Long John Silver's Closes Restaurants Across the U.S.

The fast-food seafood chain Long John Silver's continues to shrink its physical footprint in the United States. According to its latest franchise disclosure document, the company had 479 locations at the end of last year, a decrease of 23 from the previous year. Since the start of 2023, the chain has experienced a net decline of 110 restaurants, down from nearly 900 locations at its peak in 2019.

Six franchise agreements were not renewed in 2023, and 19 other franchise owners exited the system for undisclosed reasons. Long John Silver's also closed six company-owned stores. Company spokesperson Laura Ellis stated that these closures were due to individual, location-specific reasons, such as lease expirations, and do not represent a broader company-wide reduction effort.

Closures occurred across 18 states. Ohio saw the most closures with five, followed by Arizona and Texas with three each. While most of the shuttered locations were franchised, several company-owned units were also affected, including those in Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Despite the closures, franchisees opened five new restaurants in 2023, with new locations in Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and the chain's home state of Kentucky. The company has also acquired nearly 40 locations from franchisees since 2023.

Long John Silver's reported 16 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth and has remodeled over 115 restaurants, with plans for approximately 100 more renovations in the next two years.