Long John

Long John Silver’s is a national quick service restaurant brand focused on fried seafood and chicken. The menu centers on wild-caught Alaskan pollock, shrimp, and chicken tenders, served in baskets, platters, and family meals, along with familiar sides like hushpuppies and fries. Most locations offer drive-thru and takeout service, and the brand has been investing in digital ordering, delivery integrations, and a mobile app, supported by its Seacret Society loyalty program.

The concept began in 1969, when the first Long John Silver’s opened in Lexington, Kentucky as a fast-food version of a coastal seafood shack. The brand grew quickly across the United States in the 1970s and 1980s and later operated within Yorkshire Global Restaurants and then Yum! Brands. A key milestone came in 2011, when a group of franchisees and investors purchased the business and formed Long John Silver’s, LLC as an independent company, now under the ownership group LJS Partners LLC and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. That ownership shift reset the company’s strategy around its core seafood identity, menu improvements, and a more focused franchise model.

As of December 2024, Long John Silver’s operates about 600 restaurants across the United States. The chain is most heavily represented in the Midwest and Southeast, along with a long-established presence in select coastal and interior markets. Units include traditional freestanding stores with drive-thru, as well as some shared and in-line locations in busier corridors and retail nodes. While the system is smaller than at its historical peak, it remains a recognized national seafood QSR with a wide geographic footprint.

Over roughly the last five years, Long John Silver’s has been in a period of repositioning rather than rapid new-unit growth. The company has concentrated on franchise-driven remodels, brand refreshes, and targeted development instead of broad, speculative expansion. At the same time, it has modernized its customer-facing platforms, including online ordering, third-party delivery partnerships, and a more robust loyalty and app experience. Limited-time value offers and seasonal seafood promotions continue to support traffic, particularly around Lent and family dinner occasions.

For landlords, brokers, and developers, Long John Silver’s typically appears through franchisee-led projects such as remodels, relocations, and select new construction tied to strong traffic patterns. The brand’s real estate approach favors infill opportunities and conversions of second-generation quick service boxes in established corridors, along with pad and endcap locations that can support a drive-thru. This creates potential backfill solutions and reuse of legacy restaurant buildings where a familiar national name and consistent, value-driven seafood offering can help anchor everyday visit patterns in a trade area.

As of December 2024, Long John Silver’s continues to balance stability with selective growth. The company is actively supporting its franchise base, updating its look and digital tools, and pursuing new sites in underpenetrated trade areas within its core Midwest and Southeastern markets, as well as other legacy regions where the brand still has loyal customers but room to add units.