Margaritaville

Hey,

My wife was just telling me that her mother sent a note saying that the "World Famous" Margaritville burned down. Anyone have any info on that?

Umm....my husband and I just ate there on I think it was July 8th, and it was still standing and busy.

I am pretty sure there would have been something on the local news around here, but I haven't seen nor heard anything.

I think there is more than one Margaritaville around...not just the one in Sandusky. I think some other states have them...maybe it was one of those?

Well, she lives in Sandusky so I was assuming it was the one she was talking about. I was surprised to not see it here if, in fact, it really happened.

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/07/19/front/345408.txt
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/07/19/front/344292.txt

Until I got to the reported cause, this was sounding like Goodfellas.

"The restaurant was sold two months ago, and new owner Bob Crawford of Fremont had recently reopened the local favorite under new management."

That's too bad. I honestly thought their food was a little bland, but it was a neat place to go with the waterfalls out back and stuff. It seemed to be popular with the locals too.

I've heard that the Margaritaville in Sandusky is really a biker joint. Is that true? If so, it can't be like the Margaritaville in Orlando FL.

Awwwwww! :(

I have seen this place on my way to Cedar Point for as long as I can remember. It always got me excited for the thrills that were to come. This will be different to see it in this condition on my next trip :(

The place always looked crowded whenever I went by in the evening. There did usually seem to be a large number of bikes in the parking lot.

That's really too bad. That place was always busy. How sad that a fire could destroy it like it did. I am glad I had another chance to eat there recently and I certainly hope they rebuild.

I do not think their food was bland. My chimichanga was awesome, and my husband's pannini sandwich was delicious! I guess it just depends on what you order. Either that, or maybe your tastebuds are messed up. (just kidding) :-)

So how did that place get along without being sued by Jimmy Buffett, who has a registered trademark on the name for restaurants?

I think it was there so long that it had the name before Jimmy Buffett had the Margaritaville trademark.

The original people that owned it opened a Margaritaville on Rt 250, but it didn't take long before they changed the name on that one, probably because of trademark issues. The place on Rt 250 eventually went out of business.

At least the outdoor bar was not damaged, that was really the only good part about the place. The food was very bland. I had dinner there once and never felt like returning.

Pete is right. It was named that long before Buffett trademarked the name.

As for the food, after the new owners took over, the food got better, much better. The new chef was the executive chef at Mon Ami over at Catawba Island.

It's a shame because I was really looking forward to visiting it more often now that they seemed to be going in the right direction, seeing how I live and work right down the road from it.

And yes, the deck bar is a very cool setting.

-Tambo

*** Edited 7/20/2007 3:19:32 PM UTC by tambo***

Buffett filed in 1999.

Interestingly enough, Chi-Chi's filed in 1982.