Long John Silver's(R) Invites Customers To Celebrate 'talk Like A Pirate Day' On Sept. 19

By: Long John Silver's | 6 Shares 202 Reads

Restaurant Chain Named After Buccaneer Urges All to Embrace Their Inner Pirates

September 15, 2006 // Franchising.com // LOUISVILLE, KY, – Long John Silver's® is again celebrating Talk Like A Pirate Day on Sept. 19. The restaurant chain named after the pirate in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island is inviting customers to get in on the buccaneer fun by celebrating the increasingly popular holiday.

"Pirates have never been more 'in,' but that's not news to Long John Silver's," said Don Gates, Director of Marketing for the world's largest quick-service seafood chain. "Long before Johnny Depp embraced his inner pirate by bringing the character of Jack Sparrow to life in 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' we recognized America's love affair with pirates and named our company after one."

The Long John Silver's chain was founded in Kentucky in 1969.

Long John Silver's restaurants around the country are the perfect venues for "Talk Like a Pirate Day" celebrations. Kids who visit Long John Silver's on Sept. 19 can get a free pirate hat, as can those adults who want to relive the pirate games of their youth. And a menu that features Chicken Planks® and Treasure Chest meals makes it easy for buccaneer fans to "eat like a pirate."

"Asking us if we celebrate 'Talk Like a Pirate Day' is like asking Santa Claus if he celebrates Christmas," Gates added. "We celebrate piracy in a fun way every day at our restaurants, but Sept. 19 is pretty special to us."

The Long John Silver's web site (www.ljsilvers.com) includes a special page dedicated to pirates. Whether you need to look up a pirate word in the dictionary or you want to find out what your pirate name is, you can find the answers at the LJS web site.

A recent non-scientific poll conducted by Long John Silver's revealed that "Arrr, matey!" is the favorite pirate expression among 5,000 voters. Garnering the second-most votes was "Shiver me timbers," followed by "Yarr, Genius!®," the Long John Silver's tag line. Rounding out the top five were "Hand over the Treasure Chest (extra tartar sauce, please)" and "Yo-ho-ho!"

Talk Like a Pirate Day began in 1995 when creators Mark Summers and John Baur were playing racquetball in Albany, Ore. When one player reached for a tough shot, he exclaimed, "Aaaaarrrr!" Spontaneously, the two began speaking in pirate jargon, complete with accents, and the idea was born. The day is now an annual tradition and the light-hearted pirate fun has caught on with the media.

Talking Like a Pirate is as much about attitude as it is vocabulary, the founders point out. A pirate-like sneer and a sprinkling of "Ahoy," "matey," "aye aye" and "me hearty" is enough to make the most dedicated land lubber appear to be a convincing buccaneer.

Long John Silver's, Inc. based in Louisville, Kentucky (www.ljsilvers.com), is the world's most popular quick-service seafood chain, specializing in batter-dipped fish, chicken, shrimp and hushpuppies. Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island, Long John Silver's, Inc. was founded in 1969. Today, there are nearly 1,200 Long John Silver's, Inc. restaurants worldwide, and an additional 330 points of distribution in multi-brand restaurants, serving nearly four million customers weekly. Long John Silver's, Inc. is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE:YUM) the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system units with more than 34,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and territories.

Long John Silver's Non-Scientific Pirate Expressions Poll
My favorite pirate expression is:
Arrr, matey! 37 percent
Shiver me timbers 29 percent
Yarr, Genius! 15 percent
Hand over the Treasure Chest! 10 percent
Yo-ho-ho! 8 percent

Total votes: 5,000