Margaritaville Online, the social game from Jimmy Buffett that many of you have already been playing via the Buffett Beta Club, will be released to the general public on January 18th.

Along with the public release will come cross-platform support for iPhone and iPad. Up until now the game has only been playable through Facebook.

“The Margaritaville laidback state of mind is inherently social, and THQ (the game developer) has captured the spirit of that lifestyle in this game,” said Buffett. “With Margaritaville Online, fans across the globe can party together any time and any place.”

Developed by Exploding Barrel Games, the 3D open world features tropical environments and a full catalog of Buffett’s music. Players can create their own island resort, play mini-games and interact with characters from Buffett’s songs and literary works including Captain Tony and Joe Merchant. They’ll even be able to create their own band.

The first Margaritaville Cafe in Canada will open in late spring or early summer in Niagara Falls, Ontario:

Margaritaville Canada Ltd. has signed a lease with the owners of the Skylon Tower to open the 14,000-square-foot, two-story restaurant on Fallsview Avenue, across from the Niagara Fallsview Casino and Resort.

Margaritaville is scheduled to open by late spring or early summer, said George Davidson, Margaritaville Canada president and chief executive officer.

The restaurant is moving into the site of the former Wolfgang Puck’s Cafe, which closed last summer.

Margaritaville Canada is investing “several million” into the Niagara Falls project, Davidson said. The restaurant is the first of several the Calgary-based company has planned for Canada. The company has the exclusive Margaritaville rights for Canada.

“The (Niagara Falls) location is just spectacular,” Davidson said. “You couldn’t find a better site between all the activity and overlooking the falls.”

Davidson said the restaurant site is currently being expanded. Part of the renovations call for a second-story outdoor patio that will offer dramatic views of Niagara Falls.

Margaritaville will have a 350-person seating capacity, an increase over Wolfgang Puck’s capacity by more than 175 seats.

The restaurant, during the peak summer season, is expected to employ at least 250 people on a full- and part-time basis.

Davidson confirmed plans are in the works for other Margaritaville’s across Canada. One will anchor the revamped Calgary Stampede grounds and complex.

“You can probably guess what other cities might end up with one,” Davidson said.

He said locations in Toronto and Vancouver are being considered.

As for the restaurant’s namesake, might Buffett be making an appearance in Niagara Falls.

“You never know,” Davidson said. “He has been known to stop in his other restaurants from time-to-time.”

The Calgary location is under construction and there are reports that a location will open in Edmonton. And last month we told you about the possibility of a Nashville location.

See where the other Margaritaville Cafes are located here.

Indications on Margaritaville.com’s careers page is that a Margaritaville Cafe is coming to Nashville, Tennessee.

Included under job openings is a general manager position at a Nashville location. The closing date for applications is listed as April 14th, 2010.

Interested in this job? Here are the qualifications:

• Three to five years restaurant, retail and entertainment management experience in a high-volume full-service environment required
• High school diploma required; bachelors degree (Hospitality Management, Business or related field) preferred
• Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing
• Proven ability to lead and develop a team of hourly staff and managers
• Stable work history
• Must be at least 21 years of age

Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert is airing his show “The Colbert Report” from Iraq this week. Before the trip he did not disclose where he would be going except that it would be somewhere in the Persian Gulf.

The intro for Monday’s episode had Colbert being whisked away without him knowing where he was going. He had a checklist with places written on it and one of the locations was Margaritaville. When he arrived at a hotel, he went up to the front desk and asked where the bar was and the lady said that there was no alcohol allowed there. So Stephen then crossed off Margaritaville from his list.

You can watch the full episode here.

From Margaritaville.com:

100% Organic garments and environmentally friendly inks were used to produce this product.

Margaritaville is on a journey toward environmental responsibility and sustainability and encourage others to get involved. The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is the only “frost-free” botanical garden in the continental United States. A tropical environment with ample rain allows most trees to retain their leaves in the dry season (December through late May).

It is home to many endangered and threatened flora and fauna. Tropical forests of the world hold at least half of all the variety of life on Earth. Moreover, the species found with the Caribbean are among the richest in plant and animal life on the planet. The Margaritaville Store is proud to donate $1.00 from the sale of this T’shirt and pleased to participate in this effort. Purchase Here.