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Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 23:41
by javelin
About 6 months ago, the two LJS stores in Victorville, CA were turned into Starbucks, just as the chain was feeling the pain of having too many stores. One remains in Barstow, and a combo LJS/KFC opened several miles away. I hadn't noticed until now that the freestanding stores are disappearing. I always thought the decor and the bell by the door were cheesy, but they were easily discernible. Now everything is starting to look the same.

Is this something happening to the entire chain?

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 19 Oct 2008 01:05
by Jeff
The store that for a long time was in Puente Hills closed a few years back, saying "visit us in our new location in Baldwin Park", which is 10 miles away.

The new stores are mostly combo stores with A&W Root Beer it looks like.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 19 Oct 2008 02:47
by Kroger472
I remember one being in Ypsilanti MI, but like so much in that state it closed about ten years ago. It is a locally owned Thai Restaurant now. On the opposite side of town they built a KFC/Long John Silvers in 2005.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 19 Oct 2008 13:31
by luckysaver
I thought Puente Hills recently closed. This building has been there a long time and used the current logo at the time they closed. Only the frame and part of the exterior is left standing when I drove by a couple of weeks ago. Its probably being converted to some other restaurant or shop.

LJS is owned the restaurant group that owns A&W Restaurants.

luckysaver

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 19 Oct 2008 17:43
by Jeff
Been closed for over a year. It closed around the time they opened the BP location.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 19 Oct 2008 20:01
by tesg
It's more of a thing that's becoming common with the various Yum! brands than Yum! actively trying to phase out the LJS standalones.

We still have at least two freestanding LJS here, and a couple of A&W/LJS combos.

In Oklahoma City, KFC/LJS combos are almost universal.

I know of a Taco Bell/LJS combo in the Twin Cities (MN).

It really depends on what the local franchisee wants to do.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 19 Oct 2008 20:46
by lvkewlkid
We have a bunch of KFC/LJS and AW/LJS here in Las Vegas, but we still have AFAIK 2 freestanding LJS, one on Maryland at Flamingo, and I think there is one on Boulder Hwy...

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 20 Oct 2008 02:25
by TheStranger
I know of two freestanding LJS out here, one in Woodland and one in south Sacramento near the Florin Town Centre (on Stockton Boulevard)...there's a former unit in Rancho Cordova on Folsom Boulevard that's now a loan advance place.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 20 Oct 2008 14:13
by krogerclerk
I've not seen a new build LJS in years. The most recent example I have seen is Highway 58 in Chattanooga which opened in the early 90's. Most LJS locations here were built in the mid-70's and their age shows. Most have been converted to LJS/A&W combos, but only half-heartedly after the initial 2 or 3 conversions. The local Dalton LJS recently reverted back to being an LJS with the elimination of the A&W menu.

Here, Captain D's, though a little more bland than LJS, has been aggressive with remodels and new stores and relocations. Captian D's tends to be cleaner than LJS, as much a result of keeping the stores fresh as actual cleanliness. Many of the mid-70's LJS' have seen demographic and traffic flow changes in the years since they were first opened. The Fort Oglethorpe LJS is that last holdout of chain fast food along its strip, McDonald's and Taco Bell have long relocated to higher traffic areas of town, near where Captain D's has long been located.

I believe YUM! needs to revitalize the brand instead of co-bannering with A&W, KFC, and Taco Bell. The same with A&W, as their free-standing prototype is pretty good, and the food is better than Sonic.
But for A&W, fast food burgers are a crowded niche, but fast food fish is less competitive. I've yet to see an LJS combo with Pizza Hut, but I have seen KFC and Taco Bell combo'd with PH. Both KFC and A&W have strong legacy appeal as well, but YUM! has floundered a bit since being spun from Pepsi.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 20 Oct 2008 14:30
by lvkewlkid
i've only seen one free-standing A&W before, and that was in Boulder City and it reminds me of Sonic, is that what most freestanding A&W's are like?

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 20 Oct 2008 15:09
by storewanderer
There were three in northern Nevada until somewhat recently. First, the Sparks one closed (lost lease). The one in Carson City closed suddenly early this year. The Reno one is still open. There are KFC/LJS combination units in Winnemucca and Fallon.

These places are few and far between. I know of another in Sacramento on Auburn Blvd. in the Foothill Farms neighborhood.

A&W went through a lot of hard times prior to Yorkshire and then YUM. The only growth seems to be through combo units. I get the impression a lot of the freestanding franchisees are being squeezed away due to the push on combos.

Many existing A&W locations that are freestanding have weekly "cruise nights" during summer months where people exhibit their old cars in the parking lots. I think this has really helped their business.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 20 Oct 2008 17:54
by Dean
luckysaver wrote:I thought Puente Hills recently closed. This building has been there a long time and used the current logo at the time they closed. Only the frame and part of the exterior is left standing when I drove by a couple of weeks ago. Its probably being converted to some other restaurant or shop.

LJS is owned the restaurant group that owns A&W Restaurants.

luckysaver
PHills is becoming KFC I believe, as did the Burger King on Hacienda.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 21 Oct 2008 17:23
by krogerclerk
The concrete pad from the old Dalton, GA A&W is still visible after being closed for more than 25 years. And old scholl A&W drive still operates a litttle northeast of here in Madison, TN across from a still operating drive-in theater. A new build A&W is in Sevierville, TN amid the outlet malls that have filled the strip between Pigeon Forge and Sevierville and is very Sonic-like in its design. This is the only area close to me that has new build Hardee's using the Carls Jr. prototype as well.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 26 Oct 2008 23:06
by TenPoundHammer
I don't think any new LJS locations have opened since the early 1990s. I know the KFC in Tawas was recently remodeled to add LJS, which I find strange since a.) we now have LJS only 15 miles away, but have to drive 45 miles for Wendy's or Arby's, and b.) Tawas lost Taco Bell AND Pizza Hut not long beforethe KFC was remodeled. Even stranger is the fact that a local street was severed to account for KFCs new footprint; the former street is partially retained as KFC's new driveway. This KFC/LJS combo is still VERY small footprint for just one restaurant, much less two. There're maybe 10-12 seats inside at the most. The last time I was here, the food was so nasty and undercooked I had to ask for my money back.

Re: Long John Silver's freestanding stores

Posted: 27 Oct 2008 09:22
by Daniel
Where is this?