The iconic fast-food seafood chain closed more than 800 restaurants

It’s no wonder that major fast-food chains build their menus around burgers, chicken and other meat-based offerings. Beverage-based chains and one pizza chain are of course the exceptions, but often QSR 50 2025: Top 50 Fast-Food Chains, ranked by sales, have a menu based on those staples.

• McDonald’s: $53.5 billion in US sales (rank #1)

• Starbucks: $30.4 billion (Rank #2)

• Chick-fil-A: $22.7 billion (Rank #3)

• Taco Bell: $16.2 billion (Rank #4)

• Wendy’s: $12.6 billion (Rank #5)

• dunkin’: $12.5 billion (Rank #6)

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: $11.1 billion (Rank #7)

• Burger King: $10.98 Billion (Rank #8)

• subway: $9.65 billion (Rank #9)

• dominoes: $9.50 billion (Rank #10)

Note that there are no seafood chains listed. Overall, across all restaurant categories, seafood consumption has declined.

“It wasn’t a great year for the seafood segment. If you factor in Red Lobster, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May of 2024 and saw a 20.2% drop in sales, the other 21 seafood chains within the top 500 brought in $63 million, or about 1.6%, less than they did in 2024. A 3% increase for the industry as a whole,” Restaurant Nation said. News reported.

There was a time when Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips brought British-style fish and chips to all of America. The brand has come a long way since leaving three standalone restaurants at its peak, but it has new ownership plans.

According to QSR Magazine, the brand was acquired by Nathan’s Famous in 2006. It has tried to bring it back under a new model of selling food through ghost kitchens.

“Founded in 1969, Arthur’s Treachers offers hand-dipped fish, chicken and French fries. The menu, revamped by Nathan’s Famous, will highlight the brand’s traditional menu items and include upgraded proteins, more contemporary creations, and a press release,” focused on Srima in a joint company release.

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The Ghost Kitchen brand still exists, and some locations offer it, according to a search on DoorDash.

Additionally, Pat’s Franchise Systems, which operates the three remaining Arthur Treacher Fish & Chips locations in Ohio, licenses the name back from Nathan’s Famous.

• Founded in 1969 in Columbus, OhioArthur Treachers grew rapidly in the 1970s as a popular British-style fish and chips fast food chain. At its peak in 1979 the chain was approx 826 restaurants nationwideAccording to Money Digest.

• In the following decades, Chen’s footprint shrunk dramatically Changing consumer tastes and supply challenges affect its business. By 2010, only a handful of restaurants remained, with reports indicating a few locations before a recent resurgence, Mashed added.

• Chen saw a Dramatic shrinkage After the 1970s, Money Digest reported, due to rising costs, ownership changes, and changing consumer tastes.

• as 2025there are Only three stand-alone Arthur Treachery locations remain In America, at all Northeast Ohio: Cuyahoga Falls, Garfield Heights, and Cleveland HeightsThe franchised version of the brand is shared on its website.

It is fair to say that the brand has never directly competed with McDonald’s or Burger King. It was an alternative to traditional fast food like Chick-fil-A or Taco Bell, but it didn’t have the staying power of either of those brands.

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Arthur Treacher fell victim to challenges that were somewhat beyond its control.

“After a few years of its rapid growth, however, Arthur Treachers ran into trouble due to foreign politics. Territorial disputes over fishing rights between Iceland and the UK drove up the cost of cod, and this greatly affected the price of the chain’s signature dish,” reports Mashed.

This marked the beginning of the chain’s demise.

“As Arthur Treacher’s complicated history reveals, this moment marked the beginning of its long decline. Like many other seafood chains that are disappearing across the country (Kona Grill and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.), this restaurant chain was unable to cope with rising costs and changing dining habits,” the food website added.

How Arthur Treacher’s response to rising code prices hurt its brand.

“The company made an unfortunate — and now arguably infamous — move when it replaced the brand’s cod fillet with Pollock. The decision saved money, but, according to some, eroded Arthur Treacher’s core equity and turned off loyal guests,” QSR magazine reported.

Ben Vitoria, owner of Arthur Treacher, closed one of his stores in June 2021.

“I didn’t close because business was bad,” Vitoria shared with Cleveland View. “What Covid couldn’t do and what corporate mismanagement couldn’t do, the recent labor crisis has done. It’s become increasingly difficult to operate our restaurants.”

New owner Nathan’s has high hopes for reviving its famous Ghost Kitchen.

“We are thrilled to offer operators across the country the opportunity to add Arthur Treachers to their portfolio,” shared senior vice president James Walker in a press release. “Nathan’s has a longstanding relationship with Famous and Arthur Treacher and we have worked diligently to retain the brand’s traditional menu items.”

Related: Struggling Bakery, Cafe Chain Quietly Closes Dozens of Locations

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This story was originally published by TheStreet on December 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Restaurants section. Add TheStreet as a preferred source by clicking here.