Jimmy Buffett will take his Margaritaville restaurant empire off the North American continent for the first time later this year when he opens Margaritaville Cafes in Sydney and the Gold Coast in Australia.

Watch the news report announcing the openings here (3:05 mark).

Buffett played shows in Australia this past January for the first time in a couple decades.

(hat tip Jenny)

The latest Margaritaville opened Monday morning at Chicago’s Navy Pier, dubbed the Margaritaville Bar & Grill. Buffett wasn’t there for the opening, but will be in Chicago next month for a show at Toyota Park.

WBEZ has a video of the opening:

Jimmy Buffett’s latest Margaritaville Cafe will open to the public on Monday with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 am.

“From my earliest days in the city, playing the Quiet Knight on Belmont, to the pinnacle of live performances to me, singing in front of the ivy wall at Wrigley Field, I have had a long and wonderful history and affection for the people, the music, the art and the food of the Windy City,” said Jimmy Buffett. “I have always thought of Chicago as a beach town, a pretty big one, but still a beach town.”

The restaurant had hoped to open in time for Memorial Weekend, but was delayed by about three weeks.

The developers of the Margaritaville Cafe at Navy Pier in Chicago hope to open the new restaurant by Memorial Day weekend, Navy Pier said in an email:

The owners of Margaritaville hope to be open by Memorial Day weekend. Construction on this new Navy Pier restaurant is currently underway. The restaurant management is working to complete construction, and have the restaurant stocked and staffed for that weekend. At this time, they do not anticipate any delays, but in any new construction, unforeseen circumstances may delay the opening.

When first announced last fall, Buffett said “I couldn’t be more excited about Margaritaville arriving on the shores of Lake Michigan. From my earliest days in the city, playing the Quiet Knight on Belmont, to the pinnacle of live performances to me, singing in front of the ivy wall at Wrigley Field, I have had a long and wonderful history and affection for the people, the music, the art and the food of the Windy City. I have always thought Chicago as a beach town, a pretty big one, but still a beach town. I am happy to call Navy Pier home to Margaritaville. Fins Up Chicago.”

(hat tip truckie823)

Jimmy Buffett made a surprise appearance with Mac McAnally and Will Kimbrough on Thursday night at his brand new Margaritaville Cafe in Nashville.

Below are some photos from WSIX Big 98 Country (hat tip Ashley for passing them along):

View all of the photos here.