Entech Innovative Engineering once again partnered with The McBride Company for an assortment of elaborate props and theming elements for the new Margaritaville Atlanta. Located at Centennial Park, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville joins some of Atlanta’s biggest attractions such as World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and the SkyView Atlanta Ferris Wheel. Opened in June 2022, this location features two levels of seating overlooking downtown Atlanta and offers a Tiki Bar, License To Chill Bar, and the 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar.
Entech Provided TD&E, Build and Install for a variety of restaurant theming prop enhancements for this location, ranging from an oversized Adirondack chair with mounted parrots sitting above to an over 8-foot-tall realistic margarita glass complete with a salt-rim and sipping parrots. In addition, we provided Flying Parrots, Paddleboard TV Frames, a Large Tiki Entry as well as Skinny Tikis and other Ancillary Decorations.
Focusing on one of the main elements, the large glass, the design requirements were fairly simple to make an oversized Margarita glass with a salted rim and a paint scheme that emulates the frozen drink. There are plenty of choices of that type of glass out there to choose from to aid in our approach. Considering the installation of this meant that the size would need to be able to fit through the available building opening and be assembled from two parts, the stem and foot, and the main vessel.
The large glass, primarily made from high density foam, was turned on a lathe sanded and sealed with polyester primer and painted with a high gloss automotive paint and clear coat. The stem and foot of the glass were done with a section of acrylic tube and more of the HD foam to form the foot. After painting and a thorough buffing, we applied a Margaritaville logo, which needed to be curved to match the glass shape, then we “salted” the rim with thousands of tiny acrylic cubes to emulate the salt, scaled up to match the over-sized glass of course.
The biggest obstacle we had during fabrication was the paint work. To get the look the designers wanted, Entech's fabrication team sprayed several samples and submitted them for approval. We visited this process repeatedly until we had it right. The size of the glass also made installation more challenging. At 96” in diameter and 84” tall with a smooth surface it was extremely hard to lift into place without damage. The installation required a Mini-Crane and a custom sling made to fit its unusual shape. The biggest challenge was that the Mini-Crane malfunctioned as we were about to place the Glass in its final position on top of the entry vestibule. To over-come this, we used a man lift to aid in reaching the glass to re-rig it and move it to its new home.
Overall, these thematic elements elevate the Margaritaville experience in the heart of Atlanta and continues Entech Innovative Engineering's ongoing relationship with The McBride Company and the Margaritaville brand bringing whimsical, tropical touches to the newest addition to the franchise.
