Jimmy Buffett will be opening his first Margaritaville Cafe in Australia this November at Darling Harbour in Sydney:

“Bringing Margaritaville to Australia will provide a new and exciting dining experience unlike any other,” said Schlebusch. “We offer our guests a unique combination of great food and refreshing drinks with a personalized experience from our hospitable staff. Your visit to Margaritaville will definitely be a memorable one.”

Opening in the current Docks Hotel, which closes Sunday the 19th of August, Margaritaville will have an all-star location with a completely refitted interior. Margaritaville Darling Harbour will feature an abundance of indoor seating with an upbeat and fun atmosphere as well as an outdoor patio to enjoy the scenic harbour views. This new restaurant concept will liven up Darling Harbour and provide a fresh spot to dine with frequent live music, palm trees, deck chairs, and surf boards for a true beach feel.

“Harbourside is thrilled to have secured such a high profile international brand as Margaritaville. Without a doubt it will only compliment the Harbourside precinct adding a further dimension and will raise the standard yet again on cool casual dining,” commented Harbourside General Manager, Tim Andrews. “Morney brings a wealth of experience to Harbourside and is sure to make it a summer to remember! What could be better than long days and great margaritas on the edge of Darling Harbour?”

Though this well-known franchise is famous for its margaritas and cheeseburgers, it provides a little something for everyone in the neighbourhood. You’ll find a menu just for the kids, heaps of memorabilia to help you remember your trip to Australia’s first Margaritaville, cold beer, delicious food, and entertainment for the whole family.

“A Margaritaville in Darling Harbor? It certainly seems like a natural port of call for me. But, as usual, there is a story to go along with the idea. My connection to Australia began nearly 200 years ago when the descendants of my seafaring distant relative, John Buffett, made the trip from Pitcairn to Norfolk Island thus depositing the first Buffetts on Australian soil. Couple that bit of history to my debut show in Bondi over 20 years ago, followed by the incredible adventure and fun I had during the hey day of 12 meter America’s Cup racing in Perth in 1987; and topped off by my recent stage dive in Sydney on Australia Day a year ago, and you can see that it is only natural in my way of thinking, that the land down under, the true land of boats, beaches and bars, needed a Margaritaville. Darling Harbour, here we come, and this son of son of a sailor couldn’t be happier,” says Buffett.

A second location is planned near Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Be sure to Like Margaritaville Australia on Facebook!

Sorry Calgary… a Margaritaville Cafe is no longer planned for the Calgary Stampede development in Calgary, AB Canada. First announced in 2009, the deal was revealed to be in jeopardy a year ago.

Connell confirmed the Jimmy Buffett-inspired Margaritaville restaurant/entertainment centre is no longer planned as an anchor tenant in the mainstreet development. A separate venture, to be announced at a later date, has taken over that role and location.

The website is still live but has never contained any content: www.margaritavillecalgary.ca

The Niagara Falls location remains the only Margaritaville in Canada.

The US Embassy in France posted a video interview with Jimmy Buffett before his show at L’Olympia in Paris on Monday:

Buffett also visited the US Embassy last year where he joined the US Air Forces in Europe Band for a private show.

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)

With new owners taking over, plans for a Margaritaville Cafe in Calgary may change:

The Jimmy Buffett restaurant – touted as the marquee attraction in a major expansion slated for Stampede grounds – is facing new hurdles as the company behind the Canadian arm of the chain comes under new ownership.

A Toronto-based company in the process of purchasing Margaritaville Canada will be evaluating the Calgary project once the transaction is complete, said it’s head, Dragan Matovic.

“We are going to be speaking with the various developers there and the folks at the Stampede in the near future once this transaction is hopefully completed, and then we’ll decide accordingly.”

Bryan McFarland, principal of development, is in Calgary this week, meeting with several retailers, including existing tenants and new prospects.

“Whatever happens with Margaritaville, we’ve got a great lineup of tenants to either replace them or supplement them,” he said.

Margaritaville was to be the anchor tenant and include live entertainment and a sports bar.

Matovic said his numbered company is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement to acquire the Margaritaville licence rights for Canada.

“Subsequently, we would start focusing in on several major issues, one of which would be the growth of the company going forward and obviously assessing the merits of the Calgary project,” he said.

It’s too soon to make decisions before the company purchase is complete, he said, adding that the Calgary restaurant “sounds like an interesting opportunity.”

Plans were first announced for a Calgary location in the summer of 2009. An official website is up at www.margaritavillecalgary.ca but there’s no content.

Morning television host Kerri-Anne interviewed Jimmy Buffett while he was in Australia.

In the interview, they discuss the inspiration for the song Margaritaville (Austin, Texas gets the credit), the Jamaica Mistaica incident, Lionel Richie, parrotheads, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and a few other topics.

Watch the interview here.