 Current logo | |
 Newly renovated LJS location inKalamazoo, Michigan with theTrue North style structure in 2024 | |
| Long John Silver's | |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast-food restaurant |
| Founded | 1969 Lexington, Kentucky, United States |
| Founder | Jim Patterson |
| Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
Number of locations | 385 (as of February, 2025) |
Area served | United States Singapore Indonesia New Zealand Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam (Planned) Myanmar (Planned) Brunei (Planned) Laos (Planned) |
Key people | Nate Fowler (President) Edmond Heelan (COO) Craig Daniel (CFO) |
| Products | Seafood |
Number of employees | 10,000+ |
| Parent | Independent (1969–1988) Jerrico Inc. (1988–1999) Yorkshire Global Restaurants (1999–2002) Yum! Brands (2002–2011) LJS Partners (2011–2022) Four Oaks Partners &Bob Jenkins (2022–present) |
| Website | ljsilvers.com |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
Long John Silver's, formerly known asLong John Silver's Seafood Shoppes and sometimes abbreviated asLJS, is an American chain offast-food restaurants that specializes inseafood. The brand's name is derived from thecharacter of the same name fromRobert Louis Stevenson's novelTreasure Island.[2]
In November 2022, Long John Silver's was acquired by Four Oaks Partners, a group of investors led by Bob Jenkins, himself a Long John Silver's franchisee and president of Charter Foods.[3]
Long John Silver's was founded in 1969 by Jim Patterson inLexington, Kentucky.[4][5][6] The original location, on 301 Southland Drive, was previously the Cape Codder seafood carry-out restaurant. The original Cape Codder concrete block building was redesigned by architect Druce Henn, who created the New England style of Long John Silver's early chain restaurants. That original location is now a styling salon.[7][8]
Earlier restaurants were known for theirCape Cod style buildings, blue roofs with squarecupolas, wood benches/tables,lobster pots, andship's wheels. Later, more nautically themed decorations were added such as seats made to look likenautical flags.[citation needed]
The restaurant chain arrived inSingapore in 1983 and has had a continuous presence in the country ever since. It remains one of 30 countries outside of the United States to have Long John Silver's outlets.[9]
Early restaurants also featured separate entrance and exit doors, acorridor-like waiting line area, deep fryers with food heaters that were transparent so customers could view the food to be served, and wrought iron 'sword' door handles. These buildings had dock-like walkways, lined with pilings and thick ropes.[citation needed]
Long John Silver's was acquired by Jerrico in 1988. Jerrico was taken private in 1989 through a highly leveraged management buyout, and one year later, the other restaurant concepts were divested to focus on Long John Silver's.[10]
After struggling for the next several years under its heavy debt load, Jerrico Inc. filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy in June 1998. In September 1999,A&W announced to acquire the chain out of bankruptcy. As a result,Yorkshire Global Restaurants was formed.[citation needed]
In 2000, Yorkshire Global Restaurants agreed to test multi-branded locations withLouisville, Kentucky-basedTricon Global, owner of theKFC,Pizza Hut, andTaco Bell chains.[citation needed]
The parent company of Long John Silver's and A&W, Yorkshire was acquired by Tricon Global and Tricon was renamed Yum! Brands, Inc in May 2002. By January 2011, Yum! announced it was seeking a buyer for its Long John Silver's andA&W All-American Restaurants divisions, citing poor sales and a desire to shift its focus to international expansion.[11]
In September 2011, Yum! announced the impending sale of Long John Silver's to LJS Partners – a group consisting of franchisees and other private investors.[12]
In July 2013, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition and health policy watchdog group, named Long John Silver's "Big Catch" meal the worst restaurant meal in America, noting that it contained 33 grams of trans fat, 19 grams of saturated fat, 1,320 calories, and almost 3,700 milligrams of sodium.[13] The company announced that it had eliminated trans fats from its menu by January 2014.[14]
In March 2015, James O'Reilly, who had previously worked for KFC (another Yum! Brands holding), was appointed as the CEO. He stated that he expected the chain to maintain its 1,132 stores, refocus its marketing following negative press about the fat and sodium content of the menu, and looked to the possibility of future expansion.[15]
On May 22, 2018, Long John Silver's announced the acquisition of 76 franchised restaurants, primarily owned and renovated by ServUS, located primarily in Indiana.[16] On October 19, 2019, Warren W. Rosenthal, former president of Jerrico and developer of 1,350 Long John Silver's restaurants, died, aged 96.[17]
On January 18, 2021, Long John Silver's announced Blain Shortreed to take over as CEO.[18][19][20]
The chain has hundreds of restaurants in over 35 states.[21]
Long John Silver's expanded toCanada in the 1970s, but did not last long there. It returned in 2003 with one restaurant opening inPeterborough, Ontario, only to close down in 2006.[22]
Singapore has remained as Long John Silver's most dominant international market.[9]
The first Long John Silver's restaurant opened inIndonesia in May 2023 and plans to open up further outlets in the country.[23]Indonesia is also the first country to have the chain as of its Asian expansion.
Long John Silver's operated inMalaysia for some time, but shut down due to declining sales and being downplayed by competitors and rivals such asKFC and localseafood restaurants.[24] However, as of the chain's Asian expansion, it is planning on returning.[25] It opened a location inPutrajaya in February 2024.[26]
Long John Silver's operated inTaiwan for some time but shut down by 2009.[27]
A location opened atWalsall in theUnited Kingdom in 2004, but it has since been closed.[28]: 3
Long John Silver's operated inPhilippines atSM City Manila for a time but shut down in 2019 due to declining sales and low demand.[29] It is planning on returning as part of the chain's Asian expansion.[25]
Long John Silver's was inSaudi Arabia for some time. However, similar to restaurants likeDairy Queen,Taco Bell andRed Lobster, it was not popular and shut down in the country.
Long John Silver's existed inThailand for some time but shut down by 2020.[30][31] It is planning on returning as part of the chain's Asian expansion.[25]
Long John Silver's shut down inUnited Arab Emirates due to bad sales.[citation needed]
The chain also formerly had outlets inVietnam,Cambodia,China,Australia,South Korea,Qatar,Oman,Bahrain,Hong Kong,Kuwait[32][22] andJapan. It will also soon come toMyanmar,Brunei andLaos.[25]
Current
United States (Since 1969)
Singapore (Since 1983)
Indonesia (Since 2023)
New Zealand (Since 2021; previously since 2010)
Malaysia (Since 2024; previously since 2000s)
Thailand (Since 2024; previously since 2020)Former
Canada (Closed 2006)
Taiwan (Closed 2009)
United Kingdom (Closed 2010s)
Saudi Arabia (Closed 2000s)
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam
Cambodia
China (Closed 2000s)
Australia
Puerto Rico (Closed 2018)
South Korea
Qatar
Oman
Bahrain
Hong Kong
Kuwait (closed 2000s)
Japan (closed 1984)Planned
Philippines (Previously closed 2019)
Myanmar
Brunei
Laos
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