When down in the dumps after my mother's passing, I went in close to closing time. I had been painting rooms in basement all day. Young lady working there took my jumbo shrimp order. Saw that I wasn't in best mood. Told me that since it was close to close that I could have all the shrimp (it was like 30 pieces) and to take my time in the dining room. I ate the whole plate. I told the crew that my mother would scold them for overfeeding me. They laughed. I called the management next day to thank them. I go there a lot. Hope they survive.
@@azmike3572 It is a shame H-D is losing most of it's costomers to old age. H-D doesn't offer small bikes for younger and new riders, Like a Honda Rebel 250/300. If a toung or new rider first buys a small bike like a Rebel 250 and likes it, there is a good chance that he might stay with that brand after he moves up to a bigger bike. Time and time again. Also, no dirt bikes. Sometimes, the fun really begains where the pavement ends. H-D managers don't seem to realize that. Finally price. H-D bikes are expencive. They need to be more competitively priced with Japanese and other foreign bikes. An intresting formula to emulate is the newer product lineup from Royal-Enfeild. An old British firm now made in India. If they can keep the quaulity up, young buyers will take note.
Even when it's highly successful. No one needs to _learn_ about McDonald's anymore. Every ad is just a reminded "hey, we still exist, just like yesterday!". And maybe those tantalizing visuals will make your mouth water when you're high at 1:30 am.
I had my 12th birthday celebration at LJS. My mom was getting her Master's and the recession was still a big concern for us. It was delicious to me and the best we could do. Just my mom, sister and I. So it has a warm place in my heart.
My mom would take me there every other weekend before taking me back to my dad. I will still go there a couple times a year or when life gets too heavy for some comfort food. Fish and chicken platter with extra crumbs. Drowned in malt vinegar.
I've been to LJS's in several states. 95% of them share a common theme, and that is they all tend to be in a "not great" areas. Not necessarily like slums or anything, just always older, poorer areas. I'm sure this doesn't help traffic to LJSs. If they actually opened new LJSs, in better locations, they might actually see increased sales.
This. All the LJS’s in my area tend to be in the low income areas, where things tend to be not very safe. If they were to open in better places, I’m sure they’d get more business than if they opened in these poorer places. I get what they were going for though. It’s hard to find fish meals in some of these less nice areas, but that’s because the demand is low to non existent there.
@@malcorub Perch, catfish, shrimp and yes cod, last time i went. Hush Puppies and coleslaw. The restaurant in Roger's Park in Chicago also offered chicken...
I worked at a LJS from 1999 to 2016. I'll tell you I seen the decline in crew incentives. When I was first hires they would provide cash prizes to employees for different things each month. I started with vacation and sick days. Not to mention bonuses given to management. When I left I no longer had sick days. My vacation was cut from 4 weeks to 40 hrs. My last raise consisted of 50 cents. When the employees quit feeling appreciated or that their hardworking went unrecognized. They stopped taking pride in their jobs. The only reason I stayed was because my regional manager kicked ass and fought for us. He also was hired at 16 and worked his way up.
We were at a location in a small town in Ohio, and we made our drive thru order just before closing time. We waited and waited, but the food never came out. My wife went inside and was told that they were closed. She said she knew, but we hadn't gotten our food yet. They just gave her everything they had left, which was more than we ordered. I think the crew was high, but in the best possible way.
at closing times of most fast food places you can get free stuff if you ask and you don't ask every day. Problem is every fast food joint near me is 24/7
The first time I saw a Long John Silver’s restaurant in 1976, was from the outside, and it looked like a family seafood restaurant with wait service, like Red Lobster. So I asked my new girlfriend out on a seafood dinner date. We got dressed as one would for a dinner date. When we walked in and I saw that it was a fast food restaurant, I was mortified, and I was sure she thought what a cheap skate to bring her to a fast food restaurant on a first date. But we stayed and had dinner. She eventually married me. I took her out on better dates. But you can’t mention Long John Silver’s without the story coming up about our first date at a fast food restaurant . I’m sorry to see them decline. That restaurant closed years ago and the closest one to us is 20 miles away.
When they shifted from the “pirate themed” decor to a bright, airy, “sea breeze” theme is when I thought they lost touch. You can go most anywhere with bright colors & lots of light. It was “cool” to feel like you were eating in a pirate ship’s galley.
They ditched the Pirate theme right before the decade long Pirates of the Caribbean domination of the World. They would have been billionaires by kids wanting to go to the pirate place and wear the paper pirate hat and eat from the pirate ship.
Yes exactly!! You can find the same generic burger, chicken sandwich and fries and damn near every single fast food restaurant. But no where can you find fish this good in a fast food environment
Sean Fisher go to le peeps, 59 diner, DOT cafe etc and you’ll never eat ihop or Denny’s again. Their food is pure TRASH. What’s crazy is real food only costs $1-2 more for the whole meal. I grew up on IHOP and it after having real food it just tastes like frozen 2 week old cheap crap to me now.
I LOVE Long John Silver's and it's sad to see them wither away. These companies need to stick with what made them. Adults can decide whether they want a healthy option or not. I think it's stupid to change up your menu to please people who weren't involved in the success of the company in the first place.
People who feel LJS is dangerously unhealthy will never step foot in those store no matter how many healthier alternatives you put on the menu. They just needed to stick with what works. This was not a restaurant that was going to find a new audience.
AKA Vulture Capitalism. Only that term isn't really fair to the vultures since unlike venture capitalists they wait until their dinner is dead before picking its bones clean.
Uh-huh. More recently Neiman Marcus just filed for bankruptcy due in no small part to debt from a leveraged buyout. I hope they and LJS can both weather the storm.
I never really had a bad time at long john silver's, the food wasn't a gourmet meal but it was good enough that every year or so my family would take a trip long john silver's
About 11 years ago, back when my dad had open heart surgery, he couldn't keep anything down. He would throw up anything and everything, but he was craving LJS. The doctors finally allowed my mom to bring him some and surprisingly, he kept it down hahaha!!!
If it's so bad for them how did they get to be senior citizens? My 93 yo mother has eaten fried foods all her life, including well cooked beans seasoned with fat back and other southern dishes. In fact she only eats fried fish. If it's fish and it ain't fried don't even bring it to her. She hates the food in the retirement facility she's in because they never offer that. The vegetables are under cooked and it's always baked this and salad that. She eats in moderation. Just because it's salty and fried doesn't make it bad.
@@FLATBUSHPLAY Fat is actually not that bad, especially not monounsaturated and omega 3 fats. Cholesterol is good in normal doses, being the precursor to testosterone and estrogen. Salt... Salt is what might cause problems. Personally, I've cut it back. It wears down the endothelium. If it does this faster than it can regenerate, it can cause blood vessel leaks, and eventually, hemorrhagic stroke.
@@FLATBUSHPLAY Sodium works in tandem with potassium. The body needs both of these electrolytes to function. Potatoes contain much potassium, so it balances out excess salt in those seafood dishes to some degree.
Am I the only person who doesn't think Long John Silvers is that bad? I actually sort of like the food, not to the point where I'd choose it over most things but it's not bad.
The long john's in Sapulpa, Okla at first it started out as a great place to eat..then after years of ,maybe not hiring the right managers ours started going down hill..the food quality, the old grease they cooked fish in, and it looked un appetizing, the restaurant was dirty..,the ppl were not the best crew ..so sad..
@@TheRealBizWiz Chicken planks... you can "add a piece" for 99 cents... give it a try it's REALLY good! I'd take it over stupid Chik-Fil-A any day! OL J R :)
I'm 54. When I was a teen their food was really good. What I noticed, was that the quality of the fish went down, they changed the oil they cook with, then they started over-salting the fish. I found the same issue in Southern IL and in Central PA. I stopped going there about 8 years ago. It seemed like a new management profit taking scheme. Cheapen the product to increase profit for a couple of years, then go somewhere else. It seems to happen everywhere. Management with no idea how to grow a company or keep it alive longer than 5 years. They line their pockets and run the company into the ground.
They used lard at our location. I was a cook in highschool 1985-1986 for two years. I would have to take this big cube out of the box and unwrap this blue bag it was in and cut the lard into 1/4's and place it in the newly clean fryer. The oil was rotated to the right every couple of days. You had to test it with a test kit, so when we knew when it was time to rotate. The more food that was cooked. The faster the oil would be rotated. We had 6 fryers and everything moved right. Right before I left to deliver pizza to make more money. They switched to peanut oil and then veggie oil. Some might not want to hear this, but that lard made a world of difference. Food tasted so much better. The cod was real also, as was the butterfly shrimp. Peanut oil was ok, but not the veggie oil.
@@Booneboarder I was a cook there too back in 04-09. And I still remember that big ol block of lard. Lol. If you didn’t know what you were doing and had just thrown that big block in there, you were just asking for it. Had to cut it up to smaller pieces to allow it to melt evenly and properly. I had some Good times at LJ’s.
Exactly.. that oil was so bad, it coated the inside of your mouth with a chalky grease residue that in your stomach would make you literally sick! It turned So bad, no wonder McFish was even better at that point.
I ate Long Johns for almost 24 years of my life every Friday night before I went bowling. They served beer and had televisions set up that played the games. They got rid of beer in 1999. Then around 2008 they changed something about their food, removed the televisions, cut 4 of my favorite platters for "on a bed of rice" choices, and changed the seating and aesthetic. This video explains a lot of that. I actually worked at a long johns one summer for shits and giggles and to learn how they made everything so I could make it myself. There are still LJS around KY but its hard to find and isn't the same.
There are a ton still in Texas. I remember falling in love with it as a kid (I’m 20). Most people seem to dislike the food when I ask but i know they changed it up because my parents would talk about how it taste so greasy now and just disgusting...and how it’s so unhealthy
I am from Kentucky- so this place had meaning for me. In a landlocked flyover state, this was my first introduction to fish along side Mrs. Paul’s. As a kid- we did a class trip to Jericho- they were very nice. They showed us their new ad campaign- I would have preferred more pirate stuff but it was happy families eating.
I loved Long John's since its inception, (I'm 80 yrs old) but I have watched the decline in the quality of the food over the past 30 yrs. to the point where I didn't miss the local outlet closing four years ago. It may be a local lack cooking talent, because Red Lobster has also suffered a decline, or we (the consumers) are willing to just accept mediocracy.
location was an issue with one of our local Long John's; couldn't get in or out due to increased traffic flow. the road is now undergoing reconstruction, so it's possible this Long John's won't be back. I agree that over the years the quality of the food decreased, which is sad; at one time it was one of my favorite places.
I think the town I live has the same issues. All the chains that I enjoy when I travel just seem sub-par in my hometown. Some have opened and failed quickly.
@@johndavis1217 a lot of success depends on management and staff. a restaurant can have five star food, but if the dining experience, which includes staff, is unpleasant people won't go back. likewise, a place can have sort of average food, but if the experience is good, they'll return and tell others. word of mouth advertising is still the best.
The one in my area caught fire thanks to a disgruntled employee who didn’t like his job so off it went, boarded up, and LJS said to hell with it. I was sad but it is what it is.
Deep frying is an art. The second the fryer is overfilled or under temperature, the second you get greasy, mushy product. Hiring a bunch of teenagers to handle this guaranteed this to happen.
Such places rely on cheap labor as an integral part of their business model They can only keep a profit if they keep labor under 25% of the revenue. This is actually the same with most restaurants. But unlike normal full service restaurants, the major chains serve low price meals and don't rely on tips which does not count as part of the labor costs in a full service restaurant. So they expend much less money per employee in that way. Hire a professional cook and expect your per hour labor expense to be close to $20 and hour or more. Most chain restaurants maintain a per hour labor expense well under $12 and often as low as $10 in the case of fast food places like McDonald's. Supposedly fast rood restaurants should in theory work since everything is planned out for the employees who only have to follow simple recipes that any untrained person can follow. In reality one still has to have a basic understanding of the food business to serve safe food that is good to eat. By paying only minimum wage or slightly more, fast food restaurants only get people who cant find work elsewhere. So those people start out unhappy. They don't give a crap what they serve you. They just want to make it through one more unpleasant shift and get the heck out of that place and go home and pretend they don't have a crappy job. Do you honestly think they care if your meal is made with fresh ingredients properly cooked?
Actually, as a former manager for LJS, their had a huge emphasis on training and did a very good job with it. The fryers were pretty much idiot proof. Light comes on, put in the product, push the timer, timer goes off, pull it out of the fryer. They had machines that exactly measure the water for the batter and the water was the exact temperature needed. The problem in my opinion was going from hand cut fish to these huge frozen blocks of formed fish pieces that were cut into shims and scored then broken on those scores to get the diamond shape of the fish you see. The fish is coated with a powder and cooked frozen. Also, to this day I still do not know what the chicken is. If you saw it uncooked before being battered you would probably run away screaming.
At my first job, I was explicitly told "It doesn't matter how much oil is in the fryer, as long as it's not overflowing it's fine." We might as well have just sold fire hazards.
I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with LJSs for decades. Since store closings, I’ve resorted going to the rougher parts of town to get their fish. I’ve even gone during quarantine. I’ve been to LJS in 6 states. It’s my kryptonite (literally, it’s gonna kill me)
LJS was my first summer job in my teens in the mid 80s. I loved it! It was a great place for families to have an inexpensive seafood dinner out. Unfortunately both of my local LJS have recently closed and now the closest location is about 1 1/2 hours away. But you know I'll be road tripping there at some point.
Teens now are mostly useless for anything but indifference,sloth, entitlement,ignorance and violence - truthfully we were far more violent but we knew how to fight and made it far more dangerous and engengered respect for somebody that may kick your butt.
The food declined over the years. Smaller portions and pre cut portions. The fish in the beginning was hand cut from a large block of Icelandic cod. The fish used to be wonderful under Jericho but quickly declined once they went private.
@@bonjovirocks24 eh i feel like if i want ACTUAL fish i would just go to a restaurant. if im eating fast food fish it really doesnt matter comparing them. they are all what youd expect.
@@bonjovirocks24 But they aren't consistent with their sandwiches. It's like how Popeyes treated sandwiches as a short-term promo. Their spicy chicken Po Boy was great, but they would usually screw it up. LJR's wraps in the 90's were the best, and they discontinued them...
I wondered what happened to them. In my home town things got really bad. The cooking grease tasted like it was changed about once a month. Within a year the restaurant has closed. I miss LJS the way it used to be. They had good food.
@@j.d.contreras392 the one in stockton is definitely going down hill. I went the other day and there was burnt grease all over all of my food. Very sad when comparing it to its former glory
Long John Silvers is legit the best battered fish or chicken I've ever had. They are freaking delicious. The little crumbles are the best part. I'll fight you if you say otherwise.
I agree about the fish and chicken. Never was interested in the crumbles though... there's enough of the batter and oil on the food items. Gave your comment a thumbs up, though. 😉
My grandmother loved LJS. When I was a teenager and started working I would go at least once a week to get us something from there. The one in our town, which isn't exactly small, closed down a while back. I haven't really thought about it in years, but it makes me want to hit one if nothing else for the memories.
Once upon a time you could ask for extra crumbs and they would give them to you at no extra cost. No idea if you still can, as I haven't even lived near one in ages.
This is a problem that every fast food restaurant seems to be going through. Most buildings and interiors weren't exactly unique before, but now every chain is redesigning to be the same box-type building, tall box with the logo, with faux wood flooring and tables inside. Seriously, look at any Wendy's, McDonald's, Taco Bell that has been refurbished or built in the last 5ish years and you'll find they all look very similar. All different parent companies by the way.
@@abiwonkenabi7027 i agree with you but the McDonalds near me have a weird modernart style that looks cheap and also is gloomy, the inly colors are red, black, grey, and white with short uncomfortable seats. But yeah i agree with you on that like if you showed me fhe inside of a burger kind and a wendy's i would get them mixed up
I love Long John Silver’s! I like their fish and their coleslaw is the best. The biggest issue I’ve experienced is long wait times for my order. And finding a nearby location. If they could improve service, they would do a lot better.
Growing up as a kid my mom was a manager at a LJS and I have many fond memories of that place. I would literally eat the food 4 to 5 times a week and never got tired of it! I live in a huge city and there's only 2 or 3 locations left now. Sad to see them going down like this. Every time I walk into one I get a huge rush of nostalgia!
The reason I stopped going to Long John's? They refused to raise prices a tiny bit and instead lowered the sizes of things to a ludicrous level... you used to get a pretty large piece of chicken or fish in a 'plank'. It's now so goddamned small it's laughable.
@Frank Castle I work in a dine-in restaurant and yeah, my co-workers who have second jobs at fast food said this, also, a lot of dine in restaurants are also downsizing or portioning it a certain size. Now, some of it isn't becuase of 'downsizing' but becuase when you cook the food, depending on what it is, it will shirk as water leaves the food but mostly because we are downsizing the portions given to you. The excuse before Covid-.....actually I never got a reason as too why? 'Cost's' would most likely be the reasons but now it's becuase of the damn lock down recovery and covid but in reality this was happening well before.
Loved their Malt Vinegar. Dad bought a take home bottle of it. Also I loved snacking on the crispies. I Havn't eaten at a LJS in decades.. Now I'm kind of in the mood.
It’s sad to see that time has been so tough on LJS. Their food (the traditional fair) is really good. Every time I take that first bite of one of their fish planks, it takes me back to when I was a kid. I don’t eat at LJS very often (mainly because there are so few around) but, when I do, the reaction is always the same. Hope they hang around.
That's what they don't realize, their nostalgia value. They should go back to the old logo and the cups with the treasure maps on them. My brothers and I all loved Long John's when we were kids. I still do.
@@HardChair Same with Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Why abandon your roots and instead want to make something generic that no one really likes? The old mission style Taco Bell's were awesome. Same with the old Pizza Hut's with salad bar, red cups, etc.
There was a LJS in the town I went to college in. Nobody was ever in the drive thru, no cars in the parking lot, never even knew if they were open or closed. Apparently they were open, because it closed my last year there. Never visited it, but just the building itself looked unhealthy, not just the food lol.
@@RocketboyX me too, now the closest one i know of is an hour away in the mall of america. compared to the other restaurants in the food court, the place looks disgusting.
I can remember back in the early/mid 2000s, my family used to get Long John Silver's pretty regularly. The quality was so-so, but nothing to really complain about. They had their niche and seemed to fill it. Then my dad wanted some not too long ago, and I went into the only place they have left in town (there used to be 4 in the area several years ago). It was the most depressing fast food place I've ever been to - everything looked dirty, the staff looked tired and depressed, and everything was just off. The food itself was entirely too greasy, not what I remember it being. The chicken pieces felt like they had been soaked in vegetable oil, and the fries were awful. Even the hushpuppies, one of their highlights, were soggy and bitter. For some reason though, it's one of my dad's favorite places and he continues to look past the low-quality. Plus it's kind of expensive for what you get. Long John Silver's seems to me to have been a neat little 90s/early 2000s novelty, like Blockbuster. It was cute back then when the food was a little better and it served the needs of working people. They tried to break down the "seafood is for upper middle class people" barrier, and for a time it worked. But now the novelty has worn out and they've faded into the distance; kind of like Subway. I've also noticed a trend where fast food places like Long John Silver's, KFC, Arby's, and Hardee's are sort of seen as working class "boomer" places to eat. I often associate them with an older, working class demographic who'll stop by there on a Friday night and pick up dinner for a payday type of meal. There's a generation gap I feel, and very few young people are going to see a place like LJS's and think "yeah, let's get dinner from there!" unless they have some memories attached to it from childhood. There's more and more food trucks and local/hipster places in towns and cities these days that fill the niche of LJS's, and consistently provide a better product with fresh ingredients.
I remember them fondly from going there when I was growing up in the 80's, but kids have different tastes than adults so maybe that's coloring my memories a bit. By the mid-1990's when I went there as an adult, the experience was exactly what you described - dirty store, greasy low-quality food, and the whole place smelled like rancid grease. A friend of mine got a job there in 1995 or so and it was a miserable place to work for. Even during a good economic time with low unemployment rates, they wouldn't pay more than minimum wage and couldn't retain any decent managers because they paid them so poorly as well. People who wanted a part-time job had much better options. Fast forward to 2011 and I stopped in another one, this time it was a combo KFC/LJS and it seemed like things had improved greatly from the 90's era. The store was a lot cleaner, the people were friendlier, but I can't speak to the food since I had fried chicken. It seemed like they might have made a comeback of sorts.
The one down the road from me is closed now near wpafb it was dirty low lighted kinda dingy looking place no one was in there had three maybe four employees but the food was good not greasy the service was good too its like they stopped caring about the store then it closed
therealshackleford1 “kind of like subway” What? My town has several subways, and the one nearest to me is always booming at lunchtime! Is subway having troubles nationally, I wonder?
@@SpontaneousProcess A lot of Subways in my area have shut down; the only one that's really left is located in the local Walmart (I think they've closed a lot of locales nationally in the past few years); the quality though isn't too bad, definitely not as bad as LJS's.
I actually really like Long John Silver's. It's probably one of my favorite restaurants that I went to as a kid. I haven't been there in a long time, but I always enjoyed their food everytime I went.
@@MrZappaman420 Facts! LJS was my go-to. As time went by, the quality has went down, and it is sad because if they got the food right, people would eat there. The chicken planks and fish when cooked right is on point.
You must have a good location near you, then. The most recent ones I've been to have been extremely unsanitary and just gross. It sucks because I wish I could love LJS again.
I actually didn’t know they were declining, I am a customer for a couple years now and me and my family always get a 24 box mix of chicken and fish with hush puppies and coleslaw and it always was great
Oooo I didn't know they had a fried fish/fried chicken box if i ever find a LJS near me i swear to god i need to try that, it literally sounds like heaven!
The LJS near me has closed, but my family and I really enjoyed eating there in the late 80s - mid 90s. The only thing that bothered me sometimes was the strong vinegar-smell when you walked in. But their fried fish and chicken planks, puppies, and baked fish on rice pilaf were excellent! A refreshing choice over the tired burgers from McD, BK and Wendys. Also reminds me of Arthur Treachers.
@@coltywolty01 If you live in the rural south, you're bound to find that in any major restaurant: Waffle House, IHOP, Longhorns, McDonald's, etc. I've seen the occasional roach in every one
Oh how I love LJS’ batter! Every time I went with my grandparents for a “ special treat meal” I would ask for extra “ crunchies” on the side. Super unhealthy but as a 10 year old kid, there was nothing better.
I think there is an obvious question here that wasn't asked; how do they expect to have fresh fish in land locked areas? People don't do farm-raised fish and a health-conscious consumer wants fresh fish. They can just eat locally in areas where seafood has a big market.
I’ve never had the fish at Long John Silver’s. I only order the chicken planks. That and the hush puppies and the french fries and the coleslaw are the only things I’ve ever eaten there. It’s probably not the healthiest food because of all the deep frying, but once in a while it hits the spot. But, yes, they’ve closed a couple locations in the city where I live over the last several years. In fact, I think there’s only one Long John Silver’s restaurant left.
When I was a kid, Long John Silver's was one of my favorite restaurants, along with A&W. Back in the mid to late 90s both of them in my city closed. The LJS became a payday loan place, they kept the building design and everything, just changed the signage. To this day it's still exists as a payday loan place, but still looks like an old long John location.
When I was a kid, going to LJS was a thrill; it was like eating at a theme park cafe with the Treasure Island motif adorning every inch of the darkened, subdued dining room. I'd order the Ben Gunn (the kids' meal) and savor it while wearing the souvenir paper "pirate hat". It literally felt like having dinner below deck of a Pirate Ship -- at least, that's how it felt to an 8-year-old in 1982. Even if you don't share that nostalgic view, we can at least agree that there was no other fast-food chain like it. Why they traded that for the generic "sunnier" motif, I can't imagine.
@@davelopez3695 That was great, wasn't it? Everything was coordinated with the pirate ship theme. Now, it's just generic fish-and-chips, and why would a kid get excited for that?
My biggest problem with Long John Silvers was the deterioration of their cleanliness of their stores. Around this time, I saw a roach climbing up the wall of the booth that I was sitting in. I have not been back since.
I worked there as a teen. When the company was bought by YUM brands, they cut a ton of costs that hurt quality. They had fries back in the day that were some of the best fries of any fast foo chain. Manager said the company went to a cheaper ingredient that saved the company a million per year bc the company isnt known for fries. They used to schedule a staff member to do nothing but clean the dining room area and take out trash 2 hours every morning and evening. They cut that position and said front register staff could clean in their free time. Well sometimes staff doesn’t have free time, which leads to dirty tables, full trash, and a dirty looking restaurant. The cleanliness of the chain has gone downhill in the name of saving 2-4 minimum wage hours per day.
You're right about that. I started to notice the difference in the cleanliness and upkeep back about 20 years ago. Their dining rooms began to look dirty and worn. Some were worse than others. Some places still looked OK, but most didn't. Several around my area have closed over the last ten years or so. It was disappointing because the food was still pretty good. Fortunately, Captain D's has stepped in to pick up the slack.
To add to my comment. The fries saved them a million dollars, but what’s a million dollars in the grand scheme of YUM brands? The fries back when were similar to Popeyes. They had a coating which was pretty good.
Long John Silvers had a special for your young buccaneers. Your pirates ate for peanuts and they cruised away with free souvenirs. They had a seafood platter, fries, and a home made slaw -- chicken too! You brought the whole crew, it was a fun thing to do...
As a kid the Long John's near my home was connected with a Taco Bell, but they went an extra step with it by having the building themed as if it was a Mexican port town, I always thought it was really cool that they blended the two restaurants together like that instead of just half the building being nautical and half being vaguely Hispanic.
yeah. was wondering what's happened. One of them closed years ago and still haven't opened back. thought it is temporarily. obviously they haven't opened back since.
@@juniperper Yeah, that's what's weirding me out about it. Like my brain can't get the breading and frying oil out of the equation. "Here's your grandma, smelling slightly of fried foods, like she always wanted."
LJS was walking distance down the street from my childhood home and is nostalgic for me. Most of the locations near me have closed and the few that remain are hot messes. The one in Charles Town WV is combined with an A&W; last time I went it took 20+ minutes to get my order, the dining room was a mess and there were fruit flies all over the drink station.
Orlando FL has 2 or 3. The SoDo area place 🍽 is mixed with a KFC. I liked it but rarely went by LJS. The fried fish, shrimp 🍤, chicken were +. I think suburbs of Orlando have stand alone LJSs but I doubt they lasted.
Ever since 1979, everytime I get a chance to visit the United States for my vacation, the LJS Restaurant is a must-visit place for me and my family. Last time I went to a LSJ was in 2017 in Florida, and the place was remodelled and fresh looking, and delicious. I hope they remain in business, for my next vacation visit there.
being Canadian i never dined at long john, not sure if they were good or not, my concern with getting fish and chips was batter, even though burgers aren't that great for you, but wish in all floor and syrup can't really have it all the time. I only have fish and chips once in awhile, plus found cost was much higher on fish but that's just me.
Oh man, you went to a long John silvers for seafood while you were in *Florida*?? Dude, do yourself a favor and hit up a good seafood place on the coast next time.
My grandparents used to eat there on Friday evenings once or twice a month. It was always a treat to get to go with them. That was in the 1970s and 1980s. I was last in LJS about eight years ago for lunch with some co-workers. It was good, but I generally prefer "non chain" restaurants so I haven't missed it.
Fun fact: as of September of 2022, there are no longer any Long John Silvers in its birthplace, Lexington, KY. I realized it when I tried to check the store hours of the last one in town.
My dad ran a Long John Silver’s most of my childhood. It holds a special place in my life. When they changed the decor we got a barrel, a ship wheel and a few booths. The booth was our outside dining set. I still the hush puppies and crunchies. I do not however miss my dad always smelling like fish. 😂
I hate when people do stories about how unhealthy fast food is, if you’re going to those places thinking it is healthy you got problems. As far as the McFish taking any of their market share, I find that ridiculous, it is not even in the same league as ljs. Now you got me wanting some fish and puppies
After closing in my area, i now drive almost an hour away to get LJS fish, chicken and hush puppies and willingly make the trip. Love the food even if it IS bad for me.
Hm interesting. Clearly main business didn't kill them so with the right owner and smart CEO they have a lot of potential. Maybe your comment just saved the LJS.
I know a guy who went to prison for 8 years. He got a ride home from his uncle. They were about 5 miles outside town and his uncle asked if he wanted lunch somewhere, the guy said yeah, he wanted Long John Silver’s because he was craving it for a long time. His uncle said they’re closed and even drove by where it was and he got to see a Discount Tire there instead. Instead they went to KFC.
Well said. I knew trouble was brewing when Yum Brands announced they were selling it off. The one by was a Taco Bell combo restaurant and they tore it down and rebuilt it as Taco Bell only. I miss LJS a lot, it is hugely underrated.
@nlpjohn we had a place here in indiana fort wayne called fish of stroh oh my was it good and loved the malt vinegar on the stuff since gone yep long johns and malt vinegar is good stuff azars big boy had a great fish sandwich frisches in ohio
They're just caught up in these new times. Years ago deep frying was acceptable means of cooking and a lot of folks did. But as time moved on a more health conscience society took hold and now deep frying is looked down upon. What you see today is air frying and baking. But I did enjoy this in my youth :)
Their big mistake was in moving away from that theme, towards a more generic fast food look. Stay true to the theme, be authentic about it, and you will succeed. Nobody wants low quality fast fish from a place that looks like a damn Jiffy Lube.
Came here to say this. How can a video be made about Long John Silver's (Lexington, KY) with no mention of Captain D's (Nashville, TN). Maybe a video on Shoney's, Captain D's, and/or Ray Danner is in order.
@@darrenkrivit6854 It's funny when I looked up Arthur Treacher's, that I found their only standalone locations remaining were all in the northeast Ohio (and greater Cleveland) area. There were also a handful in Maryland I think, and they were cobranded with Nathan's if I recall correctly.
There was a long John's near where I live off a busy road. I think in two years of living here I saw like five cars ever parked there, they just closed down over the winter
Similar in my town; closed down in like 2014 or 2015. Apparently the owner tried to make it a liquor store before just selling the building completely.
I have very happy memories of eating LJS with my family. After a day of chores and yard work, we would often pick up a family meal of fish and chicken...my brother and I would fight for the little batter drippings at the bottom of the box...my uncle loved the coleslaw. I wish we had something similar...sometimes I would love some fish and chips.
Agreed. When I was growing up in the late 70s and early 80s, they were a great place to eat. Those little crispies were so good. I remember loving them as much as the meal. The Long Johns of today tastes different. Not as fresh and so salty compared to what we used to get. The decline of their food quality is sad. There’s one in the city I live in that shares the building with a Taco Bell. Growing up, the entire restaurant concept fit the brand. Now everything feels like an afterthought. And from this video, that modern redesign looks terrible. It lost its soul.
LJS is where as a kid I first learned to love malt vinegar! Fun memories of the really early pirate-themed stores, with curtlass swords for door handles, pier pilings outside, and fish nets hanging from the ceiling inside!
I can vividly remember in the 80’s my parents would take us there for lunch, usually on a Sunday, as a treat for being good or maybe after some shopping at the local mall.....good times 👍🏼
Like Long John Silvers. My dad and I used to go there a lot especially in the 90s. In my home town, Long John Silvers is long gone, but good memories remain. Didn't realize the first Long John Silvers was in Lexington and seems to now be a salon. I enjoy your content.
I eat at LJS once a week. The one in my town still does hella business. Sometimes we have to wait 20 mins for our food, but it's worth it. Love that deep fried deliciousness.
I actually really like LJS. Maybe it's more nostalgia bc my grandparents would take me after sporting events but I still go there once in a while. Usually I only get chicken and clams, sometimes shrimp. They also give out great coupons sometimes where I can get a 10pc chicken with fries, hush puppies, and sides for $15 and it feeds my family of 3. It's super unhealthy so we only do that a few times per year but it's a treat. Everyone in my family likes it and it's just nice to give the same kind of treat to my son that I had growing up.
I’ve always loved Long John Silver’s too… my grandfather used to take me there for lunch when I was younger, he’d also take me to Captain D’s or Wendy’s… all these places are nostalgic and they are still around my area.
You know I totally understand the nostalgia Factor of a restaurant. I never eat at a McDonald's because nutritionally it is nothing short of a sewer. But every 10 blue moons I will eat a McRib which is only a seasonal offering on their menu only because I remember how as a 5-year-old my dad would take us to McDonald's where I would be so excited to get the toys and the Happy meals. This was the late '70s early '80s. Cheers.
i'm from lexington,ky and i love long john silver's growing up it brought great memories... now we dont even have one anymore in the town it all started so sad :(
I usually have it once about every four years. That is about how long it takes for the memory of how bad it makes me feel afterwards to become outweighed by the craving.
I worked as a cook at a store that could only pay for 3 workers at a time, the cashier manager and a single cook. Our store had so little profit that they had to get rid of the mid, making me the cook, do not only my job but also the job of the mid. Working there was hell.
@@mellytempest I've done that shit so many times, I cant tell you how many times my mom has called me and I instantly replied with "welcome to McDonald's, how may I take your order"
@@mellytempest edit: OH, THE DRIVE-THRU; nah, unfortunately. i worked there two months until the released me, so maybe that wasn't enough time to stick around for them, but two months is still a lengthy amount of time, and i consider myself unlucky in this context
I'll tell you why they seem to be smaller: They are expensive as hell! When you pay $9 for a Fish and More and it doesn't even INCLUDE A DRINK, there's a problem.
The 1 Long John Silver location in our town closed about 2 yrs ago but the 2 locations of Capt D;s are always busy. Always have preferred D's because of a wider selection of menu items; choices of fried, baked, or broiled entrees; fried items are not greasy or heavily salted; and choices of fresh veggie sides.
I love their food and the local LJS has a good flow of customers. They are also using the older branding. I personally have hated the branding since they changed from the original look. I miss the cargo nets, captains wheel, and fish on the walls. Now they look like another sterile, soulless modern restaurant.
Kinda like shopping carts and baskets at stores now thanks to having being sprayed with sanitizer for CV-19 so many times the residue is grossly thick now. 🤢
I remember the first Good Friday I worked there,,,,,”Line out the door” started a few minutes after open until we shut the sign off. It was fun like our stores Super Bowl. Maybe it’s different now but 30 years ago it was a blast on that day and the guys I worked with lived the challenge. We just rotated fast smoke breaks all day and kept up!
When down in the dumps after my mother's passing, I went in close to closing time. I had been painting rooms in basement all day. Young lady working there took my jumbo shrimp order. Saw that I wasn't in best mood. Told me that since it was close to close that I could have all the shrimp (it was like 30 pieces) and to take my time in the dining room. I ate the whole plate. I told the crew that my mother would scold them for overfeeding me. They laughed. I called the management next day to thank them. I go there a lot. Hope they survive.
That's a really wholesome story
@Kristopher Roth Quit being an ass. They did a good thing.
That’s awesome. I lost my mom 2 years ago and the pain is constant. Little things like this mean a ton. I hope you find peace 🙏🏻
Hope you didn't say that you were given free food lol.
Great story -and I do admire your intestinal fortitude.
“yes, we still exists” is the most honest thing any restaurant chain can say.
Hope it isn't also said by Harley-Davidson later on...
@@azmike3572
It is a shame H-D is losing most of it's
costomers to old age. H-D doesn't offer small bikes for younger and new riders,
Like a Honda Rebel 250/300. If a toung or new rider first buys a small bike like a Rebel 250 and likes it, there is a good chance that he might stay with that brand after he moves up to a bigger bike. Time and time again. Also, no dirt bikes. Sometimes, the fun really begains where the pavement ends. H-D managers don't seem to realize that.
Finally price. H-D bikes are expencive.
They need to be more competitively priced with Japanese and other foreign bikes. An intresting formula to emulate is the newer product lineup from
Royal-Enfeild. An old British firm now made in India. If they can keep the quaulity up, young buyers will take note.
David Krueger agreed....too expensive and too unreliable. Little things always break. Even just from sitting.
Even when it's highly successful. No one needs to _learn_ about McDonald's anymore. Every ad is just a reminded "hey, we still exist, just like yesterday!". And maybe those tantalizing visuals will make your mouth water when you're high at 1:30 am.
Only as long as they do still exist! ;-)
I had my 12th birthday celebration at LJS. My mom was getting her Master's and the recession was still a big concern for us. It was delicious to me and the best we could do. Just my mom, sister and I. So it has a warm place in my heart.
Awesome memories
My mom would take me there every other weekend before taking me back to my dad. I will still go there a couple times a year or when life gets too heavy for some comfort food. Fish and chicken platter with extra crumbs. Drowned in malt vinegar.
Man nothing wrong with that sounds like a solid birthday to me!
What i've learned from this channel is that when a restaurant is acquired by Yum Brands, its decline is inevitable.
Yea YUM is like the George Soros of conglomerates.
its*😊
Yep lol
Unless your Taco Bell
@@LFFunEmporium You never had late 80s early thru mid 90s taco bell...it was so much better
As someone who's worked at long john's: it's not a bad place. The food's alright. They do owe most of their continued existence to the elderly though.
I’m a cook at long Johns a&w and might I say it’s a bitch but it’s aight fish taco pretty damn good
I have never been, but from the one in my town it looks like it would attract a lot of old people..
@@00ghostcobra really rude thing to say!
I look at Silvers as a good fun alternative to $$$$$$ Red Lobster !!!
@@00ghostcobra If you get a chance, do eat there. The food is good.
I've been to LJS's in several states. 95% of them share a common theme, and that is they all tend to be in a "not great" areas. Not necessarily like slums or anything, just always older, poorer areas. I'm sure this doesn't help traffic to LJSs. If they actually opened new LJSs, in better locations, they might actually see increased sales.
This. All the LJS’s in my area tend to be in the low income areas, where things tend to be not very safe. If they were to open in better places, I’m sure they’d get more business than if they opened in these poorer places. I get what they were going for though. It’s hard to find fish meals in some of these less nice areas, but that’s because the demand is low to non existent there.
Aside from shrimp and fried cod, what "SEA FOOD" did they really sell?
I have a Long John Silvers near me, and it's actually in a really busy area off of a highway with some truck stops, gas stations, and hotels.
Well... thats where a lot of our tax dollars go
@@malcorub
Perch, catfish, shrimp and yes cod, last time i went. Hush Puppies and coleslaw.
The restaurant in Roger's Park in Chicago also offered chicken...
I worked at a LJS from 1999 to 2016. I'll tell you I seen the decline in crew incentives. When I was first hires they would provide cash prizes to employees for different things each month. I started with vacation and sick days. Not to mention bonuses given to management. When I left I no longer had sick days. My vacation was cut from 4 weeks to 40 hrs. My last raise consisted of 50 cents. When the employees quit feeling appreciated or that their hardworking went unrecognized. They stopped taking pride in their jobs. The only reason I stayed was because my regional manager kicked ass and fought for us. He also was hired at 16 and worked his way up.
40 hour vacation time!?
50 cent raises? I get up to 25 cent raises for America’s 11th most popular drive thru, no where near going out of business 😳
17 years at a fast food restaurant?
I worship you for providing service to this restaurant even if you had your share of asshole customers
@@jayvan4821 thats a week of vacation time lol. That's not even bad.
@@ghostlegit one week in a year is a bit short. I receive 2 months yearly.
We were at a location in a small town in Ohio, and we made our drive thru order just before closing time. We waited and waited, but the food never came out. My wife went inside and was told that they were closed. She said she knew, but we hadn't gotten our food yet. They just gave her everything they had left, which was more than we ordered. I think the crew was high, but in the best possible way.
You were in Elyria, I bet
HAHAH that’s awesome
Something similar happened to me at Little Cesar's.
At least I get a senior discount there.
at closing times of most fast food places you can get free stuff if you ask and you don't ask every day. Problem is every fast food joint near me is 24/7
The first time I saw a Long John Silver’s restaurant in 1976, was from the outside, and it looked like a family seafood restaurant with wait service, like Red Lobster. So I asked my new girlfriend out on a seafood dinner date. We got dressed as one would for a dinner date. When we walked in and I saw that it was a fast food restaurant, I was mortified, and I was sure she thought what a cheap skate to bring her to a fast food restaurant on a first date. But we stayed and had dinner. She eventually married me. I took her out on better dates. But you can’t mention Long John Silver’s without the story coming up about our first date at a fast food restaurant . I’m sorry to see them decline. That restaurant closed years ago and the closest one to us is 20 miles away.
There’s is one In my state far up north in Michigan not the UP but far up there it’s so random too we have none down state it’s odd on location
Thats a hilarious. Glad it worked out and now you have a funny story of yalls first date.
We got one in my city that’s still open
Thats how you know she was a keeper, she didn't run!
You still ate there? You should would’ve told her you thought it was a red lobster and then left 😂
When they shifted from the “pirate themed” decor to a bright, airy, “sea breeze” theme is when I thought they lost touch. You can go most anywhere with bright colors & lots of light. It was “cool” to feel like you were eating in a pirate ship’s galley.
@AJtheory Arrrgh you a salad eatin' land lubber who can't tell a binnacle from a barnacle and hasn't got a clue of whats flotsam versus jetsam?
AGREED! Bring back the pirate theme! It was my favorite part as a kid, and it's named after a pirate after all!
@@capnbobretired Lmao TELL THEM!
They ditched the Pirate theme right before the decade long Pirates of the Caribbean domination of the World. They would have been billionaires by kids wanting to go to the pirate place and wear the paper pirate hat and eat from the pirate ship.
Ditto. And the new logo is cartoonish, cobranding doesn't help either.
When almost everyone is selling the exact same burgers, it was nice to have the fish alternative.
Yes exactly!! You can find the same generic burger, chicken sandwich and fries and damn near every single fast food restaurant. But no where can you find fish this good in a fast food environment
Captain D's is better imo
80sCats&GunsAddict In-N-out is awesome, best burgers ever
Sean Fisher go to le peeps, 59 diner, DOT cafe etc and you’ll never eat ihop or Denny’s again. Their food is pure TRASH. What’s crazy is real food only costs $1-2 more for the whole meal.
I grew up on IHOP and it after having real food it just tastes like frozen 2 week old cheap crap to me now.
Miguel Yes you can... Walleye from Culvers is amazing.
I LOVE Long John Silver's and it's sad to see them wither away. These companies need to stick with what made them. Adults can decide whether they want a healthy option or not. I think it's stupid to change up your menu to please people who weren't involved in the success of the company in the first place.
People who feel LJS is dangerously unhealthy will never step foot in those store no matter how many healthier alternatives you put on the menu. They just needed to stick with what works. This was not a restaurant that was going to find a new audience.
❤❤@@RedNekLvr22
It always seems to start with a leveraged buyout...
the two most cursed words on this channel
AKA Vulture Capitalism. Only that term isn't really fair to the vultures since unlike venture capitalists they wait until their dinner is dead before picking its bones clean.
Uh-huh. More recently Neiman Marcus just filed for bankruptcy due in no small part to debt from a leveraged buyout. I hope they and LJS can both weather the storm.
Buy, leverage, financial engineer out as much money as possible, liquidate the carcass. Repeat.
@@hotwax9376 Maybe they could open up a combination Neiman Marcus/Long John Silver store? I'm sure that would be a hit.
I never really had a bad time at long john silver's, the food wasn't a gourmet meal but it was good enough that every year or so my family would take a trip long john silver's
"every year or so" may be the other reason these guys aren't doing so well...
I’ve never been don’t like fish
Phil Immerfall true. I feel like for most people it just isnt that food place you end up going to alot but you do go to
sell god Xid then why on earth are you watching and commenting on a fish restaurant video
infinite mr.clean sounds like the best family vacay ever
My parents met in a long john silvers. So I can attribute my whole existence to fried fish.
haha that's awesome!
Are your parents the same sex?
omg literally same and now i work there
like deadass
Lol That’s Awesome!!!
About 11 years ago, back when my dad had open heart surgery, he couldn't keep anything down. He would throw up anything and everything, but he was craving LJS. The doctors finally allowed my mom to bring him some and surprisingly, he kept it down hahaha!!!
Wholesome story❤
I never been to one haven’t seen them on Long Island for more than 40 years
Aww thats awsome im glad he got to enjoy it😊
Open heart surgery and then a meal that is 16x the trans fats you’re supposed to have in one day. Not good rehabilitation.
Greasy food is great after getting arteries un cc logged
LJS is always full of rebel senior citizens, going against their Dr.s "no salt" orders.
If i were old, this would describe me
If it's so bad for them how did they get to be senior citizens? My 93 yo mother has eaten fried foods all her life, including well cooked beans seasoned with fat back and other southern dishes. In fact she only eats fried fish. If it's fish and it ain't fried don't even bring it to her. She hates the food in the retirement facility she's in because they never offer that. The vegetables are under cooked and it's always baked this and salad that. She eats in moderation. Just because it's salty and fried doesn't make it bad.
@@FLATBUSHPLAY
Fat is actually not that bad, especially not monounsaturated and omega 3 fats. Cholesterol is good in normal doses, being the precursor to testosterone and estrogen.
Salt... Salt is what might cause problems. Personally, I've cut it back. It wears down the endothelium. If it does this faster than it can regenerate, it can cause blood vessel leaks, and eventually, hemorrhagic stroke.
@@FLATBUSHPLAY Sodium works in tandem with potassium. The body needs both of these electrolytes to function. Potatoes contain much potassium, so it balances out excess salt in those seafood dishes to some degree.
@@Mephitinae So much illogic in your post, hard to keep track.
_"Yes We Still Exist"_
**Rings the Bell** 🔔
Press V to ring
Who the heck thinks that, "Yes, We Still Exist" could have ever sounded good
V!
*workers dance like mad*
@@vitemallight8818 In classic terms, it should be Ctrl+G.
Am I the only person who doesn't think Long John Silvers is that bad? I actually sort of like the food, not to the point where I'd choose it over most things but it's not bad.
personally, it’s good, but you really gotta be in the mood for it
The long john's in Sapulpa, Okla at first it started out as a great place to eat..then after years of ,maybe not hiring the right managers ours started going down hill..the food quality, the old grease they cooked fish in, and it looked un appetizing, the restaurant was dirty..,the ppl were not the best crew ..so sad..
@@diannaralston9877 to be fair, looking for quality food in sapulpa is like looking for a good accountant in west tulsa
Dianna Ralston when was this? Smaller towns don’t have a lot of fast food places unfortunately!
My dad brought me there whenever we went to Laguna Beach, he practically raised me on seafood so yeah its good.
The ONLY problem I ever had with any of them was that many them suffer from lack of upkeep, maintenance, and cleaning. Same issue as Taco Beuno.
I love Long John's fish. So tasty and crispy when cooked right. I hope enough people love em too so they stay around. Not another burger place
@Lord Raiden
I didn’t even know they had chicken. Lol.
I’ll have to go try that.
@Lord Raiden
Definitely. I’ll try it and let you know. I live in Houston. I just looked them up and it looks like we still have several in the area.
might try
Start a campaign .
@@TheRealBizWiz Chicken planks... you can "add a piece" for 99 cents... give it a try it's REALLY good! I'd take it over stupid Chik-Fil-A any day! OL J R :)
I'm 54. When I was a teen their food was really good. What I noticed, was that the quality of the fish went down, they changed the oil they cook with, then they started over-salting the fish. I found the same issue in Southern IL and in Central PA. I stopped going there about 8 years ago. It seemed like a new management profit taking scheme. Cheapen the product to increase profit for a couple of years, then go somewhere else. It seems to happen everywhere. Management with no idea how to grow a company or keep it alive longer than 5 years. They line their pockets and run the company into the ground.
Yes it was the oil , it left a film taste in my mouth, kind of like licking a tree or drinking Starbucks coffee
They used lard at our location. I was a cook in highschool 1985-1986 for two years. I would have to take this big cube out of the box and unwrap this blue bag it was in and cut the lard into 1/4's and place it in the newly clean fryer. The oil was rotated to the right every couple of days. You had to test it with a test kit, so when we knew when it was time to rotate. The more food that was cooked. The faster the oil would be rotated. We had 6 fryers and everything moved right. Right before I left to deliver pizza to make more money. They switched to peanut oil and then veggie oil. Some might not want to hear this, but that lard made a world of difference. Food tasted so much better. The cod was real also, as was the butterfly shrimp. Peanut oil was ok, but not the veggie oil.
Same experience right down to the oversalting. Really a shame, back when the food was decent I really liked to go there occasionally
@@Booneboarder I was a cook there too back in 04-09. And I still remember that big ol block of lard. Lol. If you didn’t know what you were doing and had just thrown that big block in there, you were just asking for it. Had to cut it up to smaller pieces to allow it to melt evenly and properly. I had some Good times at LJ’s.
Exactly.. that oil was so bad, it coated the inside of your mouth with a chalky grease residue that in your stomach would make you literally sick! It turned So bad, no wonder McFish was even better at that point.
I ate Long Johns for almost 24 years of my life every Friday night before I went bowling. They served beer and had televisions set up that played the games.
They got rid of beer in 1999.
Then around 2008 they changed something about their food, removed the televisions, cut 4 of my favorite platters for "on a bed of rice" choices, and changed the seating and aesthetic.
This video explains a lot of that.
I actually worked at a long johns one summer for shits and giggles and to learn how they made everything so I could make it myself.
There are still LJS around KY but its hard to find and isn't the same.
I used to ear at the long john silvers in my area but stopped after I figured out how unsanitary My location was, I just go to Captain D's now.
for the shits and giggles 😂😂
I would love to have a copycat recipe for their chicken planks.
There are a ton still in Texas. I remember falling in love with it as a kid (I’m 20). Most people seem to dislike the food when I ask but i know they changed it up because my parents would talk about how it taste so greasy now and just disgusting...and how it’s so unhealthy
Word, Yak. Williamsburg, KY, first Northbound I-75 exit, has the best LJS I've ever been to.
I am from Kentucky- so this place had meaning for me. In a landlocked flyover state, this was my first introduction to fish along side Mrs. Paul’s. As a kid- we did a class trip to Jericho- they were very nice. They showed us their new ad campaign- I would have preferred more pirate stuff but it was happy families eating.
What is a flyover state?
@@briannaoppong-antwi9702 people fly over us when they're going to their destination.
Here in West KY, you can't go 20 minutes here without seeing a Long John's or Captain Ds.
@@adamnbryantI was about to say. I’m about 15 minutes from Henderson and I pass by one every time I come and go to work.
Being from Kentucky, you never had been to a fish fry at somebody’s place? Like catfish, bass, and bluegill caught from a lake fried kinda fish.
I loved Long John's since its inception, (I'm 80 yrs old) but I have watched the decline in the quality of the food over the past 30 yrs. to the point where I didn't miss the local outlet closing four years ago. It may be a local lack cooking talent, because Red Lobster has also suffered a decline, or we (the consumers) are willing to just accept mediocracy.
location was an issue with one of our local Long John's; couldn't get in or out due to increased traffic flow. the road is now undergoing reconstruction, so it's possible this Long John's won't be back.
I agree that over the years the quality of the food decreased, which is sad; at one time it was one of my favorite places.
I think the town I live has the same issues. All the chains that I enjoy when I travel just seem sub-par in my hometown. Some have opened and failed quickly.
@@johndavis1217 a lot of success depends on management and staff.
a restaurant can have five star food, but if the dining experience, which includes staff, is unpleasant people won't go back.
likewise, a place can have sort of average food, but if the experience is good, they'll return and tell others.
word of mouth advertising is still the best.
The one in my area caught fire thanks to a disgruntled employee who didn’t like his job so off it went, boarded up, and LJS said to hell with it. I was sad but it is what it is.
Same kind of thing in the town where I live. They even managed to ruin a Sheetz. I suspect it's the sign of the times, mediocrity indeed.
Deep frying is an art. The second the fryer is overfilled or under temperature, the second you get greasy, mushy product. Hiring a bunch of teenagers to handle this guaranteed this to happen.
The most American thing ever😂😂
Such places rely on cheap labor as an integral part of their business model They can only keep a profit if they keep labor under 25% of the revenue. This is actually the same with most restaurants. But unlike normal full service restaurants, the major chains serve low price meals and don't rely on tips which does not count as part of the labor costs in a full service restaurant. So they expend much less money per employee in that way. Hire a professional cook and expect your per hour labor expense to be close to $20 and hour or more. Most chain restaurants maintain a per hour labor expense well under $12 and often as low as $10 in the case of fast food places like McDonald's. Supposedly fast rood restaurants should in theory work since everything is planned out for the employees who only have to follow simple recipes that any untrained person can follow. In reality one still has to have a basic understanding of the food business to serve safe food that is good to eat. By paying only minimum wage or slightly more, fast food restaurants only get people who cant find work elsewhere. So those people start out unhappy. They don't give a crap what they serve you. They just want to make it through one more unpleasant shift and get the heck out of that place and go home and pretend they don't have a crappy job. Do you honestly think they care if your meal is made with fresh ingredients properly cooked?
Its not an art, its a science. There's nothing but chemistry involved.
Actually, as a former manager for LJS, their had a huge emphasis on training and did a very good job with it. The fryers were pretty much idiot proof. Light comes on, put in the product, push the timer, timer goes off, pull it out of the fryer. They had machines that exactly measure the water for the batter and the water was the exact temperature needed. The problem in my opinion was going from hand cut fish to these huge frozen blocks of formed fish pieces that were cut into shims and scored then broken on those scores to get the diamond shape of the fish you see. The fish is coated with a powder and cooked frozen. Also, to this day I still do not know what the chicken is. If you saw it uncooked before being battered you would probably run away screaming.
At my first job, I was explicitly told "It doesn't matter how much oil is in the fryer, as long as it's not overflowing it's fine." We might as well have just sold fire hazards.
I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with LJSs for decades. Since store closings, I’ve resorted going to the rougher parts of town to get their fish. I’ve even gone during quarantine. I’ve been to LJS in 6 states. It’s my kryptonite (literally, it’s gonna kill me)
so you're a LJS fan ? Do you prefer the new logo and theme, or the original setup?
is your mouth just like coated in that weird film all the time?
@@jackrado3575 You just brought back memories I didn't even realize I had
Price would never eat LJS
I believe in you!
LJS was my first summer job in my teens in the mid 80s. I loved it! It was a great place for families to have an inexpensive seafood dinner out. Unfortunately both of my local LJS have recently closed and now the closest location is about 1 1/2 hours away. But you know I'll be road tripping there at some point.
My small PA town Clarion had a LJS by the mall. It was fairly decent for years. I liked LJS for fish, shrimp.
Yeah teens don’t make good staff members is why these places fail.
Teens now are mostly useless for anything but indifference,sloth, entitlement,ignorance and violence - truthfully we were far more violent but we knew how to fight and made it far more dangerous and engengered respect for somebody that may kick your butt.
The food declined over the years. Smaller portions and pre cut portions. The fish in the beginning was hand cut from a large block of Icelandic cod. The fish used to be wonderful under Jericho but quickly declined once they went private.
A fish sandwich from Long John Silvers is leagues ahead of McDonalds “fish” or any other fast food chain!!
@@bonjovirocks24 eh i feel like if i want ACTUAL fish i would just go to a restaurant. if im eating fast food fish it really doesnt matter comparing them. they are all what youd expect.
last time we went(denver)a few yrs back, it was very greasy n expensive...didnt go back
@@drblog123 Didn’t know fried food was supposed to be healthy. 🤣🤣
@@bonjovirocks24 But they aren't consistent with their sandwiches.
It's like how Popeyes treated sandwiches as a short-term promo.
Their spicy chicken Po Boy was great, but they would usually screw it up.
LJR's wraps in the 90's were the best, and they discontinued them...
I wondered what happened to them. In my home town things got really bad. The cooking grease tasted like it was changed about once a month. Within a year the restaurant has closed. I miss LJS the way it used to be. They had good food.
There's still one in Stockton California. I'm going there today.
Me too Jim 😪
@@j.d.contreras392 where at I was just out north and they closed that one down i was mad af
@@j.d.contreras392 the one in stockton is definitely going down hill. I went the other day and there was burnt grease all over all of my food. Very sad when comparing it to its former glory
@@kirbysupercalifragilistic7819 Damn. That's the closest one to me. That sucks. It looked clean when I went there.
Long John Silvers is legit the best battered fish or chicken I've ever had. They are freaking delicious. The little crumbles are the best part. I'll fight you if you say otherwise.
and I'll fight along side you : ) It's not changed, dating back to 1981
I agree about the fish and chicken. Never was interested in the crumbles though... there's enough of the batter and oil on the food items. Gave your comment a thumbs up, though. 😉
IKR! Mine even took my order of only the crumbs! Yes!!
Yes crumbs is a staple and a must have when going to LJS.
chicken planks are delicious
My grandmother loved LJS. When I was a teenager and started working I would go at least once a week to get us something from there. The one in our town, which isn't exactly small, closed down a while back. I haven't really thought about it in years, but it makes me want to hit one if nothing else for the memories.
When I think Long John Silver I think the Hush Puppies. That plus I think the crumbs.
Mmmmm ! The crumbs are delicious !
My gf loves their tartar sauce on the hushpuppies. Tried it and its pretty good!
We called the "crumbs" knurdles (pronounced: kah-nerdles). And yes, they were delish along with the hush puppies.
Once upon a time you could ask for extra crumbs and they would give them to you at no extra cost. No idea if you still can, as I haven't even lived near one in ages.
@@kenbob1071 Krums (yes, thats how they spell it) are free
I hope they stick around, I like their fries with the malted vinegar.
Is nobody talking about those small crispys that they throw in with the chicken
@Gray Au What?!
Gray Au WHAT
Gray Au
W H A T
I miss the old buildings, they now look like every other fast food place when they used to have a unique small fishing town look to it
Can't beat the warf/dock look of the old style. You are right. Now they just blend in with the rest. Boring.
This is a problem that every fast food restaurant seems to be going through. Most buildings and interiors weren't exactly unique before, but now every chain is redesigning to be the same box-type building, tall box with the logo, with faux wood flooring and tables inside. Seriously, look at any Wendy's, McDonald's, Taco Bell that has been refurbished or built in the last 5ish years and you'll find they all look very similar. All different parent companies by the way.
@@abiwonkenabi7027 i agree with you but the McDonalds near me have a weird modernart style that looks cheap and also is gloomy, the inly colors are red, black, grey, and white with short uncomfortable seats. But yeah i agree with you on that like if you showed me fhe inside of a burger kind and a wendy's i would get them mixed up
Mine is still old school. Lotta old ppl here
@@jareds-tits mine is not like the older ones that i mentioned yet is now the newest type yet but they still have a load of old people in it
I love Long John Silver’s! I like their fish and their coleslaw is the best. The biggest issue I’ve experienced is long wait times for my order. And finding a nearby location. If they could improve service, they would do a lot better.
They started going downhill when they stopped giving out those paper pirate hats.
And the award goes to...
Michael Barrone for funniest comment
Burger King still has the crowns, but now they suck.
And took peg legs off the menu
Michael Barron, Yep
Light Theory LLC Funny? This is serious, I want my hat back
When you have to say "YES - WE ARE STILL IN BUSINESS!" on your website
Yes pretty telling of things...
Lots of places say that. It's a Coronavirus thing.
Their fish batter breading is like no other. You can’t deny that.
I wish someone would apply that batter to onion rings
@@bonsaitreehouse5534 I work there and they do
@@bonsaitreehouse5534 we already do?
Arthur Treacher's was vastly better.
@@chuckschillingvideos lol who???????
Growing up as a kid my mom was a manager at a LJS and I have many fond memories of that place. I would literally eat the food 4 to 5 times a week and never got tired of it! I live in a huge city and there's only 2 or 3 locations left now. Sad to see them going down like this. Every time I walk into one I get a huge rush of nostalgia!
The reason I stopped going to Long John's? They refused to raise prices a tiny bit and instead lowered the sizes of things to a ludicrous level... you used to get a pretty large piece of chicken or fish in a 'plank'. It's now so goddamned small it's laughable.
See i thiught they lowered the portions too haven't been in AWHILE.
@Frank Castle I work in a dine-in restaurant and yeah, my co-workers who have second jobs at fast food said this, also, a lot of dine in restaurants are also downsizing or portioning it a certain size. Now, some of it isn't becuase of 'downsizing' but becuase when you cook the food, depending on what it is, it will shirk as water leaves the food but mostly because we are downsizing the portions given to you.
The excuse before Covid-.....actually I never got a reason as too why? 'Cost's' would most likely be the reasons but now it's becuase of the damn lock down recovery and covid but in reality this was happening well before.
@Cougar Killer I order a large coke at bk and it was a medium size.
@@madisonatteberry9720 maybe because America is obese and this would be a way to lessen that 🤔???? Idk
@@liz-pz1ke Maybe?
When my husband was alive we used to enjoy going to Long John Silver's. The food was always so good. We didn't have a lot, but it was affordable, too.
If calories didn't exist, I would LIVE off of those effing hushpuppies.
no, their crunchies
no cap
Those things are so damn delicious!
FACTS BRO!!!!
Facts
Loved their Malt Vinegar. Dad bought a take home bottle of it. Also I loved snacking on the crispies. I Havn't eaten at a LJS in decades.. Now I'm kind of in the mood.
My grandpa always had a bottle in the fridge.
It’s sad to see that time has been so tough on LJS. Their food (the traditional fair) is really good. Every time I take that first bite of one of their fish planks, it takes me back to when I was a kid. I don’t eat at LJS very often (mainly because there are so few around) but, when I do, the reaction is always the same. Hope they hang around.
That's what they don't realize, their nostalgia value. They should go back to the old logo and the cups with the treasure maps on them. My brothers and I all loved Long John's when we were kids. I still do.
@@HardChair Same with Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Why abandon your roots and instead want to make something generic that no one really likes?
The old mission style Taco Bell's were awesome. Same with the old Pizza Hut's with salad bar, red cups, etc.
There was a LJS in the town I went to college in. Nobody was ever in the drive thru, no cars in the parking lot, never even knew if they were open or closed. Apparently they were open, because it closed my last year there. Never visited it, but just the building itself looked unhealthy, not just the food lol.
That sucks I love LJS.
They were always pretty busy in my town, and one day they just shut down.
@@RocketboyX me too, now the closest one i know of is an hour away in the mall of america. compared to the other restaurants in the food court, the place looks disgusting.
I always tell my friends that it looks so sad but the food is good
Poor building.
I can remember back in the early/mid 2000s, my family used to get Long John Silver's pretty regularly. The quality was so-so, but nothing to really complain about. They had their niche and seemed to fill it.
Then my dad wanted some not too long ago, and I went into the only place they have left in town (there used to be 4 in the area several years ago). It was the most depressing fast food place I've ever been to - everything looked dirty, the staff looked tired and depressed, and everything was just off. The food itself was entirely too greasy, not what I remember it being. The chicken pieces felt like they had been soaked in vegetable oil, and the fries were awful. Even the hushpuppies, one of their highlights, were soggy and bitter. For some reason though, it's one of my dad's favorite places and he continues to look past the low-quality. Plus it's kind of expensive for what you get.
Long John Silver's seems to me to have been a neat little 90s/early 2000s novelty, like Blockbuster. It was cute back then when the food was a little better and it served the needs of working people. They tried to break down the "seafood is for upper middle class people" barrier, and for a time it worked. But now the novelty has worn out and they've faded into the distance; kind of like Subway.
I've also noticed a trend where fast food places like Long John Silver's, KFC, Arby's, and Hardee's are sort of seen as working class "boomer" places to eat. I often associate them with an older, working class demographic who'll stop by there on a Friday night and pick up dinner for a payday type of meal. There's a generation gap I feel, and very few young people are going to see a place like LJS's and think "yeah, let's get dinner from there!" unless they have some memories attached to it from childhood. There's more and more food trucks and local/hipster places in towns and cities these days that fill the niche of LJS's, and consistently provide a better product with fresh ingredients.
Same in my home town. I used to love their chicken. Now when I think of their food I just think of grease 🤢
I remember them fondly from going there when I was growing up in the 80's, but kids have different tastes than adults so maybe that's coloring my memories a bit. By the mid-1990's when I went there as an adult, the experience was exactly what you described - dirty store, greasy low-quality food, and the whole place smelled like rancid grease. A friend of mine got a job there in 1995 or so and it was a miserable place to work for. Even during a good economic time with low unemployment rates, they wouldn't pay more than minimum wage and couldn't retain any decent managers because they paid them so poorly as well. People who wanted a part-time job had much better options.
Fast forward to 2011 and I stopped in another one, this time it was a combo KFC/LJS and it seemed like things had improved greatly from the 90's era. The store was a lot cleaner, the people were friendlier, but I can't speak to the food since I had fried chicken. It seemed like they might have made a comeback of sorts.
The one down the road from me is closed now near wpafb it was dirty low lighted kinda dingy looking place no one was in there had three maybe four employees but the food was good not greasy the service was good too its like they stopped caring about the store then it closed
therealshackleford1 “kind of like subway” What? My town has several subways, and the one nearest to me is always booming at lunchtime! Is subway having troubles nationally, I wonder?
@@SpontaneousProcess A lot of Subways in my area have shut down; the only one that's really left is located in the local Walmart (I think they've closed a lot of locales nationally in the past few years); the quality though isn't too bad, definitely not as bad as LJS's.
these comments are all gold. Thank you to everyone for sharing their LJS stories
I actually really like Long John Silver's. It's probably one of my favorite restaurants that I went to as a kid. I haven't been there in a long time, but I always enjoyed their food everytime I went.
It's not what it used to be.
The hush puppies are deeelisious 😋 plus fish and chips wif malt vinegar is absolutely positively fabulous. 😍
I love the fried breading bits at the bottom of your fish and more, sell me a bucket of those barnacles!
@@darkstarmoonshadow malt vinegar rocks!
@@MrZappaman420 Facts! LJS was my go-to. As time went by, the quality has went down, and it is sad because if they got the food right, people would eat there. The chicken planks and fish when cooked right is on point.
I’ve always loved their food. It’s sad to me that truly terrible fast food places flourish while LJS continues to struggle.
I'm convinced it isn't a food problem so much as gross mismanagement.
You must have a good location near you, then. The most recent ones I've been to have been extremely unsanitary and just gross. It sucks because I wish I could love LJS again.
Agree
LJS is terrible though, its not at all the same place it was 30 yrs ago.
They should have sued the press for defamation. I dont understand how Varsity is still alive. They are the worst.
I actually didn’t know they were declining, I am a customer for a couple years now and me and my family always get a 24 box mix of chicken and fish with hush puppies and coleslaw and it always was great
Oooo I didn't know they had a fried fish/fried chicken box if i ever find a LJS near me i swear to god i need to try that, it literally sounds like heaven!
@@lunahetfield what did you think they sell?? Long johns???
Hush puppies slap
The LJS near me has closed, but my family and I really enjoyed eating there in the late 80s - mid 90s. The only thing that bothered me sometimes was the strong vinegar-smell when you walked in. But their fried fish and chicken planks, puppies, and baked fish on rice pilaf were excellent! A refreshing choice over the tired burgers from McD, BK and Wendys. Also reminds me of Arthur Treachers.
Sadly, sometimes, my wife has that same smell going on, but I overlook it because she's got other good traits.
Long John Silver's is that restaurant I always kind of liked but too embarrassed to suggest
Opinions on the food it might make me go one day
@@baumber1919 well, if you’re fine with roaches crawling up the booth them maybe you should go
@@coltywolty01 exhibit A
@@coltywolty01 If you live in the rural south, you're bound to find that in any major restaurant: Waffle House, IHOP, Longhorns, McDonald's, etc.
I've seen the occasional roach in every one
@@VicereineKillbride And if it's not a infestation problem, employees can be disgusting too when it comes to restaurants. It just depends.
Oh how I love LJS’ batter! Every time I went with my grandparents for a “ special treat meal” I would ask for extra “ crunchies” on the side. Super unhealthy but as a 10 year old kid, there was nothing better.
same !!! the “crunchies” that came on the side were the best thing ever !
Ah another crunchies fan. I see you have fine taste.
I always called em Bread Crumbs
Tell me about it, would always give it a big whiff back when I was working there
My sister would trade me her fries for my crunches every time we went. Good memories.
I think there is an obvious question here that wasn't asked; how do they expect to have fresh fish in land locked areas? People don't do farm-raised fish and a health-conscious consumer wants fresh fish. They can just eat locally in areas where seafood has a big market.
they partner with United to fly it LOL!
I'm pretty sure it was all frozen. I still enjoyed it if it was freshly fried but after sitting it got nasty.
Most fish is flashed frozen after the catch.
deep fried.... pretty sure "fresh" and the #1 concern...
Elogical “I’m sorry sir I’m going to have to ask you to give up your seat, we need it for this fish.”
I’ve never had the fish at Long John Silver’s. I only order the chicken planks. That and the hush puppies and the french fries and the coleslaw are the only things I’ve ever eaten there. It’s probably not the healthiest food because of all the deep frying, but once in a while it hits the spot. But, yes, they’ve closed a couple locations in the city where I live over the last several years. In fact, I think there’s only one Long John Silver’s restaurant left.
When I was a kid, Long John Silver's was one of my favorite restaurants, along with A&W. Back in the mid to late 90s both of them in my city closed. The LJS became a payday loan place, they kept the building design and everything, just changed the signage. To this day it's still exists as a payday loan place, but still looks like an old long John location.
Would it be in Dallas by any chance? There's a Cash Loan location that used to be a Long John Silvers here too and they also kept the old design.
I dare you to go in one day and order a fish patter with hushpuppy
When I was a kid, going to LJS was a thrill; it was like eating at a theme park cafe with the Treasure Island motif adorning every inch of the darkened, subdued dining room. I'd order the Ben Gunn (the kids' meal) and savor it while wearing the souvenir paper "pirate hat". It literally felt like having dinner below deck of a Pirate Ship -- at least, that's how it felt to an 8-year-old in 1982. Even if you don't share that nostalgic view, we can at least agree that there was no other fast-food chain like it. Why they traded that for the generic "sunnier" motif, I can't imagine.
I loved how my kids meal came in a boat!
@@davelopez3695 That was great, wasn't it? Everything was coordinated with the pirate ship theme. Now, it's just generic fish-and-chips, and why would a kid get excited for that?
I remember there being long lines just to order, leading out the door and wrapping around the building in the 80s. Oh, how times have changed.
Arthur Treachers fish n chips & Captain D’s were & are also good.
Yeh it felt like a big deal. I agree.
My biggest problem with Long John Silvers was the deterioration of their cleanliness of their stores. Around this time, I saw a roach climbing up the wall of the booth that I was sitting in. I have not been back since.
Same. In 1991, I went for dinner there. Roach climbed up the booth. Never went back.
I worked there as a teen. When the company was bought by YUM brands, they cut a ton of costs that hurt quality. They had fries back in the day that were some of the best fries of any fast foo chain. Manager said the company went to a cheaper ingredient that saved the company a million per year bc the company isnt known for fries.
They used to schedule a staff member to do nothing but clean the dining room area and take out trash 2 hours every morning and evening. They cut that position and said front register staff could clean in their free time. Well sometimes staff doesn’t have free time, which leads to dirty tables, full trash, and a dirty looking restaurant.
The cleanliness of the chain has gone downhill in the name of saving 2-4 minimum wage hours per day.
You're right about that. I started to notice the difference in the cleanliness and upkeep back about 20 years ago. Their dining rooms began to look dirty and worn. Some were worse than others. Some places still looked OK, but most didn't. Several around my area have closed over the last ten years or so. It was disappointing because the food was still pretty good. Fortunately, Captain D's has stepped in to pick up the slack.
jeb909 I agree TOTALLY! People like me in Florida need to at least have a Captain D’s in the area.
To add to my comment. The fries saved them a million dollars, but what’s a million dollars in the grand scheme of YUM brands? The fries back when were similar to Popeyes. They had a coating which was pretty good.
Long John Silvers had a special for your young buccaneers. Your pirates ate for peanuts and they cruised away with free souvenirs. They had a seafood platter, fries, and a home made slaw -- chicken too! You brought the whole crew, it was a fun thing to do...
As a kid the Long John's near my home was connected with a Taco Bell, but they went an extra step with it by having the building themed as if it was a Mexican port town, I always thought it was really cool that they blended the two restaurants together like that instead of just half the building being nautical and half being vaguely Hispanic.
So?
yeah. was wondering what's happened. One of them closed years ago and still haven't opened back. thought it is temporarily. obviously they haven't opened back since.
mine was combined with a KFC
@@freecreditreport.combaby Was it themed like a Kentuckian port town?
@@GenericProtagonist7 i cant remember, i think it was just the half is KFC, half is LJS
My German friend: "What is that?" "A hushpuppy, basically deep fried bread." She took a bite and her face was absolutely perplexed; "But, why?"
Cause they’re bomb w/ honey butter!!
Why not!
HushPuppy Lives Matter
A hushpuppy can be made really quickly and given to a hungry child or dog while the main meal is being made.
because 'Merica
There used to be like one Long John Silver's in my area. I don't think I ever went to it. Its a crematorium now. Don't know how to feel about that.
from fried fish to fried human. kind of?
the one here is just closed f o r e v e r
@@juniperper Yeah, that's what's weirding me out about it. Like my brain can't get the breading and frying oil out of the equation. "Here's your grandma, smelling slightly of fried foods, like she always wanted."
I bet you can still get krispys
LJS was walking distance down the street from my childhood home and is nostalgic for me. Most of the locations near me have closed and the few that remain are hot messes. The one in Charles Town WV is combined with an A&W; last time I went it took 20+ minutes to get my order, the dining room was a mess and there were fruit flies all over the drink station.
I actually love Long John Silver‘s the problem is they’re very hard to find
Orlando FL has 2 or 3. The SoDo area place 🍽 is mixed with a KFC. I liked it but rarely went by LJS. The fried fish, shrimp 🍤, chicken were +. I think suburbs of Orlando have stand alone LJSs but I doubt they lasted.
I agree
What do you guys get there? I tried my friends hush puppies once and they were delicious.
@@DavidLLambertmobile hell yea that place is the shit. We lost ours here in deland and now its a Captain Ds
We have 2 in our area both are good.
Ever since 1979, everytime I get a chance to visit the United States for my vacation, the LJS Restaurant is a must-visit place for me and my family. Last time I went to a LSJ was in 2017 in Florida, and the place was remodelled and fresh looking, and delicious. I hope they remain in business, for my next vacation visit there.
Nilton Lacle we have better food than LJS in the USA. I promise.
Where do you come from? And welcome and I hope you get to see all of America, although it is a huge place, it would take many trips to do so!
being Canadian i never dined at long john, not sure if they were good or not, my concern with getting fish and chips was batter, even though burgers aren't that great for you, but wish in all floor and syrup can't really have it all the time. I only have fish and chips once in awhile, plus found cost was much higher on fish but that's just me.
Next time you go to Florida try Buds Chicken and Seafood. Very great and better amount of food for the price you pay
Oh man, you went to a long John silvers for seafood while you were in *Florida*?? Dude, do yourself a favor and hit up a good seafood place on the coast next time.
Do you want to smell a smell that no one should ever smell?
Go into a Long John Silvers/Taco Bell combo restaurant.
We used to have a kfc/ljs but they got rid of the long John's a few years ago
The best smell is kfc/ljs combo
Fishy.... tacos? I’ll see myself out
That said, using TB hot sauce on LJS fish and shrimp is pretty bomb
We had a taco hell/kfc/pizza hut.
They closed KFC and taco hell, and tried turning that half of the building into a sports bar, with pizza hut food.
My grandparents used to eat there on Friday evenings once or twice a month. It was always a treat to get to go with them. That was in the 1970s and 1980s. I was last in LJS about eight years ago for lunch with some co-workers. It was good, but I generally prefer "non chain" restaurants so I haven't missed it.
Fun fact: as of September of 2022, there are no longer any Long John Silvers in its birthplace, Lexington, KY. I realized it when I tried to check the store hours of the last one in town.
They took away all the rope and wooden pilings from the entrance, and it’s been downhill ever since.
Mine near me still has theirs and going strong.
The rope pissed of black people so they did away with it.
I have always loved LJS, eat there whenever I can, they don't need to change a thing,but they need to bring back corn on the cob
I love the food but I think they should lower the price a little. Like 1.15 at least .
They don't have corn on the cob anymore?! Shows how long since I've been.
I totally agree loved their corn on the cob!!
And bring back the pineapple pie!!
My dad ran a Long John Silver’s most of my childhood. It holds a special place in my life. When they changed the decor we got a barrel, a ship wheel and a few booths. The booth was our outside dining set. I still the hush puppies and crunchies. I do not however miss my dad always smelling like fish. 😂
I hate when people do stories about how unhealthy fast food is, if you’re going to those places thinking it is healthy you got problems. As far as the McFish taking any of their market share, I find that ridiculous, it is not even in the same league as ljs. Now you got me wanting some fish and puppies
And crispies too!
I agree. I get sick of the health nuts in this here college town reading everybody the riot act about their dining choices. MYOB.
After closing in my area, i now drive almost an hour away to get LJS fish, chicken and hush puppies and willingly make the trip. Love the food even if it IS bad for me.
Hm interesting. Clearly main business didn't kill them so with the right owner and smart CEO they have a lot of potential. Maybe your comment just saved the LJS.
If you die from clogged arteries from their fast food (and I'm right there with you), hopefully they'll do a complimentary burial at sea.
I haven't eaten there in years, but as a child I was practically addicted to their malt vinegar. I ate it on everything.
Same here......
You hated it at first. Now you got to have it every time you go.
I miss them threr hush puppies I love their fish and chips with vinegar and tartar sauce
I know a guy who went to prison for 8 years. He got a ride home from his uncle. They were about 5 miles outside town and his uncle asked if he wanted lunch somewhere, the guy said yeah, he wanted Long John Silver’s because he was craving it for a long time. His uncle said they’re closed and even drove by where it was and he got to see a Discount Tire there instead. Instead they went to KFC.
I love their food, I don’t want them to die
My first 5 bites...Heaven
My last 5 bites...ugh bluh
Well said. I knew trouble was brewing when Yum Brands announced they were selling it off. The one by was a Taco Bell combo restaurant and they tore it down and rebuilt it as Taco Bell only. I miss LJS a lot, it is hugely underrated.
@nlpjohn we had a place here in indiana fort wayne called fish of stroh oh my was it good and loved the malt vinegar on the stuff since gone yep long johns and malt vinegar is good stuff azars big boy had a great fish sandwich frisches in ohio
They're just caught up in these new times. Years ago deep frying was acceptable means of cooking and a lot of folks did. But as time moved on a more health conscience society took hold and now deep frying is looked down upon. What you see today is air frying and baking. But I did enjoy this in my youth :)
@@Spaethon that batter really hits hard after a while.
Miss the old style LJS with the gangplank and ropes leading to the doors with the old style wooden booths ship paintings and maps on the wall
The food was so much better then too.
AMEN :)
Seafaring design was best! I just did a quick video with a passing LJS mention: th-cam.com/video/l402EnbrBgc/w-d-xo.html
Taking me back
Their big mistake was in moving away from that theme, towards a more generic fast food look. Stay true to the theme, be authentic about it, and you will succeed. Nobody wants low quality fast fish from a place that looks like a damn Jiffy Lube.
Long John Silver's direct competition was/is Captain D's, started back in 1969 in Tennessee.
Captain D's is a bit better
I thought it was H-Salt Fish and Chips.
Came here to say this. How can a video be made about Long John Silver's (Lexington, KY) with no mention of Captain D's (Nashville, TN). Maybe a video on Shoney's, Captain D's, and/or Ray Danner is in order.
Arthur Treachers Fish and Chips was their competition here in southern CT back in the 80s
@@darrenkrivit6854 It's funny when I looked up Arthur Treacher's, that I found their only standalone locations remaining were all in the northeast Ohio (and greater Cleveland) area. There were also a handful in Maryland I think, and they were cobranded with Nathan's if I recall correctly.
I really miss the Long John Silver's stores that were in our area. I always liked their food. I can't believe they are gone.
There was a long John's near where I live off a busy road. I think in two years of living here I saw like five cars ever parked there, they just closed down over the winter
I’m sure they’re going to shut down the brand. It’s just not good
Similar in my town; closed down in like 2014 or 2015. Apparently the owner tried to make it a liquor store before just selling the building completely.
I have very happy memories of eating LJS with my family. After a day of chores and yard work, we would often pick up a family meal of fish and chicken...my brother and I would fight for the little batter drippings at the bottom of the box...my uncle loved the coleslaw. I wish we had something similar...sometimes I would love some fish and chips.
Agreed. When I was growing up in the late 70s and early 80s, they were a great place to eat. Those little crispies were so good. I remember loving them as much as the meal. The Long Johns of today tastes different. Not as fresh and so salty compared to what we used to get. The decline of their food quality is sad. There’s one in the city I live in that shares the building with a Taco Bell. Growing up, the entire restaurant concept fit the brand. Now everything feels like an afterthought. And from this video, that modern redesign looks terrible. It lost its soul.
Those little crispy pieces were really good
Come to England - plenty of fish and chips here.
H C yeah! And I feel like there has been no equivalent replacement in the market...
LJS is where as a kid I first learned to love malt vinegar! Fun memories of the really early pirate-themed stores, with curtlass swords for door handles, pier pilings outside, and fish nets hanging from the ceiling inside!
Yes. My mom and dad took us there what a nice memory even though I'm vegetarian now
+1 on the malt vinegar
I can vividly remember in the 80’s my parents would take us there for lunch, usually on a Sunday, as a treat for being good or maybe after some shopping at the local mall.....good times 👍🏼
Yes, the best thing about LJS was shaking a lot of malt vinegar on both the fish and the fries!
Like Long John Silvers. My dad and I used to go there a lot especially in the 90s. In my home town, Long John Silvers is long gone, but good memories remain. Didn't realize the first Long John Silvers was in Lexington and seems to now be a salon. I enjoy your content.
I eat at LJS once a week. The one in my town still does hella business. Sometimes we have to wait 20 mins for our food, but it's worth it. Love that deep fried deliciousness.
These comments are making me want to finally try LJS. Idk if there’s any left in South Fl though..
@@nekow1785 I think Broward County has LJS
@@nekow1785 It's not your average fast food restaurant. The quantity and quality of the food there doesn't come off as cheap.
The Orlando LJS I ate at had good 🐓 & better shrimp. It was mixed with a KFC.
what state do you live, if I may ask? As a truck driver, I sometimes have to really look hard to find LJS in my travels
I even remember the plank rope bridge you crossed to get to the front door…crossing a river rock dry “creek”. Too funny.
I actually really like LJS. Maybe it's more nostalgia bc my grandparents would take me after sporting events but I still go there once in a while. Usually I only get chicken and clams, sometimes shrimp. They also give out great coupons sometimes where I can get a 10pc chicken with fries, hush puppies, and sides for $15 and it feeds my family of 3. It's super unhealthy so we only do that a few times per year but it's a treat. Everyone in my family likes it and it's just nice to give the same kind of treat to my son that I had growing up.
I’ve always loved Long John Silver’s too… my grandfather used to take me there for lunch when I was younger, he’d also take me to Captain D’s or Wendy’s… all these places are nostalgic and they are still around my area.
You know I totally understand the nostalgia Factor of a restaurant. I never eat at a McDonald's because nutritionally it is nothing short of a sewer. But every 10 blue moons I will eat a McRib which is only a seasonal offering on their menu only because I remember how as a 5-year-old my dad would take us to McDonald's where I would be so excited to get the toys and the Happy meals. This was the late '70s early '80s. Cheers.
i'm from lexington,ky and i love long john silver's growing up it brought great memories... now we dont even have one anymore in the town it all started so sad :(
This just gives me good memories of my childhood. My parents didn't have much money, so we had this a lot.
No1zikal
Super strict catholic parents. For a decent chunk of the year, this was the only fast food chain we ate at. It’s pure nostalgia food.
I usually have it once about every four years. That is about how long it takes for the memory of how bad it makes me feel afterwards to become outweighed by the craving.
Me too it's too heavy.
Ha! That's me with candy corn every Halloween.
Agreed. Some of the best fish, chicken planks, and fries in the industry....but Damn...it's just not worth it.
Hahahaha
The only other fast seafood place I've ever seen is a Captain D's
Yea very start of the video I was like "What about Captain D's?"
They are in the Dayton Ohio area too theyre pretty good the long jobs near me near wpafb is closed now
There was a restaurant called Skippers too.
Yeah, good old captain D's. Are they still around?
@@cbthethird yes they are
Proud to say my city still has a combined LJS and A&W location, and it is still wildly popular
used to work there. AMA.
also, i always greeted drive thru with a gimmick: "thank you for choosing loooooooong john silver's!"
Did you ever greet friends/family with the gimmick by accident?
I worked as a cook at a store that could only pay for 3 workers at a time, the cashier manager and a single cook. Our store had so little profit that they had to get rid of the mid, making me the cook, do not only my job but also the job of the mid. Working there was hell.
@@mellytempest I've done that shit so many times, I cant tell you how many times my mom has called me and I instantly replied with "welcome to McDonald's, how may I take your order"
Did people actually ring the bell or no?
@@mellytempest edit: OH, THE DRIVE-THRU; nah, unfortunately. i worked there two months until the released me, so maybe that wasn't enough time to stick around for them, but two months is still a lengthy amount of time, and i consider myself unlucky in this context
I personally love Long John’s! I hope they stay afloat
Same
Agreed
That's punny... Afloat!
I loved them growing up, but the last time I had it the fish was so salty. Maybe I should give them another chance.
Their french fries are awesome!
I'll tell you why they seem to be smaller: They are expensive as hell! When you pay $9 for a Fish and More and it doesn't even INCLUDE A DRINK, there's a problem.
The last time I ate at one (as a kid) I remember seeing that the three-piece chicken plank meal was just under $4. This was probably in the late 70s.
If it dorsn't come with anything, then what's the "& more?"
@Vutt Stuff yeah.. same in ohio.. give or take
Well, fish is much more difficult commodity to get than chicken and cow so it cost extra
It’s SEAFOOD. Where is that cheap?
The 1 Long John Silver location in our town closed about 2 yrs ago but the 2 locations of Capt D;s are always busy. Always have preferred D's because of a wider selection of menu items; choices of fried, baked, or broiled entrees; fried items are not greasy or heavily salted; and choices of fresh veggie sides.
I would choose Long John silver's over McDonald's or Burger King
Same
@@ralfiust amen to that long john silvers is the legit best place for fries prove me wrong
white goku no doubt
Same, ljs has higher quality food and is probably healthier.
Burger Kings sucks
I love their food and the local LJS has a good flow of customers. They are also using the older branding. I personally have hated the branding since they changed from the original look. I miss the cargo nets, captains wheel, and fish on the walls. Now they look like another sterile, soulless modern restaurant.
Absolutely! Remember the treasure map cups? Awesome!
100%
The one thing I remember about every Long John Silver's is the stickiness. Every restaurant is just so....sticky
Lol, yes all of those deep-fryers going leaves a coating of grease on everything.
Vaporised grease particles...
Kinda like Burger King is it's just sticky.
Kinda like shopping carts and baskets at stores now thanks to having being sprayed with sanitizer for CV-19 so many times the residue is grossly thick now. 🤢
The floors are like movie theaters. But Long John's constantly has tons of fryers evaporating oil into the air. Reason for the sticky?
I remember the first Good Friday I worked there,,,,,”Line out the door” started a few minutes after open until we shut the sign off. It was fun like our stores Super Bowl. Maybe it’s different now but 30 years ago it was a blast on that day and the guys I worked with lived the challenge. We just rotated fast smoke breaks all day and kept up!