Paradise on the Strip
Friday September 21, 2012
My Trip to Margaritaville-Las Vegas Destination
On July 18th, 2012 my sister and I ventured to Las Vegas, Nevada to celebrate her 21st birthday. When going to “Sin City,” you normally think of wild times and casinos, not palm trees and paradise. But that’s what you get with a trip to Margaritaville. Margaritaville Restaurant has been a part of Vegas life since August 2004 (margaritavillelasvegas.com), but the newly opened casino is now drawing even more customers to the island atmosphere. With the lyric's and lifestyle inspired by Jimmy Buffett himself, entertainment is a given. Customer's will definitely succumb to the island state of mind whether your gambling at the craps table, pulling a lever on a slot machine, or enjoying a giant stack of volcano nacho's as you sip down a mango margarita.
Friday September 21, 2012
My Trip to Margaritaville-Las Vegas Destination
On July 18th, 2012 my sister and I ventured to Las Vegas, Nevada to celebrate her 21st birthday. When going to “Sin City,” you normally think of wild times and casinos, not palm trees and paradise. But that’s what you get with a trip to Margaritaville. Margaritaville Restaurant has been a part of Vegas life since August 2004 (margaritavillelasvegas.com), but the newly opened casino is now drawing even more customers to the island atmosphere. With the lyric's and lifestyle inspired by Jimmy Buffett himself, entertainment is a given. Customer's will definitely succumb to the island state of mind whether your gambling at the craps table, pulling a lever on a slot machine, or enjoying a giant stack of volcano nacho's as you sip down a mango margarita.
Personal Picture of Me (left) and my
sister Sam (right) at
Maragaritaville Casino Las Vegas,NV
Upon entering Margaritaville, you hear lyrics
such as "Wasting away again in Margaritaville,” “Searching for my lost
shaker of salt" or "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (Meet Me in
Margaritaville). Your mind is instantly
taken to a place of tranquility and peace as you walk through the palm trees
into the authentic island surroundings. In
critiquing this island adventure within 4 walls, I believe the important
aspects to evaluate are food/beverage, atmosphere, and service. In the following paragraphs I will talk about
these aspects in length. I will be
rating on a good/better/best scale.
www.visitlasvegas.com
Margaritaville Restaurant
Appearance and atmosphere is what
really sells Maragaritaville to customers.
As you enter this relaxed island themed
atmosphere. You see a vast variety of Jimmy Buffett memorabilia.
The restaurant has
three levels which offer the customer both inside
and outside dining options. There are several bars
inside both the restaurant and casino, but only one has a giant two story
volcano. Every hour the volcano erupts to the tune of "Volcano,” spilling margaritas and a vegas cutie into a giant blender. Seat backs at the bar are
shaped like a fin of a shark coming in for
attack, giving
the appearance of "fins to the left, fins to
the right” (Meet me in Margaritaville).
In the back of the restaurant there is a stage for local bands or a surprise visit
from the owner himself, who makes time on occasion to stop in and sing a song or
two while enjoying one of his novelty drinks. Outside there is a variety of bright hand painted chairs waiting for tired feet to stop, and
enjoy a cold drink. The casino takes on the appearance of tropical
cool waters and sandy beaches. Palm trees nestled next to bright sunset
walls, make great photo opportunities for visitors. As you enter the
casino, you pass under a sign with the wording "No Passport
Required,"
(margaritavillelasvegas.com) again making customers feel as though they are entering into a
tropical destination. All of this, mixed with the fun loving music
and “Parrotheads” you come across, is
bound to leave a lasting impression. Appearance and Atmosphere get a “Best” rating
from me.
www.fruitcakecity.net Volcano Blender
www.bestofvegas.com Jimmy Buffett’s
Margaritaville
When ordering food at
Margaritaville, you had better bring your appetite. Whether you are ordering an appetizer or main
course meal, you will be sure to get your money's worth. We ordered the volcano nachos to start with,
which is a known customer favorite. The
plate was mounded with nacho chips, cheese and all the appropriate toppings. The Cheeseburger in Paradise that we had for
our main course was the juiciest, most delicious burger I have ever tasted, and
came prepared on an authentic "Cheeseburger in Paradise" plate." I would give the food quality and
presentation a “Better” rating. Our
choices were presented in a very appetizing and authentic manner. Price would be the next thing we should look
at. Food was not overly pricey, given
the large amounts, but beverages, were a little pricey. A typical cocktail would cost you
$10.00-$12.00, and that was without purchasing the souvenir glass. With the souvenir glass, customers were
looking at $18.00. The quality of the
drinks were perfect. They had a generous
variety of different signature drinks, mostly fruit flavored, that when the
first sip hits your lips, makes you feel like you’re relaxed in the sand. This too me makes the drink rating “Better.”
Another aspect to
evaluate is the service. Everyone from
the hostess to the bus boys were kind and courteous. In the relaxed dining environment, staff wore
authentic Margaritaville tee shirts. This
appears to be a good sales technique. Many
customers were asking where they too could get a "No Shoes, No Shirt, No
Problem" tee shirt or something similar to this. Staff would then point the customers in the
direction of the Smugglers Hold apparel store, which has everything from shirts
to shot glasses available. Service was
timely upon getting a table, but if you’re in a hurry to catch a fast meal,
Margaritaville might not be the place for you. Wait times to get a table at peak dining time,
are often several hours. However, in
that time, server's are more than happy to assist you in getting a margarita or
two to start your evening, or pointing you in the direction of the casino. In the casino, the first thing you notice is
the energy around you. Dealers, bartenders and wait staff, all smiling and
enthusiastic about making your experience special. This new addition to Margaritaville is bound
to be a crowd pleaser, from the custom banks of slot machines, to tables named
after some of Jimmy Buffets novelty songs; and we can't forget the custom
centerpiece “5 O’clock Somewhere Bar,” (lasvegasblog.com) where bartenders are
more than happy to pour you something “tall and strong"(Meet me in Margaritaville).
I give service an overall rating of “Better.”
www.lasvegasblog.com "5
O'clock Somewhere" bar
Overall, I give Margaritaville
a “Best” rating. It is rare to find a
restaurant that has such a laid back, costal atmosphere. This specific Margaritaville is very special
though. Upon opening the casino in
October of 2011, Maragaritaville Las Vegas made history by having the World’s
Largest Margarita, "Lucky Rita," which contained 2,125 gallons of
signature Margaritaville Gold Tequila, and served over 181,333 Margarita's in a
10 day span (vegasnews.com). Visitor
from all over continue to make a stop at this nostalgic restaurant and come
back for more. A recent customer posted to Trip Advisor "Thank you Jimmy!
With boat booths and sharks on the ceiling, this place is cool! The burgers are
very good and you don’t leave hungry" (trip advisor), another one stating
"The atmosphere is so fun. You can’t help but to have a good time here!
GO!!!" (tripadvisor.com). There is truely no other place in Vegas like it. Jimmy himself state's: "Nobody-certainly
not me, would have ever guessed it would become all of this. That’s one interesting story to contemplate
lying back in the hammock at the beach with a good drink"
(margaritavillelasvegas.com
www.vegasnews.com Margaritaville Las Vegas-Worlds Largest
Margarita
Reference Page
http://www.margaritavillelasvegas.com Play in Paradise: Enter the Casino; Jimmy Buffett Wastes Away In His Own Margaritaville At Flamingo; Retrieved September 19, 2012
http://www.margaritavillelasvegas.com Play in Paradise: Enter the Casino; Jimmy Buffett Wastes Away In His Own Margaritaville At Flamingo; Retrieved September 19, 2012
http://www.tripadvisor.com Restaurants: Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Las Vegas, Nevada; Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville; Page 4; “Waste away at Margaritaville.” Review; Retrieved September 19, 2012
http://www.lasvegasnews.comSearch:
Margaritaville; Margaritaville Las Vegas Breaks World Record; Retrieved
September 19, 2012
http://www.fruitcakecity.net/ Jimmy Buffet: Margaritaville Las Vegas; That's gotta be
the biggest Margarita blender I've ever seen; Retrieved
September 19, 2012
http://www.bestofvegas.com Las Vegas Guide: Restaurant/Dining Guide;
View Restaurants; Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville; Retrieved September 19, 2012
http://blog.vegas.com/?s=margaritaville Blender or not, Vegas helps celebrate
National Margarita Day; Retrieved September 19, 2012
http://www.lasvegasblog.harrahs.com
Search: Margaritaville; A Second First Look at the New Margaritaville Casino; Retrieved September 19, 2012
http://www.visitlasvegas.com Restaurants: View all
Properties on Map (M-R); 4 Margaritaville; Retrieved September 19,2012
Jimmy Buffet: Meet Me in Margaritaville The Ultimate
Collection; Release April 15,2003; Retrieved September 19,2012
