Long John Silver’s has experienced significant contraction in recent years, closing 30 additional locations in 2025 alone, according to franchise disclosure documents reviewed by Undercurrent News. The chain, which launched in Lexington, Kentucky in 1969, operated 1,081 restaurants at its peak but now maintains approximately 494 locations based on its website store locator. Its primary competitor, Captain D’s, has surpassed it with roughly 530 restaurants.
The chain’s decline reflects broader challenges facing seafood-focused restaurant chains. Seafood represents the most expensive protein category, with 2025 retail prices averaging $10.52 per pound, compared to $7.18 for beef, $3.27 for pork, and $3.17 for chicken, according to data shared at the 2026 Global Seafood Market Conference. While over half of Americans expressed interest in consuming more seafood, approximately one-third of surveyed consumers identified seafood as the least affordable protein option.
The seafood industry has faced high-profile challenges. Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy partly due to the financial impact of an all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion, which cost the company $11 million. Bahama Breeze was shut down entirely by parent company Darden Restaurants, and Joe’s Crab Shack downsized operations. Long John Silver’s menu features fried Alaskan pollock, shrimp, and chicken, along with grilled salmon and shrimp options.
Beyond seafood-specific pressures, Long John Silver’s operates within a saturated and challenging restaurant market. Black Box Intelligence reported that nine percent of full-service restaurants tracked lost 30 percent or more of their peak sales between 2019 and 2025, with one percent losing more than half their peak sales. A softening economy in the second half of 2025 pushed many struggling units past the point of viability, according to industry analysts.
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