Long John Silver's
Long John Silver's is a US quick-service seafood chain operating 476 franchised and company-owned restaurants, serving value-seeking families and seasonal diners with wild-caught Alaska pollock, salmon, and cod at $6 value price points, supplemented by franchise royalties, advertising fund revenue, and an emerging retail packaged goods line.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Long John Silver's does
Long John Silver's is a Louisville, Kentucky-based quick-service restaurant chain founded in 1969, operating approximately 476 locations across the United States (214 company-owned and 262 franchised). The chain focuses on affordable wild-caught Alaska pollock, salmon, and North Pacific cod, and has expanded its menu to include chicken offerings under a revised Chicken + Seafood brand identity. Primary customer segments include value-seeking lower- to middle-income consumers, families seeking affordable seafood dining with kid-friendly pirate-themed branding, and seasonal diners—particularly during Lent—when seafood demand peaks.
The business model combines company-owned restaurant operations with franchise development. Company-owned units (~45% of footprint) generate direct restaurant sales; franchised units (~55%) contribute royalty revenue at 5% of gross sales, advertising fund contributions at an additional 5%, and one-time franchise fees of $35,000 per opening, with total per-unit investment ranging from $1M to $2M. The chain has committed to a $6 basket value price point through 2026 as a value-positioning lever amid rising dine-out prices. Revenue streams are supplemented by national advertising fund contributions that finance television, digital, and NASCAR sponsorships, and by an emerging retail packaged goods line launched via a Kroger partnership in February 2026.
The technology stack is centered on a redesigned mobile application (iOS and Android) supporting online ordering, mobile payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal), and the Seacret Society loyalty program that earns 4 coins per dollar spent. Third-party delivery is enabled through DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, though these orders are excluded from loyalty accrual. Since the November 2022 acquisition by Four Oaks Partners, the chain has executed a deliberate portfolio optimization, closing 110-120 underperforming restaurants—including approximately 70 co-branded Taco Bell, KFC, and A&W units—while reporting 16 consecutive quarters of comparable sales growth and lifting systemwide sales from $400M to nearly $430M by end-2025.
Long John Silver's firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Long John Silver's
- Legal name
- Long John Silver's, LLC
- Website
- https://ljsilvers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Long John Silver's is a US quick-service seafood chain operating 476 franchised and company-owned restaurants, serving value-seeking families and seasonal diners with wild-caught Alaska pollock, salmon, and cod at $6 value price points, supplemented by franchise royalties, advertising fund revenue, and an emerging retail packaged goods line.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Long John Silver's industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Quick-Service Seafood Restaurants
- NAICS
- Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seafood Fast Casual (THAFABAJ)
Keywords
Where Long John Silver's is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Long John Silver's business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Company-Owned Restaurant Sales: Revenue from 214 company-owned restaurant locations selling seafood and chicken menu items including baskets, combos, meals, platters, and limited-time offerings.
- Franchise Royalties: 5% royalty fee on gross sales from 262 franchised locations in exchange for brand resources, marketing assistance, and operational guidance.
- National Advertising Fund: 5% advertising fee on gross sales contributed by all franchise and company restaurants to support national marketing activities including TV commercials and digital campaigns.
- Franchise Fees: $35,000 one-time franchise fee for opening a new Long John Silver's restaurant, granting rights to use brand, trademarks, and operating systems.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | $6 Basket Value Menu |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Menu Items |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Franchise Investment |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Seacret Society Loyalty Program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Long John Silver's product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Long John Silver's operates a quick-service seafood restaurant chain in the United States, selling hand-battered wild-caught Alaska pollock, salmon, cod, coconut shrimp, chicken planks, hushpuppies, and combo meals through approximately 476 company-owned and franchised restaurants. The company complements in-store dining with a mobile app, online ordering, the Seacret Society loyalty program, gift cards, and third-party delivery partnerships, and recently expanded into retail packaged goods via its signature tartar sauce sold at Kroger stores.
Product overview
Long John Silver's is a fast-food seafood restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, operating approximately 476 locations across the United States (214 company-owned plus 262 franchised). The company has undergone strategic transformation since Four Oaks Partners acquired the brand in November 2022, introducing a new logo emphasizing chicken plus seafood offerings alongside its traditional seafood-focused menu. The product portfolio centers on the core restaurant chain offering wild-caught Alaska pollock, salmon, and north Pacific cod, supported by digital services including a mobile app and the Seacret Society™ Rewards loyalty program. Key menu offerings include $6 Baskets (value strategy maintained through 2026), Coconut Shrimp, Summer Special Platters, and limited-time offerings like Frank's RedHot Buffalo items and Cheesecake Factory Bakery desserts. The digital ecosystem includes online and mobile ordering via website and apps (iOS/Android), gift cards (physical and e-gift), and franchise opportunities. The company has expanded into retail packaged goods with its signature tartar sauce launched at Kroger in February 2026, marking its entry into packaged consumer goods.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Seacret Society™ Rewards: Long John Silver's loyalty and rewards program that allows members to earn coins for every dollar spent and redeem them for free food items.
Products and services
- Long John Silver's Restaurant Chain Quick-service restaurant chain selling wild-caught Alaska pollock, salmon, and north Pacific cod, plus chicken offerings, baskets, platters, combos, sides, and desserts to consumers across approximately 476 U.S. locations.
- Seacret Society Rewards Loyalty Program Free-to-join loyalty program for individual diners that awards 4 coins per $1 spent on qualifying in-store and online purchases, redeemable for free menu items, with birthday treats and exclusive offers.
- Long John Silver's Mobile App iOS and Android mobile application enabling online ordering, account management, mobile payment via Apple Pay/Google Pay/PayPal, and access to Seacret Society Rewards with passwordless login.
- $6 Baskets Value Menu Value-priced basket meals at a $6 price point, including Shrimp Basket, Chicken & Shrimp Basket, Fish & Shrimp Basket, and 2 Chicken Planks Basket, each served with an individual side and hushpuppies.
- Gift Cards Reloadable physical gift cards sold at most restaurant locations and e-gift cards sold online, with no fees or expiration, redeemable at participating Long John Silver's restaurants.
- Franchise Program Franchise offering for entrepreneurs and operators to open Long John Silver's restaurants, requiring $1,000,000 net worth and $500,000 liquid capital with total investment of $1,000,000–$2,000,000, a $35,000 franchise fee, and 5% royalty and advertising fees.
- Long John Silver's Tartar Sauce (Retail)
Quantifiable outcome
- 16 consecutive quarters of comparable sales growth
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Long John Silver's
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Long John Silver's technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature3 records
Long John Silver's partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Frank's RedHotminorLimited-time Frank's RedHot Buffalo lineup featuring buffalo shrimp, buffalo chicken, buffalo cheese bites, and buffalo sauce. Part of brand's strategy of offering bold flavors through rotating limited-time menu items.
- KrogerminorFirst retail packaged goods partnership launching Long John Silver's signature tartar sauce in bottles at select Kroger Family of Stores locations nationwide. Limited-time release timed ahead of Lent 2026.
- Goodyear and Ford PerformanceminorNASCAR racing sponsorship featuring car number 38 with Goodyear tires and Ford Performance branding. Return to NASCAR in 2026 as part of brand marketing and visibility initiatives.
- Cheesecake Factory BakeryminorProvides cheesecake desserts for Long John Silver's including Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake (summer), Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake, OREO Cookies & Cream Cheesecake (Lent), and Red Velvet Cheesecake (winter). Limited-time offerings available at participating locations.
- Taco Bell, KFC, A&WminorHistorical co-branding partnerships that resulted in approximately 70 closures as part of portfolio optimization. The chain is moving away from co-branded locations in favor of single-brand standalone restaurants.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Long John Silver's competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Culver's: Culver's is a Midwestern U.S. quick-service chain with a strong fish and seafood menu (ButterBurgers aside), offering North Atlantic cod, shrimp, and walleye in a similar value-driven, family-friendly format to Long John Silver's.
- Captain D's: Captain D's is the closest direct competitor to Long John Silver's in the U.S. quick-service seafood segment, operating a similar seafood-focused menu with fried fish, shrimp, and combos at value price points for families and value-seeking diners.
Broad incumbents
- Burger King: Burger King, owned by Restaurant Brands International, offers a fish sandwich in its LTO rotation and competes for the same lower/middle-income, value-driven QSR diner segment that LJS targets with its $6 basket strategy.
- Wendy's: Wendy's is a broad QSR incumbent with a regular fish sandwich offering, competing for value-conscious seafood occasions and benefiting from larger scale, broader marketing budgets, and a more developed digital ecosystem than LJS.
- Popeyes: Popeyes is a major QSR chain owned by Restaurant Brands International that has added fish items to a chicken-dominated menu, mirroring LJS's recent 'Chicken + Seafood' diversification strategy and competing for the same value-conscious QSR diner.
- McDonald's: McDonald's operates the iconic Filet-O-Fish sandwich as a Lent-season mainstay, competing directly with LJS for value-conscious seafood occasions during Q1 and beyond, while dwarfing LJS in scale and digital/loyalty capabilities.
- Raising Cane's: Raising Cane's is a fast-growing single-concept QSR chain with comparable operational characteristics to LJS—limited menu, value positioning, strong digital/loyalty investment, and aggressive unit growth—though anchored in chicken rather than seafood.
- KFC: KFC is a global QSR chicken chain under Yum! Brands, historically co-branded with LJS at over 70 locations that have since closed. As LJS's former sister brand and historical co-branding partner, KFC represents both an operational reference point and a competitive QSR incumbent.
- Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is the dominant U.S. chicken-focused QSR chain that LJS now competes with more directly through its expanded chicken menu, sharing a similar family-friendly, loyalty-driven, and operationally disciplined QSR model.
Regional players
- Bojangles: Bojangles is a regional (Southeastern U.S.) chicken-and-biscuit QSR chain with a similar value-positioning and limited-menu playbook to LJS, though geographically non-overlapping and lacking seafood exposure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Long John Silver's social profiles
Digital presenceLong John Silver's compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Long John Silver's financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Long John Silver's leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Long John Silver's funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Long John Silver's M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Long John Silver's
What does Long John Silver's do?
Long John Silver's operates a quick-service seafood restaurant chain in the United States, selling hand-battered wild-caught Alaska pollock, salmon, cod, coconut shrimp, chicken planks, hushpuppies, and combo meals through approximately 476 company-owned and franchised restaurants. The company complements in-store dining with a mobile app, online ordering, the Seacret Society loyalty program, gift cards, and third-party delivery partnerships, and recently expanded into retail packaged goods via its signature tartar sauce sold at Kroger stores.
Is Long John Silver's a public or private company?
Long John Silver's is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Long John Silver's founded?
Long John Silver's was founded in 1969. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Long John Silver's based?
Long John Silver's is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Long John Silver's make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Company-Owned Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Royalties, national Advertising Fund and franchise Fees.
Who are Long John Silver's's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Culver's and Captain D's. Broad incumbents are Burger King, Wendy's, Popeyes, McDonald's, Raising Cane's, KFC and Chick-fil-A. Bojangles is listed as a regional player.
Does Long John Silver's have an API?
No public API is recorded for Long John Silver's.
What industry is Long John Silver's in?
Long John Silver's's product category is Quick-Service Seafood Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAJ, Seafood Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 311710 and its SIC code is 5810.