Viral Joke Revives Long John Silver’s in Longview

(KNUE-FM) Let’s hope that people in East Texas never forget the incredible journey of how one joke about Long John Silver’s in Longview brought the restaurant back to life. It truly is amazing what good can come of social media.

The story was so amazing that Jake Sutton posted about it on TikTok in January, and it has since received tons of views and reactions as people seem to love the story.

How the All-Things Longview Facebook Post Started It All

If you’re not familiar with what happened, let’s discuss. It was around 2020 when someone posted on the All-Things Longview page about wanting a recommendation for a date night.

One person proudly responded that you need to go to Long John Silver’s. And it just continued to grow as more and more people just continued to promote Long John Silver’s in the local Facebook group.

In reality, the food was good, but the building looked old and outdated; so it was not a good choice for a date night at the time.

When the Joke Turned Into Real Business

But locals couldn’t get enough of the joke, and visits surged, sometimes they would have a line out the door. All because of an online joke.

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The Restaurant Remodel That Followed

Eventually, Long John Silver’s had to shut down temporarily, as the company decided to do a complete remodel on the store.

When the store opened again, the sign outside said, “Thank You ATL (All Things Longview).”

The video contains some strong language and may not be safe for work. But I still love this story and will always smile when I see Long John Silver’s in Longview.