Long John Silver's franchise
2026 filing · June 24, 2026
Long John Silver's at a glance
A quick-service seafood restaurant serving battered fish, shrimp, chicken and sides. At the end of 2025 there were 479 Long John Silver's locations in the US, 261 franchised and 218 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Long John Silver's, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Louisville, Kentucky
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.09M–$2.72M
- A traditional in-line or end-cap restaurant
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- $20,000 for a non-traditional restaurant
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross receipts for a traditional restaurant (6% for non-traditional), paid monthly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 5% of gross receipts at traditional restaurants, 1% at non-traditional ones
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 479
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 261
- Company-owned
- 218
- States
- 34
- Most in Texas, Indiana and Ohio
From Long John Silver's, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Long John Silver's among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Long John Silver's | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,906,250 | Costs more than 92% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 479 | More than 94% of franchises |
How much a Long John Silver's franchise costs
Opening a traditional in-line or end-cap restaurant costs an estimated $1,092,500 to $2,720,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction costs ($500,000 to $1,500,000) and furniture, fixtures & equipment ($200,000 to $350,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line/End-Cap Restaurant Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Construction Costs | $500,000 | $1,500,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $200,000 | $350,000 | |
| Signage/Awnings | $50,000 | $200,000 | |
| Computer Systems and Digital Technology | $90,000 | $125,000 | |
| Pre-Opening Salaries, Training, and Assistance | $72,500 | $115,000 | |
| Start-up Inventory | $35,000 | $45,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising Promotion and Development Fee | $20,000 | ||
| Line/End-Cap Restaurant Soft Costs | $40,000 | $200,000 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $50,000 | $130,000 | |
| Total | $1,092,500 | $2,720,000 | |
Source: Long John Silver's, LLC, 2026 filing, page 20
Long John Silver's franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000, $20,000 for a non-traditional restaurant. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Long John Silver's, LLC, 2026 filing, page 15
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross receipts for a traditional restaurant (6% for non-traditional), paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 5% of gross receipts at traditional restaurants, 1% at non-traditional ones. |
| Digital Transaction Fee | 3.5% of Gross Receipts of all digital transactions. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Long John Silver's, LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
Other fees as filed, from page 18. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Long John Silver's does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Long John Silver's, LLC, 2026 filing, page 58
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.7M–$3.1M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Long John Silver's franchisees
Lenders approved 57 SBA-backed loans for Long John Silver's franchisees from 1990 to 2022, $31.4M in all: 46 7(a) loans and 11 504 loans. Of the 55 that have ended, 40 were paid in full and 15 were charged off (27.3%). The other 2 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Long John Silver's compares
Of the 309 fast food franchises on this site, Long John Silver's is the 276th cheapest to open and the 41st largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Long John Silver's | Typical fast food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.09M | $353K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $2.72M | $786K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 479 | 23 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −28.9% | +5.2% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 189 of 309 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 309 brands in fast food franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 322 (−45) | 217 |
| 2024 | 281 (−41) | 221 |
| 2025 | 261 (−20) | 218 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: fast food franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Long John Silver's, LLC, 2026 filing, page 59
Where Long John Silver's locations are
At the end of 2025, Long John Silver's had locations in 34 states. The most are in Texas, Indiana and Ohio.
- Texas72
- Indiana52
- Ohio51
- Kentucky44
- Virginia26
- Pennsylvania25
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 21 | 51 | 72 |
| Indiana | 7 | 45 | 52 |
| Ohio | 40 | 11 | 51 |
| Kentucky | 32 | 12 | 44 |
| Virginia | 26 | 0 | 26 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 18 | 25 |
| Michigan | 5 | 15 | 20 |
| Tennessee | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| West Virginia | 8 | 11 | 19 |
| Illinois | 5 | 12 | 17 |
All 34 states
Source: Long John Silver's, LLC, 2026 filing, page 60
Who owns Long John Silver's?
Long John Silver's franchises are sold by Long John Silver's, LLC. It is a subsidiary of LJS Partners LLC.
From Long John Silver's, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 12.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | No bankruptcy of the franchisor. ASAP, Inc., a delivery company where the franchisor's chief technology officer was then chief technology officer, filed for Chapter 7 in April 2024 as part of its parent Waitr Holdings' bankruptcy. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Long John Silver's, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 14, bankruptcy on page 14
Long John Silver's filings
The figures on this page come from Long John Silver's, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued June 24, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | June 24, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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