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Confession time… I am a parrot-head. I can often be found fantasizing about leaving everything behind, getting a small houseboat and sailing the coast of Mexico selling tacos to tourists and soaking in the sun. Maybe that’s what retirement looks like for me. Lord knows Jimmy Buffett make it look easy. Anyhow, when I heard they were opening up a Margaritaville location here in Glendale, Arizona to go with our new fancy stadiums I got excited. I had been to the Margaritaville location in Orlando and LOVED it. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed. The food was phenomenal. The service was perfect. My best friend had the same experience in Vegas so of course when one opened up just miles from my home I was ecstatic! After a lot of missed dates and great anticipation, we finally got together for lunch at the Glendale Margaritaville on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning.
It was tragic.. like watching your favorite dessert fall on the floor. Our bloody mary’s were mildly flavored tomato juice. Our service was slow and inattentive. Our food was mediocre at best. And to make it worse, they had some kind of loud horn that would go off every 15 minutes or so causing the baby at the next table to scream incessantly. I can understand if that horn added to the nightlife party atmosphere during their peak periods, but you would think on a Sunday morning when the weather is beautiful and the patio filled with quiet conversations and playful families that they would have the sense to turn the damned thing off. All in all my best friend summed up the visit as follows: “Trendy, cookie cutter, corporate atmosphere. High priced food that wasn’t worth it.”
Jimmy… you let this pirate down. 
A Hacienda Heights McDonald’s franchise has gone to extremes to provide customers with a more peaceful and enriching fast food experience by redesigning their decor to follow feng shui principals. They’ve added leather seats, cool earthy hues with rich red accents, bamboo and even a waterfall, all to create that feeling of peace and tranquility for their customers. But let me ask you this: Would any amount of rounded corners and harmonious colors make you forget that you’re still eating grease-laden fries and a 99 cent burger in a paper wrapper? Also, has this McDonald’s location asked parents to only use the drive-through to avoid the inevitable screaming children that can be found throwing tantrums and toys in every golden arches location in the world? The owners are citing a rise in business as many people are flocking to the newly renovated location to see the changes, however I highly doubt the increase will remain consistent once the press and novelty has worn out.