Margaritaville Restaurant - Myrtle Beach — Restaurant in Myrtle Beach

I've been a Buffett fan since the 70s and always wanted to come here, especially now that Jimmy has passed on. It was last night, a Thursday around 6pm. The restaurant wasn't very crowded, but it seemed that all the patrons were crammed into one section, nearest to the host station, and was pretty loud, especially with the the loud music videos. I was surprised at some of the music- very pop-style...we expected more beach music mixed in with the Buffett music I guess. I asked the young server if we could sit by the windows, where it was quiet and had a nice view, but she said the section was closed, i.e. they want everyone together so they don't have to walk as far. I was a server, I get it, but I didn't like it. I'm hard of hearing, and even with my hearing aids I had to sit at the corner of our 4-top in order to have a conversation with my husband. I suppose I could've told our server about my hearing loss but I doubt she would've let us sit where we asked. My fault for not asking, I suppose.

We get the menus and I have to say I was a little surprised at how high the prices were. So we both ordered the single cheeseburger in paradise and split a side of onion rings, he got tea and I had water. Bill was $55, which wouldn't have been quite so insulting if the food had been freshly prepared. It was ALL FROZEN- the hamburger patties, fries, and onion rings. Wow. Food was okay for frozen I guess, although I've had better frozen burgers in much cheaper restaurants.

The server did a good job, other than not seating us where we asked. There was a guy taking pictures, as a "gift". He came around later with the pictures. The "gift" picture was a postcard, and the picture of us was very tiny. The other pictures were probably 5x7 with a paper frame for $20, all three for $45. No thanks.

We went to the merch store, and I will say there was a huge variety of apparel, souvenirs, etc. Souvenir prices weren't bad, but the apparel was very pricey for the quality. We got long sleeve t shirts for $40 each that I can hold up and see through. But I wanted a shirt from there so I have one now.

We are not cheapskates by any stretch of the imagination, but the price/quality discrepancy bordered on shameful. I know everyone has to make a living, but come on, y'all.

I guess our overall impression from our first (and only) visit was disappointment. I couldn't help but wonder if Jimmy would've felt the same way we did. If I'm going to pay $40 for a cheap shirt and eat a $20 frozen burger, I'd at least like to have a pretty view and listen to more Buffett while I do it.

*one positive thing I forgot to mention in the original review is that the decor and design inside the restaurant were really quite remarkable; whoever came up with those ideas was very creative, and it pulled off so well!

*I did receive a call from the owner of Margaritaville, Keith. He was polite and he never denied that the food was frozen and the shirts are cheap, so I can respect that on a certain level. He offered to send us some vouchers in case we ever come back, which is more than a lot of people would do. I'm not sure what the parameters/limitations are in a franchise situation, but I do hope Keith will take whatever steps he can to optimize the Margaritaville experience for his customers, especially since the restaurant bears the name of our...

Short review:

You can tout the word "New" in front of them all you want, but that certainly doesn't justify a higher cost increase and an INCREDIBLY lower quality

DO NOT order ANYTHING with their "new" chicken tenders, including the chicken tenders salad. They are a huge scam. $19 (and $21 for the salad) for (what is now) 4 dried up, shrivelled chicken tenders "jerky" and a chicken jerky salad

Detailed review:

So my fiancé and I come here every year when on vacation because we absolutely love(d) their tempura batter chicken tenders. They were always cooked perfectly and we recommended them to anyone that asked.

What you receive(d) were 5 fantastically large, so much so that you could use a knife to cut them up, beautifully golden tempura battered tenders on a massive plate that were enough to fill you up as an "appetizer" alone.

We went today, all the way there talking about how excited we were to get them this year, and we get there, start looking at the menu, and notice the Chicken Tenders say "New"

We thought that was strange..they've had chicken tenders forever. The menu now also makes no mention of being tempura batter anymore

So naturally, I asked the waitress of the chicken tenders were still tempura batter, to which she replied "yes of course"

I explained why I asked, because of the menu update, and she explained yes there are some new menu items but has NO IDEA why the chicken tenders say "New" because ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAD CHANGED with them.

So, with renewed confidence, I order the chicken tenders.

...what I received is nothing short of a mockery and an embarrassment. I received 4 dried, shrivelling chicken "jerky" tenders in a small bowl (jerky is the only way it can be described by how tough they were)

I took a bite, all the while thinking they looked incredibly different, and sure enough, there's no way it's tempura.

I called for the waitress to ask AGAIN, and even show her a picture of that we received last time compared to this time. To which she says (that looks like fish that you got last time)... trust me ma'am..it was very much chicken..

This time, instead of insisting it was tempura, she goes to check with the kitchen.

She comes back and (of course) explains SURE ENOUGH, I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG, they use both different chicken AND now use a flour coating instead.

She now ALSO admits she actually has NO IDEA what tempura batter is, and just told me it was the same because she's never been asked and they've just been that way since she's worked there..

My fiancé ordered the chicken tenders salad, which of course had the same dried up chicken in it, just cut into pieces, as you do for a salad.

Below are what you USED to get (absolutely amazing and beautiful) compared to the embarrassment you receive now.

You can tout the word "New" in front of them all you want, but that certainly doesn't justify a higher cost increase and an INCREDIBLY lower quality

I'm embarrassed to have spoken so highly of this place, if anyone I've spoken to took me up on my advice and made a trip...

Our family of eight, ranging in age from 16 to 75, visited this restaurant on a Wednesday evening around 6:30 PM. We were promptly seated upstairs, away from the busier and noisier section downstairs, which we appreciated.

Our server took our drink orders, and since we had been snacking earlier, we decided to skip appetizers. After some time, the cocktails arrived. I ordered a Watermelon Margarita, which turned out to be a layer of watermelon-flavored syrup at the bottom of a tall glass, topped with frozen margarita mix. At $12.75, I expected more. I had to stir the drink just to mix the syrup, but even that didn’t help—this was easily the most flavorless cocktail I’ve had in a long time.

Meanwhile, the non-alcoholic drinks took even longer to arrive. By the time they did, our server was already asking if we wanted another round, as our glasses were nearly empty.

As we waited for our meals, another large party of eight or nine was seated nearby, along with a few smaller groups. Unfortunately, despite waiting far too long, our food had yet to arrive—while the nearby group was already being served. When we flagged down the person delivering their meals to inquire about ours, they said they would check on it.

Shortly after, our food finally arrived—cold. It was clear that it had been sitting for a while, likely waiting for our single server to bring it out.

I had ordered fish and chips, and to say it was overcooked would be an understatement. The batter was practically burned, making it nearly inedible. Someone in the kitchen needs to check the fryer oil and pay attention to cooking times.

At this point, I just wanted to leave. The entire experience reminded me of a similar disappointing visit to Margaritaville at Universal Studios Florida—lackluster food and poor service.

After paying the bill, the kids in our group wanted to check out the gift shop, which gave me a chance to speak with a manager. When I explained the issues—slow service, cold food, and what seemed like understaffing upstairs—her response was a simple, “Yeah, she’s the only server up there.” When I brought up the cold food, she literally just shrugged. No apology. No acknowledgment that this wasn’t acceptable. Just silence.

My advice? Skip this place and choose one of the many excellent restaurants in Myrtle Beach instead. I certainly won’t be returning to a Margaritaville.

For what it's worth, I waited a week before writing this review, hoping I could be more objective. But even after some time, I’m still shocked at the poor service, food quality, and complete lack of accountability...