Forbes has an article on Jimmy Buffett’s business empire: How Jimmy Buffett Turned Hit Song ‘Margaritaville’ Into A Multibillion-Dollar Empire

Jimmy Buffett’s classic hit “Margaritaville” is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The song debuted on the 1977 “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” album and quickly took on a life of its own, becoming a state of mind and way of life rooted in fun and escapism for those “growing older, but not up”.

The song about life in this euphoric place where days are wasted away nibblin’ on sponge cake and watchin’ the sun bake has also morphed into a global lifestyle brand that currently has more than $4.8 billion in the development pipeline and sees $1.5 billion in annual system-wide sales. This year, Margaritaville Holdings announced a partnership with Minto Communities to develop Latitude Margaritaville, new active adult communities for those “55 and better”, including the $1 billion Daytona Beach, Florida location and a second in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Read more at Forbes.

According to the Key West Citizen, Jimmy Buffett may play a show in Key West in the near future:

The first national act to perform at the amphitheater at Truman Waterfront Park could be a familiar face, as city officials are in talks with Jimmy Buffett to perform early next year. “They’re interested in doing a concert in Key West and we’re in discussions with them,”

Jimmy Buffett spent time in Chicago the past few days, playing a show at Wrigley Field and talking about Escape to Margaritaville the musical, which opens in Chicago in November.

Watch an interview with Buffett below:

A mid-Missouri resort located on Lake of The Ozarks will be rebranded as a Margaritaville resort:

Tan-Tar-A Resort, a popular Lake of the Ozarks hotel and conference center for more than a half century, will undergo a multi-million renovation and be rebranded as a Margaritaville hotel, the chain of resorts named after a Jimmy Buffett song.

The 500-room Osage Beach resort 185 miles southwest of St. Louis is joining a growing list of Margaritaville hotels located primarily in coastal vacation spots, including Key West and the Cayman Islands.

It’s new name effective March 2019 will be Tan-Tar-A, a Margaritaville Resort, said the resort’s longtime general manager Fred Dehner. All 500 of the resort’s employees are being retained, he said, and new food and beverage employees will be hired for a Margaritaville restaurant and LandShark Bar & Grill that are being added.

On June 29, Miami investment firm Driftwood Acquisitions & Development acquired Tan-Tar-A Resort from Bethesda, Md.-based CWCapital with joint venture partner Sefira Capital, a Miami-based investment boutique, the companies announced Thursday. Driftwood has a licensing agreement with Margaritaville Holdings, Buffett’s company. Buffett, the 70-year-old flip-flops wearing singer of “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and other songs, has expanded his business empire to include real estate, alcoholic beverages and restaurants. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

The resort will remain open while the property is renovated to incorporate Margaritaville’s ‘casual-luxe’ design elements, Driftwood said.

Driftwood, which manages more than 40 hotels, also announced the acquisition of the Flamingo Beach Resort & Spa in Costa Rica Thursday. Tan-Tar-A and Flamingo will become Margaritaville’s 10th and 11th resorts.

Read more

The latest Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant will open in Cleveland in early July:

The restaurant announced via email that it will hold a soft opening on Monday, July 3, and a planned grand opening the following week, on Tuesday, July 11.

Margaritaville will be a big operation, with 498 seats — 153 outside and 345 indoors. Its rooftop bar will offer a view of Lake Erie.

“We are ecstatic to bring the rocking Margaritaville lifestyle to Cleveland,” said David Crabtree, president and CEO for International Meal Company U.S., the company that operates Margaritaville restaurants, in a statement. “Margaritaville is all about treating yourself to great food and drinks while enjoying great music and escaping reality.”