Margaritaville Restaurant to open next year at Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati

What happened in Las Vegas is being copied in Cincinnati.

The Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati, which is scheduled to open next year, announced plans to place a 14,000 square foot Jimmy Buffett-inspired Margaritaville Restaurant near the main entrance to the property.

The deal continues the relationship between the singer and Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns the $400 million casino project in a joint venture with Rock Gaming.

Buffett’s first Margaritaville Restaurant in conjunction with a casino was built at the Caesars-owned Flamingo. An official with Margaritaville Holdings said last year the Flamingo's Margaritaville was the top-grossing restaurant of the company's 15 facilities in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada.

Last October, 15,000 square feet of unused public space at the Flamingo adjacent to the restaurant was transformed into the Margaritaville Casino. Buffett was licensed by Nevada gaming regulators earlier this year to share in the gaming profits from the 22 table games and 220 slot machines.

So why not try something similar in Cincinnati?

The 400-seat restaurant will feature an open-air dining patio that connects to the casino’s urban plaza and event lawn. The restaurant will also offer a Margaritaville retail store. A Margaritaville casino was not mentioned in the plans.

In a statement, Buffett said he coined the term “Parrotheads” at a Kings Island concert in Cincinnati 1985. He said the moniker for his fans came to him when he saw a sea of fans in Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats.

“Cincinnati is simply where it all started,” Buffett said. “Now it is very fitting that we have found a home in the Queen city.”

In addition to the Flamingo, Margaritaville casinos are located in Biloxi, Miss., which opened in May, and Bossier City, La., which is scheduled to open in 2013.

Caesars and Rock Gaming also own the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, which opened in May. The Horseshoe Cincinnati will have 2,000 slot machines, 85 table games, and a World Series of Poker themed poker room.