Long John's Ames - Closed

wonkadog

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2006
4,858
401
83
Ames, IA
So, horrible start to my day today. Driving by Long John's in Ames and it says it's closed for good on the sign. Now where am I going to go to get my week's worth of calories in one meal?? :frown:

I do have to say that the service, at least at the one in Ames, was pretty bad. Average wait time of 15 minutes even if you were the only one there.
 
Dang.....

I ride a motorcycle to work..sometimes going home the wind is just right and the smell of LJS fills my helmet.
 
And everyone knows the trick to sweet talk the server and get extra crumblies in your basket. MMMMMMMMM
 
I LOVE crumbles. nothing but crumbles. and some grease. crumbles and grease!

Exactly. It's kind of odd that they label themselves a seafood place but I pretty much only ever get their chicken. Although I had their fish a couple times and it pretty much all tastes the same.....deliciously greasy!!
 
Judging by the # of customers, not as many as used to. Health food snobs like yourself are ruining things for all of us. :spinny:

Not a healthfood snob, but I always thought LJS was horrible. Unless you were plugged up, then it would take care of that issue faster than any medications.

Drove by the one in Ankeny the other day, and I was surprised it was still open. Of course it was at dinner time and there were no cars there.
 
I LOVE crumbles. nothing but crumbles. and some grease. crumbles and grease!

I love their chicken strips.....laying on a bed of crumbles. The one thing about LJS, like any good "bad" thing.....I always feel like a bad person when I am done eating there.....but before and during it is pure bliss!
 
I love their chicken strips.....laying on a bed of crumbles. The one thing about LJS, like any good "bad" thing.....I always feel like a bad person when I am done eating there.....but before and during it is pure bliss!

Yep, while eating it's awesome. Then about an hour later when you have grease coming out of your sweat glands and still smell like the store it's a little awkward.
 
Judging by the # of customers, not as many as used to. Health food snobs like yourself are ruining things for all of us. :spinny:

I am far from a health food snot and I rarely at there. Usually it was only in a pinch on a Friday during lent. I don't know if it's changing tastes as I got older or that the quality really went down hill, but the last time I ate there, it was actually gross. I didn't even come close to eating all of it. It was just kind a mushy oily mess. Nothing was crispy and it all had this bland, oily taste to it. And it has nothing to do with only the fact that it is fried. I always get a tenderloin sandwich when I'm back in Iowa.

I think you just have better options now adays and that's whey they probably went under. Especially here in Illinois. You can get a nice sit down all you can eat fish dinner on Friday nights for the same price that you'd pay at LJS and the quality just seems a lot better.
 
Haven't had greasy fast food for about 7 years now...but I remember in college the Ames LJ Silver's had a BEER TAP on the counter.
 
The chicken planks with malt vinegar were great.
LJS used to have draft beer in the 70's. Back then you could only get beer on a Sunday if the majority of their business was food. We stopped by just to drink on a few occasions.
 
Sad day. Back in 1989 that place served beer. I'd invited a few people from my internship office in Des Moines to Ames for a party. The group dwindled at the last minute and only one girl made it up to Ames, and since we were running late we ran in there for a beer and some food before we went drinking. Turned out that place was the location of my wife and my first date. I married her a couple years later.
 
Sad day. Back in 1989 that place served beer. I'd invited a few people from my internship office in Des Moines to Ames for a party. The group dwindled at the last minute and only one girl made it up to Ames, and since we were running late we ran in there for a beer and some food before we went drinking. Turned out that place was the location of my wife and my first date. I married her a couple years later.
I think I saw a movie like that once.