What does fish-frying Long John Silver's have on the menu at 10 a.m? We found out.

Laura Peters, Staunton News Leader
·4 min read
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Reporter Laura Peters took it upon herself to see what you could get at 10 a.m. at the Staunton Long John Silver's and how the line would be.
Reporter Laura Peters took it upon herself to see what you could get at 10 a.m. at the Staunton Long John Silver's and how the line would be.

STAUNTON — I've never eaten at a Long John Silver's in my entire life. I believe the one in Staunton is the first one I've ever seen, although I've been told that there was once a location in my hometown of Leesburg. I don't remember it.

Since I've made myself the designated LJS reporter, I was tasked in finding out what is served when the fast food joint opens at 10 a.m. I mean, they've got to have some sort of breakfast, right? But, what would be fried fish breakfast related?

Um. No. It's the same menu offered throughout the day.

A hushpuppy from Long John Silver's in Staunton.
A hushpuppy from Long John Silver's in Staunton.

This has been an entire build up. I've never in my life seen so much hype about a fried fish food place. The only other fast food restaurant I could equate this to would be Popeye's, which is coming to Waynesboro eventually. So, get ready for that.

The LJS in Staunton was destroyed in early 2021, then torn down to be rebuilt in the fall of 2021 and reopened on Monday, May 2.

People have been lined up outside of this place starting before 10 a.m. I've seen it all week. It's been posted about constantly on Facebook. It's all anyone ever talks to me about. I have become LJS at this point.

Driving there, I could smell the fried fish from down the block. My body did not have a good reaction — I gagged. I'm surprised, because much of Greenville Avenue has a plethora of chain fast food places and usually my reaction is mouthwatering, like when I smell the charbroiled burgers from Burger King or something from Sakura.

I arrived at LJS at 10:13 a.m. and there was already a line. I was just inside the parking lot off Greenville Avenue. By 10:21 I had moved up three car spots.

I noticed that the drive-thru isn't entirely efficient. It's actually very counter intuitive. You have to exit the same way you came in, which poses a problem with all the cars lined up for the drive through and the blockage spilling out onto Greenville Avenue.

Fried clams, popcorn shrimp, hush puppies and extra crispies from Long John Silver's in Staunton.
Fried clams, popcorn shrimp, hush puppies and extra crispies from Long John Silver's in Staunton.

By the time I got to the circle drive-thru there were eight cars in front of me and it was 10:31. At 10:34 I was two cars away from the order screen. At 10:38 I ordered. By 10:42 I paid. At 10:43 I got my food. Just before 11 a.m. I made it home. Forty-five minutes to get fried fish.

I ordered small sides — an order of popcorn shrimp, fried clams and hushpuppies. I also asked for extra crispies (that's the extra fried droppings left over from what they make). I spent under $10 for all of it.

Reporter Laura Peters took it upon herself to see what you could get at 10 a.m. at the Staunton Long John Silver's and how the line would be.
Reporter Laura Peters took it upon herself to see what you could get at 10 a.m. at the Staunton Long John Silver's and how the line would be.

So, sadly there aren't special breakfast items at LJS when they open at 10 a.m. The good news is, by the time you make it through the line, it's basically lunchtime anyways.

The employees were super nice and polite taking my order and going through the line. The person in front of me took forever to order and it took a long time for people to make their way through the line, which didn't make much sense to me because I got my food relatively quickly after paying.

Overall, the food was not good. I did enjoy the crispies, though, but not anything else. I can still smell the fish on my hands and in my car. Maybe this is other people's cup of tea, but it is not mine. The last time I had popcorn shrimp was at a Shoney's nearly 25 years ago and I got food poisoning, so, I feel like I've been scarred from fried fish for a good while now.

If you like cheap fried fish and waiting a lengthy amount of time for it, the LJS is the place for you. I'll be sitting this one out, unless you want to get me some crispies.

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Reporter Laura Peters took it upon herself to see what you could get at 10 a.m. at the Staunton Long John Silver's and how the line would be.
Reporter Laura Peters took it upon herself to see what you could get at 10 a.m. at the Staunton Long John Silver's and how the line would be.

Laura Peters is the trending topics reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Or a good feature? You can reach reporter Laura Peters (she/her) at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura. Subscribe to The News Leader at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: We tried Long John Silver's at 10 a.m. in Staunton. Here's how it was.