Long John Silver's manager speaks out on Staunton store craze, apologizes for long wait times
STAUNTON — The Long John Silver's saga is not over yet. The Staunton store manager took to Facebook to issue an explanation of the overcrowding and overall craziness that has ensued over the past two weeks.
Derrick Allen posted on his personal Facebook page early Wednesday morning trying to explain the situation. The overall catch — the Staunton location has done more in revenue in the first 15 days of opening than most franchise stores do annually.
"Maybe I can break this down into laymen's terms for those unaware," he posted. "As the general manager of this particular location, I apologize to any and everyone who has experienced a problem while visiting my location. Mistakes happen, we are all human."
The store has been experiencing what seems like never ending lines since it opened May 2. The store, which caught fire in 2021, was rebuilt in the fall creating what seems like a cult following where people were watching and waiting for the restaurant to reopen.
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According to the post, Allen said his staff is working 12 to 17 hours a day. Some are working seven days a week or working open to close.
"It’s not easy for any of us on either side of the situation. We are trying our best while dealing with staffing issues, supplier issues and the overwhelming orders back to back all day long," he posted.
The lengthy waits times are due to large orders, some in the excess of $125. Other reasons for the extended wait times are due to customers making more than one order at a time.
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"Our fryers need to heat back up from the overwhelming amount of orders being cooked," he posted. "We are truly trying our best but please allow us time to get to you."
At times, people are waiting up to an hour or more in line for food. The line is also causing back-up on Greenville Avenue.
"I can assure you, my goal is to please every customer because without our customers we wouldn’t have a job," Allen said. "A lot of my employees didn’t receive adequate training prior to our opening and some have been hired after opening.
"We are still working through any and all kinks while also trying to satisfy our customers as well as find time to rest momentarily before returning for an entire day of working again," he continued. "So please, give consideration when visiting my location and remember we are trying our best while working with limited staff and extremely high volume of orders and high demands. It’s a grand opening and we can only do but so much at once."
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: Long John Silver's manager posts about overwhelmed staff and store
