Long John Silver's has closed more than half of its restaurants as seafood chains face pressure

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When beef prices rise, chains such as Chili's or Applebee's can respond by promoting chicken specials and steering customers toward lower-cost proteins.

For a restaurant built around a single protein, however, the options are much more limited. Buffalo Wild Wings can push boneless wing deals when bone-in prices increase, and Wingstop, despite its name, sold chicken thighs in 2021 when wing prices surged, according to CNBC. But the more specific a chain's menu identity becomes, the harder it is to pivot.

That challenge has affected a number of Texas barbecue restaurants as beef prices climbed, TheStreet reported. Customers who expect brisket may not want pulled pork, and seafood chains face a similar problem when trying to sell beef or chicken instead of the products that define their brands. The issue played a role in Red Lobster's Chapter 11 bankruptcy, affected Bahama Breeze, which was shut down entirely by parent company Darden Restaurants, and contributed to downsizing at Joe's Crab Shack.

Long John Silver's continues to shrink

Long John Silver's has long been one of the largest seafood-based fast-food chains in the United States by store count. Captain D's, a rival chain, may have overtaken it with about 530 restaurants, according to documents published on Franchise Depth.

Long John Silver's reached a peak of 1,081 locations, and its footprint may now be below 500. The seafood fast-food chain was founded in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1969. According to Undercurrent News, which cited the company's franchise disclosure documents, the chain closed another 30 locations in 2025.

The store locator on Long John Silver's website lists 494 remaining locations.

The chain's menu includes fried Alaskan pollock, shrimp, and chicken. It also offers grilled salmon and shrimp options, a reminder that even seafood-focused chains have added non-core items to broaden appeal when customer budgets are tight.

Seafood chains have struggled with affordability

Offering affordable seafood has long been a difficult proposition for restaurants. Red Lobster, for example, entered bankruptcy partly after running an all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion.

Shrimp is an expensive protein, and diners can consume a large amount of it. That promotion was only one factor in Red Lobster's eventual Chapter 11 filing, but it cost the company $11 million.

The broader problem is that seafood is simply expensive. In theory, restaurants can lure customers with shrimp, lobster, or crab leg specials and then make money on drinks or desserts, but historically, that strategy has been difficult to execute. For a fast-food chain with limited upsell opportunities, the challenge is even greater, especially when the core product already carries a higher menu price than chicken or pork.

Price sensitivity is a real issue. The author noted avoiding Red Lobster because its prices are higher than many other chains available through Uber Eats or DoorDash. While anecdotal, the observation reflects the pressure consumers feel around restaurant costs and the competition seafood chains face from cheaper quick-service options.

Seafood is the most expensive protein

American consumers remain concerned about costs, and seafood is the most expensive protein.

"Consumer sentiment has been on a rollercoaster ride. By and large, consumers are concerned about the sustained level of inflation and [whether they] have a job tomorrow," 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink said at the 2026 Global Seafood Market Conference, according to Seafood Source.

She also shared average 2025 retail prices for major proteins:

• Seafood: $10.52/lb
• Beef: $7.18/lb
• Pork: $3.27/lb
• Chicken: $3.17/lb

"Meat has moved from villain to vital because of the protein story," she said.

More than half, or 57%, of Americans said they want to eat more seafood, according to Technomic's 2025 State of the Food Industry and the Role of Seafood. Even so, a third of respondents said seafood is the least affordable protein.

For Long John Silver's, seafood may be only part of the problem. The company is operating in a highly competitive restaurant market that remains under pressure, where chains have had to manage both traffic shifts and rising operating costs.

"The restaurant space has been tough. There's a lot of competition, so it's a very saturated market to begin with," Black Box Intelligence Chief Insights Officer Victor Fernandez told Restaurant Dive.

According to Black Box, 9% of full-service restaurants it tracked lost 30% or more of their peak sales between 2019 and 2025, compared with 4% in limited service. Among the most distressed units, 3% of full-service locations and 1% of limited-service locations lost more than half of their peak sales during that period.

"The softening economy that took hold in the second half of 2025 pushed many of those struggling units past the point of viability," Fernandez said. "That tips [them] over the edge," he added.

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Jul. 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Restaurants section.