Long John Silver’s has shut hundreds of restaurants since its ownership change in 2022, including a major franchise bankruptcy tied to a Mall of America site. Despite the shrinkage, the chain says sales are improving, with 16 consecutive quarters of growth and
Morning crowds formed outside Amarillo’s Long John Silver’s—an image that, for many shoppers, signals a comeback. But just a few years into that story, the seafood chain has also been closing locations, trimming its footprint while promising a rebuild.
Long John Silver’s portfolio has fallen from over 1. 000 units in 2015 to fewer than 500 currently. according to data firm Datassential and news outlet SeafoodSource. More recently. a location at the Mall of America in Bloomington. Minnesota—owned by franchisee Uplifted Foods LLC—closed as the franchisee filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota in May. based on court documents reviewed.
The chain’s move to shrink and then refit comes with a long shadow behind it. In 1998, Long John Silver’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware, listing $457.3 million in liabilities and assets of $329.1 million, per the Tampa Bay Times and online court records.
When asked about the recent reports of a drop in restaurants. Long John Silver’s Chief Marketing Officer Laura Ellis pointed to a change in ownership. Four Oaks Partners purchased Long John Silver’s from LJS Partners in November 2022. and Ellis said the company “strategically optimized its restaurant portfolio” after that acquisition.
During the reorganization, Ellis said roughly 110 locations were closed. Of those closures. 70 to 75 were tied to the brand ending partnerships and closing joint locations shared with Taco Bell. KFC. and A&W. She also said “an additional number were temporary closures for remodeling or other operational reasons.” Another “approximately 24 standalone Long John Silver’s restaurants closed” as part of routine portfolio optimization. including lease expirations. relocations. and changing trade areas.
Ellis said the company has remodeled more than 115 restaurants, and that new openings are planned. Long John Silver’s has 25 locations in development across the country, though Ellis declined to say when those sites will open, adding that more details will come as opening dates near.
Even with closures in the rearview mirror, Ellis described the chain’s current direction as steadier than headlines suggest. Asked whether more closures were coming, she said Long John Silver’s is evaluating its restaurant portfolio. She also laid out a June 2026 focus on modernizing existing restaurants, supporting franchisees, and expanding through new restaurant openings.
The company pushed back on the idea that closures alone tell the full story. Ellis said reports of Long John Silver’s closing locations annually over the past 10 years were “only one part of the picture,” and pointed to performance at stores that have been open long enough to stabilize.
Ellis said Long John Silver’s has seen 16 consecutive quarters of sales growth among stores open for at least a year. She also said internal systemwide sales increased from $400 million in 2022 to nearly $430 million in 2025.
“The business has continued to build positive momentum under its current ownership,” Ellis said in a Friday, June 26 statement.
The numbers and the timeline sit uncomfortably side by side: a portfolio that has dropped from over 1. 000 units to fewer than 500. and a company reporting sales momentum with 16 straight quarters of growth. That tension helps explain why shoppers can see a reopening in one city while elsewhere a franchisee is winding down in bankruptcy court.
At present, Long John Silver’s has 477 locations. Ellis said 214 are company-operated and 262 are franchised.
For investors and franchisees watching closely, the immediate question isn’t only how many restaurants the chain will close—it’s whether the modernization work, the 25 planned openings, and the sales growth Ellis cited can outpace the churn that has defined the last decade.
Long John Silver’s seafood restaurant restaurant closures Four Oaks Partners Uplifted Foods LLC Chapter 7 bankruptcy Mall of America Amarillo reopening franchisees Datassential sales growth restaurant portfolio optimization