10 Ways Jimmy Buffett Left His Mark On The Food World

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Right up until his passing in 2023, Jimmy Buffett was performing songs that told tales of tropical island relaxation to a massive, fiercely loyal audience. It's hard to pin down precisely why Buffett's music resonates so deeply with so many, but the "Americana meets island life" theme he frequently worked with has undeniable appeal.

It's a profitable theme, too. Buffett's brand, operating under Margaritaville Holdings LLC, is a multibillion-dollar empire. Under the brand's umbrella is an impressive array of Buffet-related ventures: There are Margaritaville casinos, retirement homes, beach resorts, a radio station, and even a home décor line. However, the real bread and butter of the brand has always been food and drink. 

Buffett's conception of the American in paradise often focuses on the American appetite in paradise. From burgers and beers to gumbo, margaritas, and shrimp — Buffett's lyrics are a veritable buffet with a beach backdrop. Leaping into the food and beverage industry was both a logical and brilliant move by the star. The Margaritaville restaurant chain alone secured Buffett's reputation as a titan restaurateur, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. Margaritaville Holdings LLC also runs its own cruises, sells bar accessories (including frozen margarita makers), and fills grocery store shelves with its various food products. Jimmy may no longer be with us, but his stories of enjoying food and frozen cocktails with his toes in the sand live on in the vast Margaritaville culinary universe.

The first Margaritaville restaurant appeared in 1987, several years after Jimmy Buffett successfully sued the Mexican chain Chi-Chi's for attempting to trademark the term for its cocktail menu. Fittingly, the first location opened in Key West, Florida, and now you'll find Margaritaville restaurants all across North America and the Caribbean. Buffett's other restaurant chains include LandShark Bar and Grill, JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, and 5 O'clock Somewhere Bar and Grill. Tens of millions of people visit a Margaritaville dining location every year.

The Margaritaville menu features plenty of seafood options, burgers, chicken dishes, margaritas (obviously), and no shortage of song references and tropical puns. The restaurants are replete with island-themed décor, including furnishings tailored to specific locations — the Times Square restaurant boasts a 30-foot-tall Statue of Liberty holding up a margarita, for example. The menu at LandShark Bar and Grill is slightly smaller than Margaritaville's, and the food options lean into the island concept a bit more, but no Margaritaville restaurant fan would feel out of place there.

If you don't live near a Margaritaville restaurant, don't worry; a quick trip to the grocery store is all you need to get on island time. Advertised as restaurant-quality food from the kitchens of Margaritaville Restaurants, the brand offers an array of frozen seafood dishes boasting tropical flavors that take just minutes to make. 

The lineup mostly consists of frozen shrimp appetizers, with flavors like Plum Crazy, Honey Tequila, and Calypso Coconut — plus a calamari offering. Not only is the range of options impressive, but customers are pretty pleased with how the products taste. Many of the frozen items, such as the Key West Chili Citrus Shrimp and the Jammin' Jerk Shrimp, have positive reviews and are considered great bang for your buck. 

Existing fans of the Margaritaville lineup can rejoice, because two new options debuted in 2025: Volcano Shrimp, stuffed with cheese and jalapeños, and Singin' Spicy Breaded Shrimp. Margaritaville frozen foods can be found at plenty of major grocery chains, making them an accessible option for any Parrotheads (as Buffett's fans are known) seeking an island getaway experience without the island getaway budget.

Not only can you eat like Jimmy Buffett, but you can cook like him, too. "Margaritaville: The Cookbook: Relaxed Recipes for a Taste of Paradise" was released in 2018, co-written by Carlo Sernaglia, a Margaritaville Concept Chef, and Julia Turshen, a successful cookbook author. 

Featuring a foreword from Buffett himself, the cookbook is loaded with recipes for replicating Margaritaville Restaurant dishes and cocktails, as well as other globally inspired meals. And of course, it includes a recipe for Jimmy Buffett's perfect margarita. Far from being just a brand-affiliated cash grab, the cookbook is well regarded for its recipe variety and quality.

Outside of the Margaritaville umbrella, one Buffett devotee has taken it upon himself to write down a few Jimmy-inspired recipes of his own. Olaf Nordstrom, a Cape Cod native who left his life behind to sail away and settle in Crab Key, has written four Buffett-centered books, two of which are cookbooks. The first, "Jimmy's Buffet: Food for Feeding Friends and Feeding Frenzies," is chock-full of recipes based on the plethora of food references in Buffett's songs. It's been in print for more than 20 years, and Nordstrom's follow-up book, "Boat Drinks," is also successful, with the frozen drink recipe book now on its fifth edition.

While rum- and tequila-based drinks appear most often in Jimmy Buffett's lyrics, beer gets plenty of shoutouts as well in songs like "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and "I Heard I Was in Town." Jimmy also has a longstanding connection to Corona, as he promoted the beer in the 1980s and '90s. When the Margaritaville company picked up steam, it was inevitable that a beer of Buffett's own would eventually become part of the brand's lineup. 

Margaritaville Brewing Co.'s Land Shark Lager was introduced in 2007 in collaboration with Anheuser-Busch. Advertised as an "Island-style lager," it fits right in with Jimmy's tropical-themed portfolio. The beer was rolled out with much fanfare; in 2009, a year-long renaming deal was announced with Miami's Dolphin Stadium, and it was temporarily known as Land Shark Stadium. The first LandShark Bar and Grill location opened soon after. The lager is still going strong, and one could argue it even gives Corona a run for its money.

The liquor-making business was perhaps the most obvious route for the Margaritaville company to take — it's in the name, after all. And while one might argue that the list of celebrity-owned liquor brands has grown too long, Jimmy Buffett's decades-long association with the drinking lifestyle makes for a natural fit.

In keeping with the Buffett brand, Margaritaville Spirits focuses on rum and tequila offerings. Beyond the basic Gold Tequila, Silver Tequila, Silver Rum, and Spiced Rum, there is a limited line of flavored tequilas like Calypso Coconut. There are also plenty of ready-to-drink, batched cocktails, including Classic Mojito, Mai Tai, and several varieties of margarita.

The Margaritaville Spirits lineup is narrow, but it knows its niche. It has all the Buffett song staples and provides options for both those who like to mix their own drinks and those who want their tropical tipple ready to go. The brand offers only one liqueur: triple sec, a key ingredient in a margarita.

Jimmy Buffett's contributions to the beverage industry may be alcohol-focused, but a smart businessperson doesn't box themselves in — and Buffett was definitely a smart businessperson. The Margaritaville brand has dipped its toes into the bottled tea world more than once. First, four flavors of Paradise Key Teas were introduced in 2010: Tropical Black, Lemon Sweet Black, Citrus Green, and Diet Peach Red. 

Unfortunately, Paradise Key Teas weren't around for long, but they were replaced in 2015 by Jimmy Buffett's Island Teas, produced in collaboration with Tradewinds. These teas leaned more heavily into the tropical island theme that Margaritaville does so well, offering five flavors: Paradise Punch Hibiscus Tea, Pineapple Coconut White Tea, Strawberry Lime Black Tea, Peach Mango Black Tea, and Tropical Citrus Green Tea. 

Unfortunately, Island Teas are no longer commercially available, perhaps due to the fact that the Tradewinds brand was sold in 2017. Given Margaritaville Holdings has ventured into the iced tea category on multiple occasions, there's still hope for a return someday.

Considering that the Jimmy Buffett brand is all about warm-weather relaxation, it should come as no surprise that Margaritaville Holdings LLC has plenty of goodies to keep on hand when you're grilling. The products themselves run the gamut from food prep helpers to first-bite additions. Flavor-wise, these offerings are consistent with other Margaritaville foods: citrusy, spicy, fruity, and punchy. 

There are two varieties of barbecue sauce (Original and Sweet & Spicy), three dipping sauces (Thai Chili, Mango Chutney, and Mango Habañero), and two marinades (Jerk and Pineapple Chili Lime). In case you want something green alongside your grilled meats, Buffett's got you covered with three Margaritaville salad dressings: Cilantro Lime, Mango Ranch, and Guava Vinaigrette. Like the frozen food selection, these products are available in several major grocery store chains, but unlike the frozen meals, you can also order them online.

After the liquor industry, the cruise business is arguably the most suitable for the Margaritaville brand and its ethos. Nothing says tropical rest and relaxation like hopping from island to island on a luxury boat, and Margaritaville at Sea offers cruise options for three different ships. Destinations include the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Key West, but cruise-loving Parrotheads are really paying for the journey. Each cruise ship features spa experiences, live entertainment, casinos, and party games catered to Buffett aficionados.

The ships offer an overwhelming number of dining experiences, from cantinas and sandwich shacks to sushi and tapas spots. Each dining space claims to offer the trademark Margaritaville aesthetic, but it's clear that almost anything is on offer onboard. Every cruise ship has an equally overwhelming number of bars and lounges to satisfy any boozy craving.

While we don't have the data on hand, it's a safe bet that there's a significant crossover between Jimmy Buffett fans and tailgating. That's what the Margaritaville Cargo line is all about — taking the party with you, island style. Unfortunately, the product line has been culled in recent years, and some offerings are no longer available new. Take, for example, the Margaritaville Tailgater Grill, which could be attached to a truck's tow hitch receiver and brought along for the ride to any outdoor party. 

That isn't the only Cargo product that is no longer in production. There was also the Margaritaville Liquor Chiller, which did exactly what it said on the tin, and the Mixed Drink Maker, which combined a variety of mixers and liquors to make cocktails with the touch of a button — including a classic margarita. Whatever the reason for these products being discontinued, demand remains, and they sell for a pretty penny on eBay. Nowadays, the Cargo line is populated by several frozen drink makers of various sizes. Far from being glorified blenders, these Buffett-approved machines help you make perfect frozen cocktails at home – not too much ice, but not watered down.

"Cheeseburger in Paradise" is one of Jimmy Buffett's most well-known songs about a tropical chow down. According to the man himself, the song was inspired by a transcendental burger experience at a pit stop in Puerto Rico. While most will never get a chance to dine at the spot where Buffett ate his cheeseburger in paradise, there was a time when you could at least visit a place inspired by it.

The first location of the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain opened in 2002, and after a few years, there were 23 locations nationwide. The chain was owned and operated by Outback Steakhouse, and Buffett had worked out a licensing deal that allowed it to use the name and the well-loved tropical aesthetic. The menu followed the blueprint of Buffett's more successful business ventures, featuring summery, island-vibe foods and leaning heavily on burgers and cocktails.

Unfortunately, paradise was short-lived. The chain was sold in 2012, ending Buffett's relationship with the brand, and the locations began to close one by one. The last remaining Cheeseburger in Paradise location closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, there are still plenty of burgers to be had at Margaritaville restaurants around the country.