Latest news with #LongJohnSilver's
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
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The 1970s Seafood Chain Restaurant That Only Has 3 Locations Remaining In One US State
No matter how good a fish sandwich can be, there's something about the combination of seafood and fast food chain restaurants that Americans seemingly don't trust. Just look at the rise and decline of Long John Silver's, which had over 1,500 locations in the '80s but maintains less than 500 today. No new chains have really risen up to fill that space, and fish sandwiches play third-fiddle to burgers and chicken at places like Burger King and McDonald's. At one point in time, there was actually another seafood chain that was almost as big as Long John Silver's was, but there's a good chance you've never heard of it, because it only has three locations left, all in Ohio. Arthur Treacher's was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1969, with future Wendy's co-create Dave Thomas among the founders. Unlike the more generic seafood menu of Long John Silver's, Arthur Treacher's was specifically a British-style fish and chips restaurant, serving hearty portions of battered and fried cod with fries. The name came from British actor Arthur Treacher, known from playing a butler in Shirley Temple films before becoming the announcer for talk show host Merv Griffin. Treacher licensed his image out as a mascot for the brand, and for a few decades, the chain thrived, peaking at over 800 locations. Read more: 15 Failed Restaurant Chains We Actually Miss So what happened to Arthur Treacher's? Mostly a string of bad luck. The British-style chain was dependent on using the fish traditionally used in fish and chips: cod. In the mid-70s, a political showdown between Iceland and the U.K. that spiralled into an event known as the Cod Wars led to the closing of fishing zones, and the price of cod skyrocketed in the States. In 1979, Arthur Treacher's was bought by frozen fish-stick brand Mrs. Paul's. The new owners wanted to cut costs and boost the sales of their own pre-existing products at the same time. This led to a switch from cod to pollock, which didn't go down well with customers. Arthur Treacher's would change hands several times over the coming years as different companies tried to turn the fortunes of the brand around, eventually being acquired by Nathan's Famous in 2006 following a licensing deal. Nathan's Famous started introducing some co-branded locations. A few of those Arthur Treacher's inside of Nathan's still survive in the New York area, but only three stand-alone stores are left, all in the Cleveland area. But all is not lost. One of those stores is actually a new location that opened in Cleveland Heights in 2025. Could this be the start of a comeback for a once-famous fast food brand? Only time will tell. Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Struggling Seafood Chains That Are Making Waves Again
Seafood can make for a luxurious meal, particularly if one isn't lucky enough to live near the ocean. It's a real treat to eat flaky cod or halibut, big meaty shrimp, or delectably tender clams, all lightly breaded and deep-fried and served alongside french fries, some great-tasting restaurant coleslaw, and maybe some hushpuppies. Chain establishments offering a beloved line of seafood staples have traditionally been big players in both the sit-down restaurant industry and its more populist and informal counterpart of the fast food scene. For better or for worse, consumer tastes change and cycle. Every so often, the restaurant companies that specialize in indulgent seafood seem to suffer mightily. Not only do they face the same problems as other restaurants, but they also need to grapple with the ever-changing prices of seafood. By and large, fish-focused restaurants aren't as prominent in North America as they once were, with all kinds of seafood chains closing down an alarming number of locations in recent years. But there's hope for the future. Many of those restaurants that were once seemingly close to drowning are coming back up for air. Here are some seafood chains that are still swimming and making big splashes. Read more: Pizza Chains That Might Not Be Around Much Longer At one point, it appeared as if Red Lobster was dead in the water. The laid-back but classy seafood chain had been a go-to for those seeking a straightforward business lunch, date night, or celebratory meal of crab, lobster, shrimp, chowder, and a basket of Cheddar Bay Biscuits since 1968. In 2024, it looked like it was only a matter of time before the venerable seafood chain sank. After suffering some significant financial losses — and, specifically, losing a lot of money on its Endless Shrimp promotion after making it permanent in 2023 — Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy to stay afloat. Within three months of doing so, as many as 99 Red Lobster restaurants had closed. Not only did Red Lobster recover, but it recovered in a remarkably swift fashion. Parties associated with Fortress Investment Group formed RL Investor Holdings LLC and injected over $60 million into the operation. By September 2024, and with the blessing of a court, Red Lobster emerged from bankruptcy. The downsized and salvaged Red Lobster then began a program of economic reinvention, simplifying the menu, changing some recipes, and planning a new look for its dining rooms. With a menu built around its distinctively diamond-shaped fish filets encased in a salty, crispy brown shell, hushpuppies, clam strips, and surprisingly delicious crumblies, Long John Silver's became one of the first names in fast food fish and seafood not long after its 1969 founding in Kentucky. By the end of the 1980s, Long John Silver's was one of the most commonly found fast food restaurants in the United States, with approximately 1,500 locations. But just a few years later, the company was in trouble. In 1998, after shutting down 25 outlets, Long John Silver's Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It cited $457 million in debt and assets of only $329 million. By the early 2020s, Long John Silver's decline had continued to a point where it only retained roughly 500 locations. But the world needs Long John Silver's, and the chain's executives agreed. Under the leadership of its president, Nate Fowler, Long John Silver's underwent a reboot. The company reevaluated its franchisee agreements, its economic structure, and onsite technology. It also changed up the menu slightly, making the fish thicker, improving its marinades, and rolling out value-priced options, a loyalty program, and a smartphone app. Just two years after the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. made its fictional debut as a lucrative seafood supplier in the 1994 blockbuster "Forrest Gump," a real-life restaurant with the same name opened in Monterey, California. Similar to how Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue recites all the different, tasty ways to prepare shrimp, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants — which have popped up in dozens of locations in heavily foot-trafficked areas, primarily near tourist hotspots — sells shellfish in addition to other tried-and-true seafood favorites. Landry's, which also owns chains such as Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, Rainforest Cafe, Morton's The Steakhouse, and Claim Jumper, bought the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in 2010. At that point, it was a chain of 32 locations. This number has since dwindled, with restaurants shutting down in Charleston, Maui, and Baltimore, the latter of which closed by order of the city's health department over issues with its food permit. After a few years of downturn, however, Landry's is looking to grow the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. once more. In 2025, plans were put into motion to open a new restaurant in the well-traveled resort area of South Padre Island in Texas. The enduring image of the prim and proper English butler is thanks in part to Arthur Treacher, a British actor who played several variations of the role before serving as the sidekick in the "The Merv Griffin Show." In 1969, he licensed his name to an upstart fast food chain selling the quintessential English meal, with the first Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips opening its doors in Ohio. The restaurant's menu was novel and pleasing enough to encourage massive and rapid growth, exploding into a national chain of 826 restaurants in about a decade. Three years after the frozen fish company Mrs. Paul's Kitchen acquired Arthur Treacher's, it sold it off to Lumara Foods of America in 1982, and the chain filed for bankruptcy two years later. What was once a major fast food company shrank to only 27 outlets by 2010, and, by 2021, the only real Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips remaining was the one in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. As it sat on the brink of oblivion, Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips waged an astonishing comeback. After hot dog company Nathan's Famous bought the fish joint in 2021, it made plans to restore Arthur Treacher's as a low-cost ghost kitchen concept. Meanwhile, the freestanding, full-service version of Arthur Treacher's is now three times its former size. The third store opened in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in April 2025. Once a family-owned seafood market in the Boston area that also sold fish and chips baskets, Legal Sea Foods has grown a lot since 1950. Eventually becoming a full-service, slightly upscale restaurant chain offering clams, oysters, lobster, and fried fish, as well as a seafood shipping operation, Legal Sea Foods grew to a modest but robust network of 35 restaurants by the late 2010s, raking in more than $240 million in annual sales. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, forcing the majority of public spaces, restaurants included, into temporary shutdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Casual eateries suffered massively in 2020, and by August of that year, multiple Legal Sea Foods outlets wound up closing down forever, reducing the chain to 31 entries. The post-pandemic economic climate wasn't much kinder to Legal Sea Foods. By early 2025, this number had decreased even further. But while some of its restaurants have shut down, Legal Sea Foods has also opened new locations. In July 2024, it debuted a large new spot on the Chicago Riverwalk as its flagship eatery. It is also rethinking other aspects of its operations under its owner, PPX Hospitality Brands, which took over in 2020. The parent company relocated the Legal Sea Foods corporate office after concluding that its current headquarters were outdated, as well as constructing a new innovation center in Milford, Massachusetts. After starting out as Mr. D's Seafood and Hamburgers in Donelson, Tennessee, in 1969, Captain D's Seafood became one of the biggest names in fast food fish, particularly in the South. By the mid-2000s, more than 600 Captain D's were in operation -- a number that quickly and severely declined in 2008. The chain's biggest franchisee at the time, Serve Holdings LLC, filed for bankruptcy. After struggling to pull in enough customers, the franchisee found itself in debt to Captain D's to the tune of six figures. Over the next decade and a half, more Captain D's restaurants continued to close. The operation consisted of just over 500 locations by 2024. These closures included its restaurant in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, plus a number of spots in Texas. Nevertheless, in 2025, Captain D's announced an assertive plan to expand, and into uncharted territory, too. Over the next two years, it will expand into Maryland with two new restaurants. It will also grow its footprint in Texas, with three new locations on the way, including one near San Antonio's Lackland Air Force Base. Captain D's corporate office is also on the lookout for franchisees who want to place restaurants in Canada, Central and Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and several countries in Asia. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout. 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Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Long John Silver's® Celebrates Lent with Coconut Butterfly Shrimp and OREO® Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory Bakery®
Dive into Sweet and Savory Specials Starting Feb. 24 LOUISVILLE, Ky., Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lent is here, and Long John Silver's® is celebrating the season with great deals on great tasting shrimp. Starting Feb. 24, treat your tastebuds with Long John Silver's shrimp specials including coconut butterfly shrimp; a sweet twist on a classic favorite. Complete your meal with a slice of OREO® Cookies & Cream Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory Bakery®. Don't wait – head to your nearest Long John Silver's to catch these specials before they sail away! Catch Big Savings on Shrimp! Long John Silver's knows shrimpin' ain't easy, but we're making it easier than ever to enjoy great tasting shrimp this season. From grilled and juicy to crispy and golden, we have something for every sailor! Add a touch of sweetness to your meal with our new $6 coconut butterfly shrimp basket, available for a limited time! $6 Shrimp Baskets – Four irresistible options! NEW – Six-Piece Coconut Butterfly Shrimp: Crispy, golden, and packed with delicious coconut flavor, this new offering is paired with your choice of one side and two hushpuppies. Six-Piece Grilled Shrimp: Seasoned, grilled, and served on a bed of savory rice with one side. Six-Piece Batter-Dipped Shrimp: Hand-battered and served with your choice of one side and two hushpuppies. Crispy Breaded Popcorn Shrimp: Golden popcorn shrimp served with your choice of one side and two hushpuppies. $10 Shrimp Sea-Shares – Get your shrimp on! Sharing is caring with our Sea-Shares, featuring a choice of 15 coconut butterfly shrimp, 15 grilled shrimp, 15 batter-dipped shrimp, or shareable serving of Crispy Breaded Popcorn Shrimp. Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth with OREO® Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Save room for dessert! End your voyage with a piece of OREO® Cookies & Cream Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory Bakery®, available for a limited time. Featuring OREO® cookies baked in creamy cheesecake and layered with OREO® cookie mousse, this delicious dessert is the perfect way to end your next meal. "We're committed to bringing guests bold flavors and unbeatable value during Lent," said Christopher Caudill, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Innovation at Long John Silver's. "Our new coconut butterfly shrimp and signature seafood deals ensure everyone—whether observing Lent or simply craving seafood—can dive into delicious without breaking their treasure chest." Guests can reel in these offers by visiting their local Long John Silver's. Order ahead online at or use the Long John Silver's mobile app, available on iOS App Store and Google Play. For access to exclusive offers, exciting challenges, and the latest news, join the Seacret Society reward program today! About Long John Silver's Long John Silver's was founded in 1969 and is on a mission to create treasured moments through high-quality food and bell-ringing service. With restaurants from sea to mouth-watering sea, Long John Silver's continues building on a belief that the unique seafood experience from the coasts should be accessible to all. Learn more at or join the conversation via social media on X, Facebook, or Instagram. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Long John Silver's
