KHNL NBC 8 in Honolulu has an article and video up on the recent opening of Jimmy Buffett’s latest restaurant: Jimmy Buffett’s At The Beachcomber.

An artist whose music is synonymous with easy living, island lifestyle brings his unique flavor to Hawaii. On Monday in Waikiki, Jimmy Buffett opened his 19th restaurant, the first in our state.

The grand opening and a traditional Hawaiian blessing took place Monday morning at the Ohana Beachcomber Hotel in Waikiki. The 2,100-square-foot restaurant can serve up to 500 customers. It celebrates the unique aspects of island lifestyle.

“Our brand really speaks to escapism and Waikiki really speaks to escapism,” said Dan Leonard, president and chief operating officer of Margaritaville Management Group. “So there’s kind of a nice marriage right there. Come to Waikiki to escape, to enjoy the beaches, the beautiful land, everything that has to do with it, and that’s what our restaurant speaks to.”

Read the entire article here.

Another year has come and gone, and we look back at some of the highlights from 2008:

January

• Jimmy’s sister Lucy “Lulu” releases cookbook: “Crazy Sista Cooking”



• Jimmy plays a charity benefit show in Hong Kong
• In addition to Hong Kong show, Jimmy performs private show in Singapore and performs for troops aboard the USS Harry Truman (right)

February

• February 4th was the 7 year anniversary of Jimmy getting ejected from Miami Heat game
• The crew of the space shuttle Atlantis prepares for spacewalk by listening to Buffett’s “Oysters and Pearls”
• It’s reported that a Michigan company would begin making chips and salsa for Jimmy’s Margaritaville Foods
• In mid-February the annual trickle of tour dates begin to leak out, followed by the official tour announcements by the end of the month
• Harrison Ford reveals in an interview with Barbara Walters that he got his ear pierced after a lunchtime birthday celebration with Jimmy and the late Ed Bradley
• It’s announced that Buffett would build a new restaurant in Waikiki, Hawaii called “Jimmy Buffett’s At The Beachcomber”

March

• Panama City Margaritaville opens on March 5th
• On March 12th, Comedy Central’s “South Park” lampooned Jimmy Buffett (right)
• March 17th marked the 30 year anniversary of the release of “Son Of A Son Of A Sailor”

April

• Jimmy and Mac performed April 9th at the Glendale, AZ Margaritaville
• On April 13th, Jimmy and Jane Buffett pledged $50,000 at Comedy Central’s “Night Of Too Many Stars Autism Benefit”
• 2008 tour kicks off April 21st in Houston
• Buffett plays St. Louis for the first time in 8 years
• Other tour stops this month were Frisco, TX and Charlotte, NC

May

• Freddie & The Fishsticks play benefit show at New Orleans Margaritaville on May 1st



• Buffett plays New Orleans Jazz Fest on May 3rd
• Jimmy’s latest novel, “Swine Not?” is released May 13th
• Publicity rounds for new book include the Today Show, Regis & Kelly, and David Letterman
• It’s reported May 29th that the Trump Casino in Atlantic City will be turned into a Margaritaville Casino

June

• “Scenes You Know By Heart” DVD released exclusively through Walmart on June 3rd
• Second leg of tour resumes in Atlanta on June 5th
• Buffett also plays Raleigh, Detroit, New York City, and Philadelphia in the month of June

July

• Tour resumes in Cincinnati on July 17th
• Buffett also plays East Troy, Pittsburgh, Chicago twice, and Indianapolis in the month of July
• It’s reported that because of the credit crunch, work was slowing on the Margaritaville Casino in Biloxi

August

• Jimmy performs at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island on August 3rd
• Tour resumes August 24th in Atlantic City
• Buffett also plays Wantagh, NY and the first of two shows in Bristow, VA in August

September

• Second show in Bristow, VA on September 1st
• Other tour stops in September include two shows in Mansfield, MA
• September 6th Mansfield show time moved up to 3 pm because of the approaching Hurricane Hanna
• Buffett performs two shows in Paris, marking the second year in a row he’s played Paris
• Mohegan Sun Margaritaville opens on September 29th
• BuffettWorld debuts the Buffett Caption Contest

October

• New monthly column debuts on BuffettWorld: “From Under My Lone Palm”, written by Justin
• Coral Reefer Nadirah Shakoor releases album on October 14th: “Nod To The Storyteller”
• West coast tour includes stops in San Diego, San Francisco, and two shows in Las Vegas
• On October 23rd, Jimmy visited Google Headquarters where he spoke and performed

November

• Jimmy’s dear friend and legendary Key West figure Captain Tony Tarracino died on November 1st



• Jimmy performs November 2nd at a Barack Obama rally in Tampa, Florida (right)
• On the 8th, Jimmy performed a private show at the Mohegan Sun Margaritaville Cafe
• Radio Margaritaville becomes available to XM subscribers as the result of the Sirius XM merger
• Coral Reefer Mac McAnally won CMA Musician of the Year at CMA Awards on November 12th
• Jimmy attends University of Florida football game on the 15th where he was invited into the locker room by coach Urban Meyer

December

• Jimmy Buffett turns 62 years old on Christmas Day

And that’s a quick review of 2008!

It was another great year at BuffettWorld and we’d like to thank all of you who visit BuffettWorld, subscribe to the daily email updates, and who are members of our forum.

Thank you and we look forward to providing you the best and most Jimmy Buffett news and information on the web again in 2009!

The AP’s Nicholas K. Geranios has an article on Jimmy Buffett’s business empire: “Jimmy Buffett, Mogul of Margaritaville”

How big is Buffett?

With an estimated annual income of more than $40 million, you might mistake his portfolio for that of Warren Buffett (not a relative). And he’s done it by sailing beyond most musicians’ ticket, T-shirt and poster revenue stream.

The title of his most popular song is showing up on restaurants, clothing, booze and casinos. Among the products he’s involved with are Landshark Lager, the Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chains, clothing and footwear, household items and drink blenders. The Margaritaville cafe on the Las Vegas strip is said to be the top grossing restaurant in the nation.

Read the entire article here.

We previously reported that Jimmy Buffett’s new restaurant in Hawaii, Jimmy Buffett’s At The Beachcomber, would open in early 2009. A press release from Ohana Hotels reports that it will open in February:

The hotel is excited to welcome the highly-anticipated lifestyle restaurant and bar, Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber, slated to open in February 2009. This new 22,000 square foot dining, entertainment and retail venue will allow guests to enjoy a full menu, cocktails and lively entertainment by a variety of well-known and up-and-coming entertainers. The new Honolulu Surfing Museum and bar will serve up cool drinks while showcasing surfing collectibles and memorabilia.

(hat tip to Jr Mint for passing this along)

Jimmy will be playing a grand opening show soon after it opens, and you can win a trip to see the special show at landsharklager.com.

Just in time for Black Friday, vandals in downtown Charleston, South Carolina poured glue into the locks of several businesses, including the Margaritaville Store:

Vandals poured glue inside door locks on dozens of shops along King and Market streets, delaying the start of Black Friday bargain-hunting in the downtown corridor this morning.

A Charleston police officer estimated more than 20 merchants were affected, including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Starbucks and Williams-Sonoma.

A group of locksmiths were scrambling to open doors for patrons waiting outside.

Though the merchants had to open stores later than planned, some said the delay likely wouldn’t affect business because shoppers usually make their way to King Street later in the day on Black Friday.