Long John Silver’s closed 30 locations across 18 states during 2025, according to a franchise disclosure document issued in June, though the chain’s opening of 10 new restaurants resulted in a net loss of 23 outlets for the year.
The filing showed the seafood chain ended 2025 with 479 U.S. locations, down from 502 a year earlier. Ohio saw the most closures with five locations, while Arizona and Texas each lost three, with the remaining closures scattered across 13 other states.
Long John Silver’s spokeswoman Laura Ellis said the closures reflected individual market decisions rather than a coordinated retrenchment. “These were individual market decisions and not part of a broad-based closure initiative,” Ellis said, citing reasons including lease expirations and routine portfolio optimization.
The 2025 closures are part of a much longer contraction. Since the start of 2023, Long John Silver’s has experienced a net decline of 110 locations, and the chain’s portfolio fell from over 1,000 units in 2015 to fewer than 500 in 2026, according to USA Today reporting.
Four Oaks Partners acquired Long John Silver’s in November 2022 and has pursued a restructuring strategy focused on profitability over store count. According to USA Today, roughly 110 locations were closed after the acquisition, with 70 to 75 of those closures resulting from the company ending partnerships and closing joint locations it shared with Taco Bell, KFC, and A&W.
Despite the store reductions, the company reports improving financial performance. Ellis said Long John Silver’s has posted 16 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth and has remodeled more than 115 restaurants since Four Oaks took over, with roughly 100 more remodels planned over the next two years. The company also opened 10 new locations in 2025, including restaurants in Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kentucky.
The chain’s internal systemwide sales increased from $400 million in 2022 to nearly $430 million in 2025, according to Ellis. The company is developing 25 additional locations across the country, though no opening timeline has been announced.
Long John Silver’s closures align with broader challenges facing the restaurant industry. Multiple major chains, including Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, and Noodles & Company, announced significant closures in 2025 and 2026 as operators grapple with inflation and rising labor costs.
Sources
- The Washington Times — franchise disclosure filing details on 2025 closures across 18 states, net location decline, and company statement
- Fast Company — franchise disclosure document showing 479 locations at year-end 2025, down from 502, and reasons for closures
- USA Today — Long John Silver’s portfolio decline from over 1,000 units in 2015 to under 500 in 2026, restructuring details under Four Oaks Partners ownership, sales growth and remodeling efforts
