Long John Silver’s lost dozens of locations last year, filing shows

Long John Silver’s closed about 30 restaurants across 18 states last year, according to a newly issued franchise disclosure document, though the opening of 10 new locations left the chain with a net loss of 23 outlets.

According to the filing, reported by Fast Company, the chain had 479 U.S. locations at the end of last year, down from 502 a year earlier. Since the start of 2023, the chain has seen a net decline of 110 restaurants.

The quick-service chain, known for its fish and chips and popcorn shrimp baskets, has been privately held since a group of franchise owners bought it from Yum Brands nearly 15 years ago. The disclosure document, issued in June, showed no franchisees were terminated outright in 2025, but six did not renew their agreements and 19 more left the system for undisclosed reasons. The company also closed six of its own stores.

Ohio saw the most closures with five, while Arizona and Texas each lost three. Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska and New York each saw two closures. Eleven other states lost a single location apiece.

Long John Silver’s spokeswoman Laura Ellis said the closures reflected decisions specific to each location rather than a broader retrenchment.

“These were individual market decisions and not part of a broad-based closure initiative,” Ms. Ellis said.

The company also opened 10 new locations last year, five franchised and five company-owned, including restaurants in Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Kentucky, where the chain was founded. Ms. Ellis said Long John Silver’s has posted 16 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth and has remodeled more than 115 restaurants since Four Oaks Partners acquired the company in 2022, with roughly 100 more remodels planned over the next two years.