Lexington’s last Long John Silver’s to be torn down. Will the restaurant come back?
Long John Silver’s, a fast-food restaurant chain that got its start in Lexington more than 50 years ago, will have to close its last Lexington location.
The building will be torn down to make room for an expansion of the Village Branch of the Lexington Public Library, said Anne Donworth, director of development, marketing and communication for the Lexington Public Library. Donworth said there is no timeline for when the restaurant would be torn down.
She said she hopes the restaurant can find a replacement site. But it is unclear what the seafood restaurant owner is planning. Long John Silver’s, sometimes abbreviated as LJS, did not respond to requests for comment.
The current Village Branch of the library is in a strip shopping center behind the seafood restaurant at the corner of Village Drive and Versailles Road.
The library bought the Long John Silver’s property late last year, Donworth said, and has been leasing it to the restaurant on a month-to-month basis. She said the timetable for when the construction will begin has not been determined, and she did not know when Long John Silver’s would have to close.
“We’re going to have to raise some money to be able to do what we want to do there,” she said.
She said the library will soon begin the community engagement process that will help determine the design of the new building. She said the library will also be looking for a temporary site the Village Branch can occupy during construction.
The first Long John Silver’s opened in Lexington in 1969 at 301 Southland Dr. That location closed in 1991.
The chain grew by leaps and bounds under the ownership of parent company Jerrico, which also operated Jerry’s restaurants. Later, the Long John Silver’s brand was bought by Yum! Brands, which spun it off in 2011.
If the Lexington Long John Silver’s restaurant is not replaced at a different site, the next closest location would be in Paris, according to the company’s website. The chain, which says it has nearly 700 locations in 38 states and Singapore, also has locations in Mount Sterling, Danville and Berea.
Long John Silver’s
Where: 2197 Versailles Rd.
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thur., Sat.; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.; 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Contact: 859-233-0873
Menu: ljsilvers.com/menu
