7 Common Customer Complaints About Long John Silver's

Long John Silver's is a fast food chain that differs from its competitors, as rather than serve burgers or pizza, it specializes in providing a large seafood selection. With few major fast food chains specializing in fish, the chain has the opportunity to dominate this sector, but the large number of customer complaints suggests that it is not living up to expectations. There seems to be a demand for the British street food of fish and chips within the United States, but the negative reviews for Long John Silver's means the chain is not capitalizing on the opportunity.

From greasy fish to long drive-thru lines to missing items, there are numerous ways in which Long John Silver's is selling customers short, in their eyes. So, whether you are considering fish and chips for your next takeout order, or are simply wondering if you are alone in your disappointment in the chain, let's take a look at some of the most common complaints about Long John Silver's, sourced from online reviews.

When ordering fast-food fish and chips, no one is under the impression that it will be healthy, and grease is definitely expected. However, there is a difference between satisfyingly greasy, and disgustingly greasy, and Long John Silver's often falls into the latter category. Many of the complaints from customers concern the greasy food, with the signature batter receiving much of the criticism.

Customers often complain of an overwhelming taste of grease, as one Reddit user commented: "The meats themselves were solid, but the batter ruins the experience by giving you a strong flavor of oil and a mouthful of grease." The customer went on to say that they were unlikely to return since other casual restaurants serve a much better version of fish and chips. This is a common theme among the reviews, with a user on another thread describing the food as greasy and soggy, and commenting that there was more batter than anything else. The recurrence of this complaint suggests that diners craving crispy fried fish may be left disappointed by Long John Silver's.

If you are going to build your fast food restaurant around fish and seafood, you need to make sure the star of the show is spot on, and Long John Silver's falls a little flat sometimes with the main event. While condiments such as ketchup, salt, vinegar, and tartar sauce can all be added, these seasonings should be enhancing an already tasty piece of fish — rather than rescuing a flavorless portion of seafood.

One Reddit user, replying to a thread asking if Long John Silver's fish and chips stands up to the British classic, said: "The fish is cheap, tasteless, frozen diamond-shaped mystery meat. Not authentic and doesn't resemble British fish and chips at all." Other customers had equally scathing criticisms of the fish, with one complaining that it didn't taste of fish at all, only of breading. 

A long-time Long John Silver's customer explained on Quora that they used to love the food, but didn't any longer, writing: "The fish was tasteless, soft as mayonnaise, and VERY BLAND." While fast-food fish and chips is not usually the strongest-tasting seafood, totally bland fish is always going to be a disappointment. And if it can't be saved by batter coated in salt and vinegar and a dollop of ketchup, it has no business being served in a fish and chips restaurant.

Ordering fast food for home delivery or takeout is a great way to save time and money compared to eating in a formal restaurant. However, to realize that some of your order is missing is incredibly frustrating, and this seems to happen often at Long John Silver's.

One customer's complaint on Better Business Bureau described ordering more than $40 worth of food and getting home to find that it was missing two items. They were unable to reach anyone at the store to have them replaced, and eventually, a few days later, were told that nothing could be done. Another complaint on Facebook came from a customer who said: "I went to Long John Silver's on Route 62, ordered my food which cost almost $80. I get home, half my order is not in my bag, and I didn't get [any] condiments with my food."

Further similar reviews appear across other platforms, with orders missing shrimp, sides, and wraps, with customers often having traveled a long distance to pick up the food in the first place. While human error can cause the occasional mistake, the replies to some of these comments suggest that it is not an isolated event, and it may be prudent to check your items before leaving the restaurant if you are planning to place an order at Long John Silver's in the near future.

The biggest attraction of a fast food drive-thru is to save the time and effort required to go into the store in person. When a drive-thru line is so long that you need to give up more than half an hour of your time to be served, it somewhat undermines the convenience and leaves customers wondering if ordering in-store could be a better option. Many Long John Silver's customers complain about the drive-thru, only to be disappointed by the food when they finally receive it.

One Reddit user waited close to an hour to receive their food, saying: "With 8 cars ahead of us, it was a 55 minute wait—about 45 minutes longer than anticipated." In this case, the restaurant was drive-thru only, so heading into the restaurant to save time wasn't even an option. Many of the replies confirmed that this was not an isolated incident at that particular Tulsa branch, with customers admitting to leaving when they turned up to find more than 10 cars already in the line.

What makes the delay even more frustrating is that the wait does not necessarily result in freshly cooked, delicious food. While you could perhaps forgive a long wait time knowing that the food was being cooked fresh and would be worth the time in line, numerous customers on Facebook complained that the food was dry, undercooked, and inedible.

In addition to the complaints about the food being greasy at Long John Silver's, the restaurants themselves are accused of being the same. Customers speak of the floor being covered in grease and trash, and in particular the condiments stations have been described as messy and filthy by commenters on both Facebook and Tripadvisor.

Many reviewers refer to the restaurant chain as "disgusting," with one Facebook user commenting: "Tables and chairs are always sticky, and the floors look crusty all the time; it's just an overall terrible place to eat food." While the complaints relating to a few restaurants don't necessarily mean that every Long John Silver's branch will be dirty, and some reviewers do praise a clean dining room, customers have high expectations when it comes to cleanliness in fast food restaurants.

Untidy restaurants don't necessarily mean poor hygiene, but visible mess can lower people's confidence in the cleanliness of the chain overall. Comments on social media about people becoming sick after eating in a particular restaurant could also put off potential customers from ever trying the chain, for fear of getting food poisoning. Basic hygiene is the least we expect from a food establishment, and some Long John Silver's locations are falling worryingly short of that standard.

If you have decided to spend a substantial amount of money on fast food, the least you should expect is to enjoy a hot meal. While food that is kept under heat lamps after being cooked may not be as piping hot as that straight from the fryer, many customer complaints about Long John Silver's are of the food being served cold.

One customer review on Yelp told how the order was not only lacking in temperature, but also in cooking time. "The LJS fish and chicken was very salty, greasy and the batter was raw," they explained. "I also ordered french fries as one of my side orders, and they were very old and cold. For fried food to stay perfectly crispy and satisfying, it needs to be served fairly quickly after cooking, or it is in danger of becoming soggy and feeling more greasy, as moisture from the environment and the food infiltrates the batter. This is one reason that you may want to avoid ordering fried food for delivery.

This complaint was not restricted to one location either. Multiple branches have negative feedback online regarding cold, soggy food being served, and a less than friendly response from staff when the issue was pointed out. While food that has been delivered to the home could be expected to have dropped in temperature, customers arriving at the restaurant in person have a reasonable expectation to have hot, crispy food served to them every time.

Fast food prices have increased in the last few years, but if the quality of the food is top-notch, many customers are content to keep dining there. At Long John Silver's, however, customer complaints suggest that the price of the food simply isn't in keeping with the quality, and the small portions make it feel even poorer value.

One Facebook user expressed his shock at ordering two entrees without a drink and being charged $25, including a senior discount. Another Facebook discussion pointed out that expecting to eat there for less than $10 per person wasn't reasonable, as seafood can be on the more expensive side. However, all of the food, including the chicken, feels a bit too expensive for many diners.

Customers also regularly complain about portion size, with customers saying the meals are smaller while the prices are going up. "The sizes of the chicken and fish are half of what they used to be," lamented one Facebook user. "I bought the fish, chicken and shrimp combo and a medium $2.89 Diet Pepsi that was the size of a small for a total of $17.43 for one person. I used to love LJS but will think twice before going again." Responses blame shrinkflation but comment that the quality of the food in Long John Silver's simply doesn't justify spending the money the chain charges. One customer spent more than $75 to feed their family of four, saying they can only afford to do that once a year.

To find the most common complaints about Long John Silver's to compile this list, we looked at publicly available customer reviews across multiple online platforms. Facebook groups, Reddit threads, and Tripadvisor reviews all provided information about what customers have been most upset about across the chain. To qualify for our list, issues had to be raised frequently by multiple customers and across various locations.

Only locations within the U.S. were considered, and reviews of individual restaurants were taken into account alongside broader conversations about the chain in general. While we are aware that only a small percentage of customers leave reviews, the complaints that made our list were repeated often enough to suggest a genuine issue within the chain.