The Whopping Number Of Restaurants Jimmy Buffett Owned Worldwide

Jimmy Buffett had an extensive music career with several signature songs, dozens of albums, and countless concerts full of Parrotheads — the in-universe term for Jimmy Buffett fans. But in 1985, Buffett founded Margaritaville Holdings, an early chapter in what would become his considerable business legacy.

In addition to merchandise, Buffett owned dozens of bars, restaurants, and hotels, all dedicated to the same breezy island vibes of his music. By the time of his death in 2023 at age 76, Margaritaville Holdings owned over 60 bars and restaurants spanning different concepts and continents. These restaurants were either standalone properties, like many of its signature Margaritaville restaurants, or included in the 20 different lodging options the company also owned.

Since Buffett's death, there have been some closures in the greater Margaritaville family, including a high-profile restaurant at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. But the company has grown in other places, including new resort properties in Lake Tahoe, Cape Cod, and Fort Myers, FL, as well as a standalone Salty Rim Bar & Grill in Flagler Beach, FL. There should be plenty more cheeseburgers in paradise for the traveling Parrotheads of the world.

Jimmy Buffett left a rich food legacy beyond even just his many restaurants, including pre-prepared meals, frozen drink machines, beer and liquor brands, and more. It seems as though the same spirit of his music flowed through his business investments: anything you need to have a good, tropical time. And thanks to Air Margaritaville, a trimmed-down restaurant concept exclusively in airports, Parrotheads can keep the party going until boarding.

Beer was always a big part of Buffett's shows, which carried a Corona sponsorship for decades. Fans would raise a beer toward the stage at certain cues through the show, and Buffett's popularity helped establish the Corona brand in the U.S. Eventually, though, Jimmy Buffett founded his own beer brand, LandShark Lager, to fill this need with his own product and keep more profit in-house.

However, despite the unmistakable tropical vibes of almost everything his name touched, Jimmy Buffett's favorite dish was actually a Creole classic: gumbo. It makes sense given Buffett's southern Mississippi heritage, alluded to in his song "I Will Play for Gumbo." And the difficulty in making an authentic gumbo means you probably won't find it on a Margaritaville menu. But there's always more margaritas.