Long John Silver’s got rid of its fish logo. Blame chicken

Long John Silver’s is known for its seafood, but it’d like to be better known for its poultry. So much so, that it just swapped the fish in its logo for a chicken.

In time for national seafood month, Kentucky-based chain announced that it’s dropping the golden yellow fish illustration for a similarly styled chicken illustration. It’s also adding the words “Chicken” and “Seafood” to its lock-up.

“Guests have been telling us for years that our chicken is a best-kept secret,” Long John Silver’s senior vice president of marketing and innovation Christopher Caudill said in a statement. “It’s time we let that secret out.”

For now, the new logo shows up on the Long John Silver’s website and social media, and it’s expected to be on the wrap of the chain’s car at the South Point 400, a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race this Sunday in Las Vegas.

The company didn’t indicate in its announcement whether the rebrand is permanent, nor whether it will also appear in store and on signage nationwide (Long John Silver’s did not respond to a request for comment). At the very least, it’s the latest example of a promotional brand transformation.

Like Maxwell House temporarily rebrading as Maxwell Apartment or Lacoste releasing a limited-edition goat logo, Long John Silver’s new chicken logo is meant to communicate a pointed message: this is a fast food restaurant that does more than crab cakes and surf clams.

The rise of fast-food chicken sales

Founded in 1969 and named after a pirate on Treasure Island, Long John Silver’s was designed to bring seafood to the landlocked parts of the U.S. But diners in places like Des Moines and Denver aren’t necessarily looking for fish and shrimp these days—they are looking for chicken.

Fast-food chicken sales now account for more than $53 billion in annual revenue for U.S. restaurants, according to data from Technomic, a market research firm. You can see its popularity reflected in menu items like Taco Bell’s limited-run chicken nuggets and Wendy’s new chicken tenders. To protect its turf in a time of rising competition, KFC is leaning into its origin story and mascot.

For Long John Silver’s, the new look helps promote new chicken menu items, like chicken wraps and Nashville hot chicken, which the seafood the company says it’s testing at a new flagship location in Louisville, Kentucky. Chicken is “part of our heritage,” Caudill said, “so it deserves its rightful place on our logo, our menu, and our guests’ tables,” but he added that chicken is also “a big part of our future.”

Previously owned by Yum! Brands, the parent company behind the chains KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s was acquired for an undisclosed sum in March 2021, according to PitchBook. Long John Silver’s has closed more than 150 restaurants in three years.

With the dual focus on seafood and chicken, though, Long John Silver’s is hoping to reverse its decline by making its stores their own self-contained combination locations. For longtime customers still drawn in by its fish and shrimp, the brand will still deliver, but by casting a wider net, it’s hoping to catch some of the growing number of chicken fans too.

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