There's nothing like having a connection when you need tunes for that special event.
Last Tuesday night, nearly 1,200 guests at a party for sponsors and players at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am golf tournament got a treat when the band took the stage at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa.
Outback chief executive Chris Sullivan introduced Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer band. The Parrothead in Chief told the crowd how proud he was to be part of the Outback team and launched into a 90-minute set.
Buffett's role on the Outback team, of course, is as the company's partner in the budding restaurant chain named after his song Cheeseburger in Paradise. There are three restaurants in Midwest cities and new ones are scheduled to open in Omaha, Neb., and Fredericksburg, Va., by May.
Not that Buffett has all of his burgers in one basket. The singer still has eight Jimmy Buffett's Magaritaville restaurants, the newest opening last month in Las Vegas.
Outback stepped in as title sponsor of the local senior tour tournament in September after Verizon declined to renew. Verizon and predecessor GTE sponsored the event for 16 years.
As in the past, proceeds will go to charity. Buffett did his part, tournament director Amy Hawk said. He played the party for a reduced fee that covered his expenses for the show, she said.
