Ahoy , matey ! attend up fast seafood at over 1000 locations , Long John Silver ’s is known for their platters of fried half-pint , cod , and poulet . Of their noted sides , they betray roughlysix million poundsof hushpuppies each year .
1. THE ORIGINS OF LONG JOHN SILVER’S GO BACK TO A 1929 HAMBURGER STAND.
In Kentucky in 1929 , Jerome Ledererstarted a tiny fiddling burger standcalled the White Tavern Shoppe . Lederer formed the companionship Jerrico Inc. and opened more eating place , include the Jerry ’s Five and Dime mountain chain . After Lederer died in 1963 , Jerrico ’s CEO recruit one of Jerry ’s restaurant franchisees to help make a quick - service seafood eatery . Thus , the first Long John Silver ’s opened on April 16 , 1969 in Lexington , Kentucky .
2. THE RESTAURANT’S NAME COMES FROM THE NOVELTREASURE ISLAND…
Long John Silver ’s is named after Long John Silver , the pirate scoundrel in Robert Louis Stevenson ’s 1883 novelTreasure Island . Before settling on Long John Silver ’s , the founders of the restaurant consider other maritime - themed names , include Limey ’s and Barnacle Bill ’s .
3. … BUT THE NAUTICAL THEME IS NOT JUST IN NAME ONLY.
Tatiana Mik via Flickr//CC BY - NC 2.0
Besides its name , the fast - solid food mountain range is aesthetically attached to the seafaring theme . At every Long John Silver ’s position , a Captain ’s Bell greets customers , who are complimentary to skirt the Alexander Graham Bell on their elbow room out if they savor their meal . to boot , the mountain range ’s original buildings had New England computer architecture and nautical decorations , further emphasizing the seaside Cape Cod vibes .
4. LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY’S BASEBALL STADIUM IS NAMED AFTER LONG JOHN SILVER’S FIRST PRESIDENT.
Before starting the first Long John Silver ’s in 1969 , Jim Patterson attended the University of Louisville on a baseball eruditeness . After graduate college and serving in the Air Force , he became a eating place franchisee for Jerrico Inc. As chairwoman of Long John Silver ’s , he help the seafood chain turn to over 600 locations by 1976 . Patterson went on tostart other businesses and Polemonium van-bruntiae , and he donate $ 5 million to help construct the Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville , Kentucky , which opened in 2005 .
5. IN 1994, THEY STEPPED OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE FOR AN ADVERTISING TIE-IN.
executive at Long John Silver ’s claim a page out of theMcDonald’sand Burger King scheme playbook and took a prospect at team with a bighearted movie tone ending to do a publicity tie - in . In the summer of 1994 , before the acquittance ofThe Little Rascals , a commercial message for Long John Silver ’s feature Alfalfa telling Darla that he " procure " them a toothsome shrimp and fish meal while on a romantic boat drive . The chain offered an “ crying profits ” scratch card plot , and the commercial message was such a success that the companionship partnered with another film — drop off in Space — four years later . That deal did not go near as well .
6. THE CHAIN ALMOST WENT BANKRUPT IN THE LATE 1990S.
In the tardy 1980s and 1990s , Long John Silver ’s experienced a lot of fiscal turmoil . The price of fish start up , and the company was grease one’s palms and sold multiple clock time . Long John Silver ’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1998 , and they were litigate for breach of declaration forfailing to pay for $ 3 million deserving ofLost in Spacetoys . In 1999 , the parent company ofA&W Restaurants(as in the root beer ) bought Long John Silver ’s and create a new parent company , Yorkshire Global Restaurants .
7. THE STRUGGLE CONTINUED INTO THE 2000S AS THE COMPANY WAS RESTRUCTURED.
In 2002 , Yorkshire Global Restaurants sell Long John Silver ’s and A&W to Yum ! Brands , a company that ownedKFC , Taco Bell , andPizza Hut . In 2011 , though , Yum ! Brandsdecided to sellLong John Silver ’s toLJS Partners , a mathematical group of investors and Long John Silver ’s franchisees which included Patterson ’s youngster . Just three days later , LJS Partnersattempted to sellLong John Silver ’s , but the deal fall through . This year , Long John Silver ’s design aregional rebootof the blade to cooccur with Lent ( their boastful gross revenue season of the year ) .
8. IT’S NOT ON THE MENU, BUT YOU CAN ORDER A SIDE OF FRIED BATTER FLAKES.
A passel of the solid food at Long John Silver ’s is fried , and those little pieces of fried batter that they spit over their fish and fry platters can really be ordered as asecret menuside dish . Called crumbs , crunchies , or crispies , the pieces of batter gustatory perception like crunchy , fried lolly .
9. TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY IS A BIG DEAL AT LONG JOHN SILVER’S.
For obvious reasons , the range of mountains loves September 19 , also hump asTalk Like A Pirate Day . Last year , Long John Silver’soffered a free fishor chicken stamp to anyone who speak like a plagiariser , and pay away gratuitous fish and volaille tender baskets to people wearing basic pirate apparel . Bonus points to any landman who adjudicate out their online pirate name author and detain in character during dinner party . Shiver me timber !
