Long John Silver's is closing stores: the facts so far
Long John Silver's is closing stores gradually, not vanishing overnight. Franchise filings show about 479 U.S. locations after a net drop of roughly 110 restaurants since early 2023. Most exits were co-branded Taco Bell, KFC or A&W sites plus routine lease decisions, and executives say there is no broad-based Long John Silver's store shutdown campaign.
Key Takeaways
- Long John Silver's reported about 479 U.S. restaurants at year-end, down 23 from a year earlier and about 110 since early 2023.
- Most recent closures were co-branded exits with Taco Bell, KFC or A&W, plus lease expirations and routine market decisions.
- Systemwide sales rose from about $400 million in 2022 to nearly $430 million in 2025, with 16 straight quarters of same-store sales growth.
- There is no published list of upcoming shutdowns; Pennsylvania still had about 23 locations as of June.
Is Long John Silver's going out of business?
No. The pirate-themed seafood chain is much smaller than its mid-2010s peak of roughly 1,100-plus restaurants, yet it is still operating hundreds of sites. Reporting summarized by Lower Bucks Times notes ownership under Four Oaks Partners since November 2022 and a footprint near 477 locations as of June.
Chief Marketing Officer Laura Ellis has described the cuts as portfolio optimization. The company also points to more than 115 remodeled restaurants, about 25 new locations in development, and a $6 basket meal kept on the menu for 2026. For related business and innovation coverage, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.
Which Long John Silver's locations have closed?
Readers hunting a master map of shuttered addresses will not find an official roster. Local reporting is clear that the company handles shutdowns lease by lease, so restaurants often disappear quietly rather than with a farewell announcement.
What is public is the scale, not a street-by-street farewell tour. Fast Company's review of the June franchise disclosure document found six franchisees did not renew in 2025, 19 left for undisclosed reasons, and six company-owned stores closed. About 70 to 75 of the post-2022 exits were co-branded units shared with Taco Bell, KFC or A&W. A spring Chapter 7 filing by franchisee Uplifted Foods LLC followed the closure of its Mall of America location in Minnesota.
Why are so many Long John Silver's restaurants disappearing?
The shrinkage is real but mostly strategic and long-running. After peaking near 1,132 stores in 2015—and claiming almost 900 franchised U.S. sites around its 2019 anniversary—the brand has been pruning underperforming or shared roofs for years.
Spokesperson Laura Ellis told Fast Company the cited closures reflected location-specific issues such as lease expirations and "routine" decisions, not "a broad-based closure initiative." Ending Yum!-era co-branding alone was always going to lower the store count; the new owners accelerated that unwind.
Where does Pennsylvania still have Long John Silver's?
Pennsylvania still had about 23 Long John Silver's restaurants as of June, concentrated in central and western markets such as Erie, Altoona, Johnstown, Latrobe, Cranberry Township, Clearfield, Irwin, Shamokin Dam, Mount Pleasant and Hamburg. The Philadelphia and Lower Bucks footprint has thinned enough that a fish-and-hushpuppies run can mean a longer drive.
If a favorite Long John Silver's store matters to you, check the chain's locator and call ahead. Sixteen quarters of same-store growth suggest demand remains; whether that demand supports enough addresses is the open question.