Long John Silver’s makes a splash in Nicholasville with near-record opening day

Published 2:26 pm Wednesday, July 30, 2025

By Casey Roberts

casey.roberts@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

For the first time since 2021, residents in the Lexington area are getting a taste of Long John Silver’s again — this time in Nicholasville.

The seafood chain, which originally launched in Lexington in 1969, returned to the region with a new location at 140 Hope Court in Nicholasville. The opening drew a crowd so large it nearly broke the company’s record for most sales on a grand opening day, according to Christopher Caudill, senior vice president of marketing and innovation.

“The energy around this has been building … when word got out, there’s been enough chatter on social media that people were excited to see it,” Caudill said. “So we knew it was going to do well. I don’t know that we knew it’d do that well.”

Lexington’s last Long John Silver’s, located at 2197 Versailles Road, closed in 2021 during the expansion of the Village Branch of the Lexington Public Library. The original location at 301 Southland Drive, where the company was founded, shut down in 1991.

The Nicholasville opening was a sign that the brand still holds a loyal following in the Lexington area.

Caudill said Long John Silver’s has made several updates to both its food and its restaurant model. The menu now features thicker fish filets, upgraded chicken, and new crispy waffle fries “that hold up really well,” he said.

Beyond the kitchen, the chain has invested in modern technology. The Nicholasville location includes digital menu boards inside and at the drive-thru, digital ordering kiosks, and supports mobile ordering through the company’s app and rewards program launched last year.

Caudill said the new store design in Nicholasville is being used as a model for the company’s future growth.

“This new modern look and feel will serve as a new standard as the chain looks to sail into new places,” he said.

As for whether the Lexington area will soon see another Long John Silver’s, that remains to be seen. But judging by Nicholasville’s enthusiastic reception, the appetite is clearly still there.