Welcome to The Dirt. In every issue, our anonymous writer will give you the dirt on your burning questions about the Amarillo area. Got something you’re just dying to know? Drop us a line at [email protected], and our intrepid writer will dig up the answer.
Why did Amarillo people go so crazy for Long John Silvers? What am I missing?
Neighbor, the entire city had the same question. As anyone who may have experienced a summer in Amarillo (or a Friday during Lent) may know, fried fish is not exactly absent from the local restaurant scene. From upscale places like Drunken Oyster to dives like Scott’s Oyster Bar, the town’s tastebuds were no strangers to fried seafood.
The viral excitement may be tied less to the beloved, briny menu but to a simple case of don’t-know-what-you’ve-got-til-it’s-gone nostalgia. At one point, Amarillo was home to a whopping total of six Long John Silver’s locations. The restaurants closed one by one due to lack of upkeep and troubles with management (allegedly), with the last closing its doors in 2019…