding company
IndustryHospitality
Founded1985 (Key West, Florida)
FounderJimmy Buffett
Headquarters
Orlando, Florida
,
United States
Number of locations
  • 23: Margaritaville
  • 1: JWB Prime Steak and Seafood
  • 7: 5 o'clock Somewhere Bar & Grill
Key people
Jonathan Cohlan
Owner
  • Margaritaville Holdings LLC
  • International Meal Co. 50% (Restaurants)
  • Coral Hospitality LLC 50% (Hotels and Resorts)
Websitewww.margaritaville.com

The Brand is named after Buffett's hit song "Margaritaville" and is owned by Margaritaville Holdings LLC (a subsidiary of Cheeseburger Holding Company, LLC). There are locations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, six island locations throughout the Caribbean as well as in Sydney, Australia, since September 2012.

Some locations are franchise-owned, such as the Caribbean, Australian, and Mexican locations. In 2014, a Brazilian company bought 12 Margaritaville restaurants and the rights to expand the company in the U.S.[1]

History

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In 1985, singer Jimmy Buffett opened his first successful "Margaritaville" retail store in Key West, Florida, following a failed Margaritaville in Gulf Shores, Alabama.[2][3] In 2002, he expanded his business ventures by partnering with Outback Steakhouse to develop the first Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant in Southport, Indiana.

In late 2006, Buffett announced on the website that the Margaritaville cafes would no longer purchase or serve Canadian seafood products to protest Canada's treatment of seals.[4]

On May 15, 2007, Harrah's Entertainment, now Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced plans to build the $700 million Margaritaville Casino Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi on the site of the former Grand Casino Biloxi and Casino Magic Biloxi properties.[5] Due to the U.S. recession, however, construction of the casino ceased on June 10, 2008.[6]

On January 12, 2011, following the announcement of the new partnership between MVB Holdings and the Brosig, Sekul, and Sims families, for the differently planned Biloxi, Mississippi, casino, John Payne, Caesars Entertainment Corp. central division president, stated, "We are disappointed that our project with Margaritaville will not proceed."[7] This casino eventually opened in May 2012, then closed a few years later in September 2014.[when?] A Margaritaville resort opened on Highway 90 at the location of the old Grand Casino.[when?] This new resort does not have a casino.

Locations

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Margaritaville

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Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville in Key West, Florida
 
Margaritaville Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
 
Margaritaville Nashville, Tennessee
 
Dockside at Margaritaville in Cozumel at sunset

Nassau Bahamas Margaritaville Resort and One Particular Harbour

Landshark Bar & Grill

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Landshark Bar & Grill Myrtle Beach

Air Margaritaville

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Airport Lounge Restaurants

Retail outlets

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As of February 2020, United States retail store locations are in Key West; New Orleans; Orlando; Las Vegas; Myrtle Beach; Glendale (state not listed); Panama City Beach, Florida; Mohegan Sun; Honolulu; Pensacola Beach; Nashville; and Chicago. The newest concept, a "Landshark Surfshack Retail Shop", opened May 17, 2011, at the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel attraction. Mexico's retail locations are in Cancun and Cozumel. Canada's retail location is in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Caribbean retail locations in the British West Indies are in Montego Bay (including two "Air Margaritaville" locations at Sangster International Airport), Negril and Ocho Rios on the island of Jamaica; Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and George Town, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.[8][9][10][11]

Vacation Clubs

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In St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, are vacation clubs operated by Margaritaville.[12]

Hotels

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Margaritaville Beach Hotel on Pensacola Beach, FL

On June 28, 2010, the Margaritaville Beach Hotel (pictured to the right) opened on Pensacola Beach. The former site of a Holiday Inn, destroyed by Hurricane Ivan on September 16, 2004,[13] Margaritaville Hotel is on over 800 feet of gulf-front property. An additional 800 feet overlooks the bay. The beachfront hotel features 'barefoot elegance' with 162 guest rooms, including 24 corner rooms with wrap-around balconies.[14]

Future phased plans include an adjacent free-standing Margaritaville Cafe restaurant and a bayside waterpark.[15]

Plans for a second and third Margaritaville Beach Hotel were announced in 2010. The second, still in the planning stages, would be located in Myrtle Beach.[16]

The 349-room Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort opened in 2015 in Hollywood, Florida.[17]

In Early 2016, Margaritaville Resort Biloxi in South Mississippi opened. The building was the Casino Magic, which Hurricane Katrina destroyed. Margaritaville Biloxi has a 55,000 sq. ft. arcade with over 200 games for kids and adults. Along with 271 hotel rooms, Margaritaville in Biloxi has a 450-foot lazy river, lounge pool, water slides, water ropes course, and a swimup bar.

The Margaritaville Island Hotel opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in 2015, followed by the Margaritaville Island Inn in 2017. The Margaritaville Resort opened in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 2018.

Margaritaville Lake of the Ozarks opened in the Spring of 2019 and offers a wide variety of bars, restaurants, water activities, golf, etc.- all right on the Lake. It has a large outdoor pool, tiki bar, marina, an indoor waterpark, and even horseback riding.[18]

In late 2020, Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs opened in California, becoming the first location on the West Coast.[19]

In spring 2021, Margaritaville Resort Times Square, New York, opened. The resort is the northernmost resort in the chain, and it opened alongside five restaurants. It features a Tropical NYC atmosphere and a 50-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty holding a Margarita. The resort also features New York's only year-round outdoor pool on one of its decks.[20]

In April 2023, Newport, Kentucky's Board of Commissioners, revealed that a new Margaritaville Resort Project has officially gotten the go-ahead from Newport City Commissioners. Plans now call for the resort, which includes 264 hotel rooms, three restaurants, and a rooftop pool, to be built and opened to guests in 2026.[21]

Margaritaville opened its first adults-only all-inclusive resort in Riviera Maya in June 2023.[22]

Casinos

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Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana

In 2011, the Las Vegas Margaritaville at Flamingo Las Vegas expanded to include a 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) Margaritaville-branded casino. The casino opened October 1, 2011,[23][24] operating until 2018.[25] The restaurant closed on May 30, 2024.[26]

On June 22, 2011, Paradise Casino LLC unveiled plans for the Margaritaville Resort Casino to be built in Bossier City, Louisiana. The complex, a $170 million, 400-room resort, would include an 18-story hotel tower, a 1,000-seat entertainment complex with a VIP balcony, and an outdoor tropical area visible to the north from the Louisiana Boardwalk.[27][28]

In March 2013, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation announced that its River Spirit Casino on the Arkansas River in Tulsa would become a Margaritaville Casino as part of a $250 million project that would also add a 22-story, 500-room luxury tower to the existing facility.[29]

Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach

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Latitude Margaritaville is a $1 billion retirement village in Daytona Beach, Florida.[30][31] The project is a joint venture between Minto Communities and Buffett's Margaritaville Holdings, with the development being built on land close to LPGA Boulevard and about a mile to the west from Interstate-95.[30]

Phase one of the community will have 400 homes with a potential of 6,900 homes once the project is completed. As of March 2018, 250 lots have been sold with prices between the low $200,000s to the mid $300,000s. The community will have a pet salon, grocery store, and a private beach when it opens in April 2018.[30]

Since opening in Daytona, two other locations have been announced: Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Latitude Margaritaville Watersound, Florida. Hilton Head offers a wide range of home designs and floor plans. Amenities will include a resort-style pool, fitness center, social hall, game and hobby rooms, arts and learning programs, indoor and outdoor dining with signature Margaritaville food and beverage concepts, tennis and pickleball courts, and a 290,000-square-foot Margaritaville retail center. Phase one is currently underway with 203 home sites. Current plans call for 3,000+ homes once the community is complete.

Latitude Margaritaville Watersound broke ground in 2019 and will be the third of the communities to be developed.

Cruises

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On December 8, 2021, it was announced that a partnership was reached with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and Margaritaville. The cruise line was rebranded as Margaritaville at Sea, and the line's sole ship, the Grand Classica was renamed as Margaritaville at Sea Paradise following a multimillion-dollar refit in 2022. Many of the ship's interiors and venues were rebranded to match the Margaritaville brand and décor. It currently operates 3 day/2 night cruises from the Port of Palm Beach to Grand Bahama Island.[32][33][34]

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Margaritaville is featured in the 2015 film Jurassic World as one of the restaurants in the fictional theme park, with Buffett himself making a cameo appearance as one of the guests running away from the Pteranodon attack.[35]

In 2023, YouTube content creators Eddy Burback and Ted Nivison took a road trip to visit and eat at every single Margaritaville in the United States and Canada, chronicling their journeys in two separate videos, similar to their adventure the previous year visiting every Rainforest Cafe in North America.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Pedicini, Sandra (24 April 2014). "Firm buys Margaritaville restaurants". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Jimmy Buffett – Gulf Shores Benefit Concert – Come Monday – 5 (YouTube)". 16 September 2010. Retrieved 2013-07-12 – via Youtube.
  3. ^ Lambert, Molly (April 11, 2017). "The Parrothead Inside Me". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Seals Find a Friend in Margaritaville: Jimmy Buffett's Restaurants Join the Canadian Seafood Boycott". hsus.org. December 12, 2006. Archived from the original on January 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
  5. ^ "Harrah's to open Biloxi Margaritaville casino". Reuters. May 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-15.
  6. ^ "As original completion date passes, Biloxi's Margaritaville casino remains on hold". canadaeast.com. June 30, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  7. ^ "New Margaritaville in the works - Casinos". sunherald.com. January 12, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  8. ^ "Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.com – Online State of Mind: Shop". margaritaville.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  9. ^ "Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville :: Latest News and Articles". margaritaville.com. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  10. ^ "Margaritaville Chicago Shooting for Memorial Weekend Opening". buffettworld.com. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  11. ^ "Small part of SkyWheel attraction in Myrtle Beach has opened". thesunnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Stay at Margaritaville Resorts and Hotels in Paradise". margaritaville.com.
  13. ^ "Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Hotel Opening in Pensacola Beach". hotels.uptake.com. May 21, 2010. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  14. ^ "Margaritaville Beach Hotel: About". margaritavillehotel.com. October 28, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  15. ^ "Fins Up Pensacola ... Jimmy Buffett's New Margaritaville Beach Hotel Set to Open This Summer in Pensacola Beach, FL" (Press release). May 25, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  16. ^ "Margaritaville hotel possible for Myrtle Beach". thesunnews.com. Retrieved 2010-11-28.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ Goldberg, Lyssa. "The Newly Opened Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort Is More Jimmy Buffett Than You Can Even Imagine". Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  18. ^ "Osage Beach, MO Resort – Margaritaville Lake Resort Lake of the Ozarks". margaritavilleresortlakeoftheozarks.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Palm Springs Resort & Spa". margaritavilleresorts.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Home | Margaritaville Resort Times Square". margaritavilleresorts.com.
  21. ^ "A New Margaritaville Resort Is Coming to Kentucky". travelmarketreport.com. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  22. ^ "The First Adults-Only All-Inclusive Margaritaville Is Now Open". travelmarketreport.com. 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  23. ^ "Haute Event: Margaritaville Casino at the Flamingo Opens". hauteliving.com. Haute Living. 2 October 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Jimmy Buffett-themed casino opening in Vegas". NBC News. September 22, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
  25. ^ "Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo to be rebranded". VegasChanges. September 1, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  26. ^ "Margaritaville Closes, Country Venue is Moving In Next". casino.org. Vital Vegas. June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  27. ^ "Bossier City Council Approves Negotiation For New Casino". ktbs.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  28. ^ "Margaritaville Hotel and Casino planned for Bossier City site". .shreveporttimes.com. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  29. ^ "River Spirit Casino announces Margaritaville partnership". KOKI-TV. March 18, 2013. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  30. ^ a b c Taylor Martin, Susan (2018-03-15). "Real-life Margaritaville wows parrothead retirees". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  31. ^ Bestler, Bob (March 18, 2017). "Jimmy Buffett's countless ventures now include a retirement spot for the Parrotheads". The Sun News. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  32. ^ "Margaritaville To Operate Cruise Brand; Does Deal with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line". cruiseindustrynews.com. December 8, 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  33. ^ "Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line To Become Margaritaville at Sea". travelpulse.com. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  34. ^ "Margaritaville Sets Sail with Margaritaville at Sea". blog.margaritaville.com. December 8, 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  35. ^ Reyes, Mike (June 14, 2015). "Jimmy Buffett Appeared in Jurassic World, and Odds Are You Saw Him". cinemablend.com. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  36. ^ McCormack, Olivia (2023-08-14). "He ate at 22 Margaritavilles — and learned the joy of Jimmy Buffett". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
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