- Cheeseburger in Paradise, a restaurant chain inspired by Jimmy Buffett’s hit song, closed its last remaining location in 2020 due to bankruptcy.
Life is full of mysteries, unanswered questions that nobody but the gods above can resolve. For example, is a burger a sandwich? What, exactly, happened to Jimmy Buffett’s lost shaker of salt? If you’ve heard Buffett’s inescapable mega-hit, “Margaritaville,” you might have wondered that yourself. Today, you can dine at one of the Margaritaville restaurants named after the Buffett standard — although, to be honest, the man himself preferred a simpler drink than a frozen marg — but you’ll never again dine at Cheeseburger in Paradise, the casual eatery that shared a name with another of Buffett’s musical repasts.
The first Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant opened its doors in Indianapolis in 2002, a joint venture between Buffett’s Margaritaville Holdings LLC and OSI Restaurant Partners. Not surprisingly, the chain was known for its burgers, mixed drinks, and a festive atmosphere that evoked a beach party. Unfortunately, however, Cheeseburger in Paradise was plagued by near-constant upheaval. In 2006, the chain hit its zenith with 38 open restaurants. Things took a dive when the properties were sold to an investment group, and, soon after, to the Luby’s company.
Luby’s acquired 23 Cheeseburger in Paradise locations in 14 states in 2012, at which point it announced that it had big plans for the franchise. Then, Luby’s itself went bankrupt in 2020, a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ravages upon the restaurant industry. By September of that year, there was only one Cheeseburger in Paradise location left standing, in Secaucus, New Jersey. This spot was forced to close its doors when its parent company went under, and so Cheeseburger in Paradise was no more.
A Cheeseburger in Paradise still exists (as a menu item)
According to Buffett himself in his album liner notes for “Boats, Beaches, Bars, & Ballads” (via Garden and Gun), the nosh that inspired the song “Cheeseburger in Paradise” was eaten after making it to shore on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The crossing had been arduous: Buffet’s boat, the “Euphoria,” was damaged in rough seas, all of their ice had melted, and the crew had been subsisting on canned food and peanut butter. Buffett and his friends bellied up to a local restaurant, the name of which has been lost to time. “To our amazement we were offered a menu that featured an American cheeseburger and piña coladas,” he wrote. “The overdone burgers on the burned, toast buns tasted like manna from Heaven, for they were the realization of my fantasy burgers on the trip. That’s the true story.”…